BIG BABY

A solo clown performance by Emily June Newton

Do you have what it takes to take care of a baby?

Emily June Newton takes on her most ambitious role yet: a baby. Arriving on stage in a wicker basket, bibbed and toothy and dressed for the occasion, Big Baby must figure out how to communicate with the world entirely without words. Expect audience inclusion, physical comedy, and an invitation — gently, playfully, irresistibly — into the role of caregiver.

But babies don't stay babies. Over the course of the show, Big Baby grows up — stumbling into adulthood and finding that the world has questions it isn't prepared to answer. Who am I? Who will I become? There are grown-up shoes that must eventually be filled.

"Newton captures the innocent ignorance that makes clowning an engagement with humility and discovery." — Portland Mercury

Artist Bio: 

Emily June Newton is an international comedic performer originally from Australia, now based in Portland, Oregon. Known for her eccentric, fully embodied characters and dynamic audience interaction, Emily’s work pushes the boundaries between performer and spectator. Her signature creations include Frank (the world’s most entertaining entertainer), Pat McKensie (Australia’s self-appointed Cultural Ambassador), The Rat King, and The Bard (Mike Bennett Studios).

Emily has performed nationally and internationally with acclaimed companies such as Terrapin Puppet Theatre (AUS), Oregon Children’s Theatre (USA), CoHo Productions (USA), The Children’s Art Theatre of China (CHN), and Dell’Arte International (USA).

Described as “comedic gold” by Broadway World and a “standout clown” by The Mercury PDX, Emily holds an MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theater from Dell’Arte International. She is the co-artistic director of the CoHo Clown Cohort, faculty at the Institute of Contemporary Performance (PETE), and a proud member of the Portland chapter of Fou Fou Ha, San Francisco’s premier burlesque clown troupe.