MadLab Theatre's CLOWNTIME IS OVER Begins Tonight

Clowntime Is Over at MadLab Theatre (227 N. 3rd St.), running tonight, August 20 - September 5, 2015. A loveless rabbit, a hungry serpent and a TV clown are trapped in a room in Clowntime Is Over, Joseph E. Green's surreal comedy. Directed by Andy Batt with assistance from Chelsea Jordan.

Max P. Twinkle is a television clown who lives to entertain, because he's too exhausted by life for anything else. Today, however, is different. Today he finds himself trapped in a room with a bitter llama, a loveless bunny rabbit, and a fitfully hungry serpent that may destroy them all. Before the final curtain falls, there will be jokes, and love, and death, and entrances and exits. Clowntime is Over is a surreal comedy suffused with dread.

The cast features: MAX P. TWINKLE - Andy Batt; TIDY - Chad Hewitt; SUSIE - Shana Kramer; and PACO 0 Stephen Woosley.

Most people have strong feeling about clowns. The cast of Clowntime is Over is no different...

Andy Batt (Max): While it seems fashionable these days to find clowns scary or creepy, I have to admit, I never have. I think if you take a clown and purposefully try to make him horrific (ala this last season of American Horror Story or Stephen King's "It"), well then, you're going to have a scary clown. But I really like clowns in general. Admittedly though, I'm a bigger fan of highly skilled clowns like circus clowns or rodeo clowns. I'm probably the biggest fan of rodeo clowns because they're tough as nails and you just shouldn't fuck with them.

Stephen Woosley (Paco): I am kinda ambivalent about clowns, but I don't like circuses or parades. I love that song Send in the Clowns, especially Sinatra's version. When I think of clowns I think of watching Killer Clowns from Outer Space on one of my first dates with my now ex-wife. At some point, she said, "Oh my God they're so fake." To which I responded, "Of course they're fake, they're killer clowns from outer space. How could they possibly get real ones?"

Chad Hewiit (Tidy) and Shana Kramer (Susie) do not want clowns to know their true feelings about them.

Showtimes: 8 pm, Thursday Aug. 20, Friday Aug. 21, and Sat, Aug 22, Friday Aug. 28 and Saturday Aug. 29, Friday Sep. 4 and Saturday Sep. 5. Tickets: $15; $13 for students and senior citizens; $10 for MadLab members. To order, go to www.madlab.net/MadLab/tickets.html.