In a world often overwhelmed by conflict, isolation, and uncertainty, the act of laughing together can feel transformative. That’s the spirit behind Clown4All, a vibrant initiative launched by a group of international volunteers in Berlin and supported by the European Solidarity Corps. The project celebrated its first anniversary on June 1st. Rooted in the traditions of social and humanitarian clowning, the project uses the universal language of play to foster connection, joy, and inclusion among marginalized communities. Through performances in refugee shelters, open-stage ‘Clown Jams’, and playful training sessions (Clown Gym), Clown4All redefines what it means to be a clown—less about red noses and slapstick, and more about presence, empathy, and openness.

Find out more about Clown4All in the following text, written by Melike Temel of Clown4All:

One of the projects awarded by European Solidarity Corps in 2024 was our project called Clown4All, which focuses on social and theatrical clowning. Founded by an international group of volunteers from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, Clown4All aims to reach people from marginalized and vulnerable populations through the transformative power of laughter and to create an inclusive community centered around the art of clowning.

From humanitarian clowning shows to open-stage performance nights called ‘Clown Jam’ and open training sessions known as ‘Clown Gym’, our project explores various aspects of clowning and creates a safe space for people from all walks of life where the language is of play, of presence, of curiosity, and of deep human connection.

Since we had different experiences in performing arts, we wanted to be on the same board from the very beginning by sharing the common technical language as clowns. To achieve this, we participated in a workshop on the basics of physical theater led by Güray Dinçol, a director and clown pedagogue. Later, we received another workshop on humanitarian clowning from our project mentor, Sabine Choucair, co-founder of the humanitarian clowning association Clown Me In. In November, we collaboratively devised a humanitarian clowning show, which we performed in various refugee shelters around Berlin.

The core idea behind humanitarian clowning is to provide comfort and emotional relief to both children and adults living in challenging life circumstances by creating a safe, joyful space. Clowning, as a tool for connection, helps alleviate the effects of trauma in crisis or conflict zones. This experience allowed us to share moments of genuine laughter with children who had forgotten how to play and with elders who hadn’t been touched by joy for a long time.

We believe in the transformative power of joy and in the idea that clowning is not about being funny, but about being open—open to failure, to change, and to reversing societal norms. To spread this impact within local communities, we also organize a monthly series of performance nights called Clown Jams, which celebrate the art of clowning in all its forms. This open-stage event welcomes performers of all backgrounds and experience levels, offering a unique space to showcase short acts, experiment with improvisation, and take creative risks. The Clown Jam embraces performances that are clownesque and intersect with various genres, including contemporary circus, cabaret, burlesque, drag, magic, mime, puppetry, dance, music, and physical theater.

At the intersection between the will to connect people across cultural and social differences and the need for self-expression through artistic creation, Clown Jam continuously evolves, drawing feedback from both performers and audiences. It is a space where clowns inspire each other, foster community, and embrace experimentation—celebrating trial and error along the way. Through Clown Jams, we have created spaces for community interaction in various venues around Berlin, collaborating with local communities such as KOPI, h48, Soli25, and Queer Kanal. We are also connected with clown communities like Clown Me In and S.O.S (Sosyal Oyun Sokakta) in Turkey.

In addition to our performance nights, we also run open training sessions called Clown Gym to create moments of connection — for clowns, for almost-clowns, for people who don’t know they’re clowns yet. The idea is to bring clowning enthusiasts together to improve their craft and learn from each other while introducing those who are new to this form of art. In these sessions, we try to understand and embody what makes us laugh and explore it through playfulness, rhythm, ensemble work, states of presence, the intelligence of failure. But above all, the most important thing is coming together and having fun!

In a cosmopolitan city like Berlin, we think it is important to create safe and inclusive spaces for all, and that will be the starting point of the change we want to bring out to the world through the art of clowning. The present conditions of the world impose a sense of insecurity, unsafety and hence hopelessness on all of us and promotes competition among people rather than collaboration. This may have a profound effect on people who already feel alone, marginalized or disadvantaged. We want to change this stream by reminding ourselves that we are not alone in these feelings and by connecting through something profoundly human–laughter and playfulness.