WHAT ARE THEY?
Mump & Smoot, also referred to as clowns of horror, inhabit a parallel universe called Ummo, worship a god named Ummo and speak their own brand of gibberish, Ummonian. Together they turn every convention about clowns upside down in a series of darkly humorous shows that range from the zany to the macabre. Not For Children!
The comic creations of Michael Kennard and John Turner, Mump & Smoot have been a hit from coast to coast performing to sold-out houses at every festival they play. They have also had successful runs at many major regional theatres including the La Jolla Playhouse, the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven where they have been Associate Artists for the past six years, the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Center Stage in Baltimore, the Dallas Theater Center, Alberta Theatre Project in Calgary, and at the Canadian Stage Berkeley Street in Toronto. Mump & Smoot have also appeared Off-Broadway at the Astor Place Theater in New York, and at the Palestinian National Theatre and the Acco Theatre Festival in Israel.
This dynamic duo won two Dora Mavor Moore awards in June 2003 – one for Outstanding Production (Mump & Smoot in Flux) and another to Karen Hines for Direction. They were also nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for Comedic Play (Mump & Smoot in Flux) and are past recipients of a Canadian Comedy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Comedic Play. They have also won the Outstanding Small Visiting Company Award at the Boston Theater Awards and have appeared in the Genie-Award winning film The Fairy Who Didn’t Want To Be A Fairy Anymore as well as their own Canadian Film Centre short The Princess Who Wouldn’t Smile. Mump & Smoot were the subject of a featured documentary on CBC’s Adrienne Clarkson Presents.
HISTORY
On Friday the 13th of May, 1988 Mump & Smoot were born on stage at the Theatre Centre in Toronto.
Mump & Smoot are the comic creations of Michael Kennard and John Turner. They are also referred to as clowns of horror. They inhabit a parallel universe called Ummo, worship a god named Ummo and speak their own brand of gibberish, Ummonian. Together they challenge every convention about clowns in a series of darkly humorous shows that range from the zany to the macabre.
Michael and John met in 1986 in Second City workshops. As a duo they discovered they had a good connection, especially when doing gibberish exercises. It was also in Second City workshops that they met and began working with director Karen Hines, who has gone on to direct all of their shows and is integral from the developmental phase through to full production.
Their distinctive style of clowning finds its roots deep within their work with Canadian clown master Richard Pochinko, with whom they worked extensively for the last two years of his life. Apart from numerous short sketches their primary repertoire includes eight full length shows, Something – 1989, Caged – 1990, Ferno -1992, Tense – 1997, Something Else – 1998, Flux – 2002, Cracked – 2010, Anything – 2014 and now Exit. Their critical acclaim and popularity was developed through consistent sell-outs in Fringe festivals across Canada. They then went on to have successful runs at many major regional theatres including the La Jolla Playhouse, the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven where they were Associate Artists for seven years, the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Center Stage in Baltimore, the Dallas Theater Center, Alberta Theatre Project in Calgary, and at the Canadian Stage Berkeley Street in Toronto.
Mump & Smoot have also appeared Off-Broadway at the Astor Place Theater in New York, and at the Palestinian National Theatre in Jerusalem and the Acco Theatre Festival in Israel. This dynamic duo has won two Dora Mavor Moore awards in June 2003 – one for Outstanding Production (Mump & Smoot in Flux) and another to Karen Hines for Direction. They were also nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for Comedic Play (Mump & Smoot in Flux) and are past recipients of a Canadian Comedy Award for Live Male Performance. They have also won the Outstanding Small Visiting Company Award at the Boston Theater Awards and have appeared in the Genie-Award winning film The Fairy Who Didn’t Want To Be A Fairy Anymore as well as their own Canadian Film Centre short The Princess Who Wouldn’t Smile.
BIOS
MICHAEL KENNARD
Michael Kennard
“MUMP”
For the past thirty-six years Michael has been a cocreator (with John Turner), performer and producer with internationally acclaimed clown duo Mump & Smoot. Michael is a graduate of the University of Guelph Drama program and studied physical comedy, clown, mask, improv and movement with Richard Pochinko, Ian Wallace, Fiona Griffths, Philippe Gaulier and The Second City. He has taught at The Yale School of Drama, Tel Aviv University, California State University, University of Colorado, Guelph University, Bishops University, Equity Showcase, The SPACE, The Humber College Comedy program and currently is on Faculty at the University of Alberta. Michael’s directing credits include: The Christmas Carol, The Hobbit and The Wizard of Oz at The Globe Theatre in Regina, The Second City’s Family Circus Maximus and Insanity Fair in Toronto and co-directed Embryos on Ice in Chicago, Half a Sixpence and Alice Through the Looking Glass at Bishops’ University, The Hollow (independent) at Berkeley St Theatre in Toronto and numerous productions at The University of Alberta. Michael has been recognized for his work with a Dora Award (Toronto), a Sterling Award (Edmonton), a Jessie Award(Vancouver), three Canadian Comedy Awards, a Boston Theatre Award and a Drama Logue Award (California) for his work.
www.michaelkennard.ca
JOHN TURNER
John Turner
“SMOOT”
John is best known as the “Smoot” half of the award winning Canadian clown duo Mump & Smoot (with Michael Kennard), and until 2020 the founder and Artistic Director of The Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance (aka. The Clown Farm). John attended three universities and two colleges but was never inspired to finish. He had jobs as an oil rig roughneck, orderly, painter, construction worker, frying pan and cookbook salesman, waiter and bartender. John studied clown, mask and movement with Richard Pochinko, Ian Wallace, and Fiona Griffiths, bouffon with Philippe Gaulier, physical comedy with John Towsen and improv at Second City. Hailing from beautiful Cape Breton Island he now coaches, teaches, dramaturges, directs and performs across the country. Coaching and/or Directing credits include Justin Miller’s Pearle Harbour, in Distant Early Warning, Christine Moynihan’s Inside Ethel: Outside, Jennifer Dallas’ Kittly-Bender and Known, Morro and Jasp (multiple shows), Karen Hines’ Citizen Pochsy and Crawlspace, Michael Kennard’s Puzzle Me Red, Sandrine Lafond’s Little Lady, and De-ba-jehmu-jig Theatre’s A Trickster Tale, and The Gulch. He has been recognized for his work with a Dora award, two Canadian Comedy awards, a Boston Theatre award and a Drama Logue award (California) for his work.
www.johnwturner.ca
KAREN HINES
Karen Hines
Director
Hines began her career as an underground sketch comedienne and emerged as the director, performer, and author of multiple award-winning productions which have been presented across North America at venues including Soulpepper, One Yellow Rabbit, Tarragon Theatre, Boca del Lupo, Canadian Stage, Alberta Theatre Projects, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Dallas Theatre Centre, Joe’s Pub (Public Theatre NYC), La Jolla Playhouse and many more. Chicagoborn, Toronto-bred, she is a Dora Award-winning actor and director (she has directed all Mump & Smoot shows since their inception). Her published and prize-winning plays include The Pochsy Plays and ‘rama, both of which were also finalists for Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award; Hines was also a 2020 Siminovitch Prize finalist. As a director, she has collaborated with Canadian and American theatre artists including Linda Griffiths (Age of Arousal), Michelle Thrush (Inner Elder) and currently, Seattle’s Bhama Roget. She has appeared in American and Canadian TV and film including three seasons on the PBS/CBC’s Emmy Awardwinning Newsroom. Her own short films featuring Pochsy have screened around the world. Her real estate horror Crawlspace recently toured to micro-theatres across Canada and is currently touring in translation with Théâtre Francais de Toronto. Crawlspace now streams on CBC’s PlayME, Spotify, etc.
www.keepfrozen.org
MANDATE
Our mandate is to contribute to Canadian Clown Theatre and through our creative explorations expand its current parameters (…to boldly go where no clown has gone before…).
RÉSUMÉ
Theatre Around the World
SHOW | WHERE | DATE |
---|---|---|
“Something Else” | Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven (USA) | Sept – Oct 2000 |
“Something Else” | Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven (USA) | April 1999 |
“Something” | California State University, Long Beach (USA) | July 1998 |
“Something” | Michigan Technological University, Michigan (USA) | April 1998 |
“Something” | Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh (USA) | November 1997 |
“Something” | HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Aspen, Colorado (USA) | February 1997 |
“Something” | HBO Showcase Theatre, Los Angeles, California (USA) | December 1996 |
“Something” | La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California (USA) | December 1996 |
“Something” | Performance Network, Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA) | April 1996 |
“Something” | Michigan Technological University, Michigan (USA) | April 1996 |
“Ferno” | Proctors Theatre, Schenectady, New York (USA) | October 1995 |
“Ferno & Caged” | Dallas Theatre Centre, Dallas, Texas (USA) | May-June 1995 |
“Something” | D.A.R.E., Dallas, Texas (USA) | February 1995 |
“Ferno” | La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California (USA) | September 1994 |
“Ferno & Caged” | American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, Mass. (USA) | July 1994 |
“Something” | Dallas Theatre Centre, Dallas, Texas (USA) | June 1994 |
“Caged & Ferno” | Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven (USA) | March-April 1994 |
“Caged” | Centre Stage, Baltimore (USA) | January 1994 |
“Something” | Palestinian National Theatre, Jerusalem (Israel) | October 1993 |
“Something” | Acco Theatre Festival, Acco (Israel) | October 1993 |
“Ferno” | Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut (USA) | May 1993 |
“Caged” | Astor Place Theatre, Off-Broadway, New York (USA) | May-June 1991 |
Theatre in Canada
SHOW | WHERE | DATE |
---|---|---|
“The Cafe & The Doctor” | MSS Manitoulin Island | October 2004 |
“Late Night Madness” | Street Performers Festival, Edmonton | July 2004 |
“Flux” | Berkeley Street Theatre, Toronto | June 2002 |
“Flux” | Waterfront Theatre, Vancouver | March, April 2002 |
“Flux” | Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary | March 2002 |
“Flux” | Theatre Network, Edmonton | February 2002 |
“Something Else” | Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary | March 2000 |
“Something Else” | Vancouver East Cultural Centre, Vancouver | Feb, March 2000 |
“Something Else” | Theatre Network, Edmonton | Jan, Feb 2000 |
“The Dentist” | Edmonton Comedy Arts Festival, Edmonton | January 2000 |
“Dora Awards” – hosts | Bluma Appel Theatre, Toronto | June 1999 |
“Something Else” | The Canadian Stage Company, Toronto | Jan, Feb 1999 |
“Cream of Comedy” | The Second City of Toronto | November 1998 |
“Something Else” | Bishops University, Quebec | November 1998 |
“Something Else” | World Stage Festival, Toronto | April 1998 |
“Something Else” | Sudbury Theatre Centre | March 1998 |
“Something” | Living Arts Centre, Mississauga | February 1998 |
“Tense” | Edmonton Fringe Festival | August 1997 |
“Tense” | Fringe Festival of Toronto | July 1997 |
“Pitooey” | Second City, Toronto | June 1997 |
“Something” | Quinte Arts Festival, Belleville | May 1997 |
“An Evening of Clown” | Factory Theatre, Toronto | February 1997 |
“Something” | Bishops University, Quebec | November 1996 |
“Something” | Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa | October 1996 |
“Something” | Edmonton Fringe Festival, Alumni Venue | August 1996 |
“Ferno” | Fraser Auditorium, Laurentian University, Sudbury | April 1996 |
“Ferno” | Factory Theatre, Toronto | January 1996 |
“Caged” | Factory Theatre, Toronto | January 1996 |
“Something” | Factory Theatre, Toronto | December 1995 |
“Pitooey” | Citadel-Macnab Theatre, Midnight Madness, Edmonton | July 1995 |
“Something” | Vogue Theatre, Vancouver | April 1994 |
“Something” | Worldstage Festival, Toronto | April 1994 |
“Caged & Ferno” | Innerstage, University of Guelph | February 1994 |
“Something” | Globe Theatre, Regina | February 1994 |
“Something” | Passe Muraille Theatre C.R.A.F.T. Benefit, Toronto | December 1993 |
“Ferno” | High Performance Rodeo, Calgary | November 1993 |
“Ferno” | Chinook Theatre, Edmonton | November 1993 |
“Something” | Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg | October 1993 |
“Caged” | Sudbury Theatre Centre, Sudbury | September 1993 |
“Something” | Sudbury Fringe Festival | August 1993 |
“Something” | Scarborough Board of Education Drama Conference | May 1993 |
“Something” | Club Soda, Montreal | May 1993 |
“Ferno” | Waterloo Humanities Theatre | April 1993 |
“The Doctor” | Claude Watson Studio, Richmond Hill | March 1993 |
“Ferno” | Poor Alex Theatre, Toronto | Nov-Dec 1992 |
“Ferno” | University of Victoria | October 1992 |
“Ferno” | Victoria Fringe Festival | October 1992 |
“Ferno” | Vancouver East Cultural Centre | September 1992 |
“Ferno” | Vancouver Fringe Festival | September 1992 |
“Ferno” | Chinook Theatre, Edmonton | August 1992 |
“Ferno” | Edmonton Fringe Festival | August 1992 |
“Ferno” | Saskatoon Fringe Festival | August 1992 |
“Ferno” | Winnipeg Fringe Festival | July 1992 |
“Ferno” | Fringe of Toronto | June 1992 |
“Ferno” | Innerstage, University of Guelph | June 1992 |
“Ferno” | Montreal Fringe Festival | June 1992 |
“Caged” | Innerstage, University of Guelph | March 1992 |
“Bits & Pieces” | Claude Watson Studio, Richmond Hill | January 1992 |
“Star Trek” | Big City Improv, Toronto | November 1991 |
“Something” | Winchester Street Theatre, Toronto | September 1991 |
“Christmas Benefit” | Rivoli, Toronto | December 1990 |
“Christmas Benefit” | Second City, Toronto | December 1990 |
“Caged” | Poor Alex Theatre, Toronto | November 1990 |
“Caged” | Victoria Fringe Festival | September 1990 |
“Caged” | Vancouver East Cultural Centre | September 1990 |
“Caged” | Vancouver Fringe Festival | September 1990 |
“Caged” | Chinook Theatre, Edmonton | August 1990 |
“Caged” | Edmonton Fringe Festival | August 1990 |
“Something” | Vancouver International Comedy Festival | August 1990 |
“Caged” | Saskatoon Fringe Festival | August 1990 |
“Caged” | Fringe of Toronto | July 1990 |
“Something” | Poor Alex Theatre, Toronto | May-June 1990 |
“The Dentist” | Tarragon Theatre, Spring Arts Fair | April 1990 |
“The Dentist” | Theatre Centre Opening, Toronto | March 1990 |
“Something” | Innerstage, University of Guelph | January 1990 |
“Something” | Factory Theatre Studio Cage, Toronto | November 1989 |
“Something” | Second City, London, Ontario | November 1989 |
“Something” | Nelson, British Columbia | October 1989 |
“Something” | Victoria Fringe Festival | September 1989 |
“Something” | East Vancouver Cultural Centre | September 1989 |
“Something” | Vancouver Fringe Festival | September 1989 |
“Something” | Edmonton Fringe Festival | August 1989 |
“Something” | One Yellow Rabbit Theatre, Calgary | August 1989 |
“Something” | Fringe of Toronto | August 1989 |
“Something” | The Rivoli, Toronto | July 1989 |
“Comedy Tonight” | The Rivoli, Toronto | June 1989 |
“Takin’ it to The Streets” | Harbourfront, Toronto | June 1989 |
“The Wake” | “A Starry Night”, Ryerson Theatre, Toronto | May 1989 |
“Bits & Pieces” | Second City, Toronto | April 1989 |
“Bits & Pieces” | Rivoli, Toronto | April 1989 |
“The Dentist” | Crystal Comedy Quest, Glendon College, Toronto | April 1989 |
“Bits & Pieces” | The Rivoli, Toronto | March 1989 |
“The Dentist” | Crystal Comedy Quest, Humber College, Toronto | March 1989 |
“Bits & Pieces” | Grover’s Exchange, Toronto | January 1989 |
“Egg” | Theatre Centre, Toronto | October 1989 |
“Jump The Gun” | Theatre Centre, Toronto | May 1988 |
Film & Television
SHOW | PRODUCTION COMPANY | DATE |
---|---|---|
“Canadian Comedy Awards” | Comedy Network, Toronto | April 2001 |
“Edmonton Comedy Festival” | CBC, Edmonton | January 2000 |
“Cream of Comedy” | The Comedy Network | November 1998 |
“Best of the Fest” | HBO, Best of the US Comedy Arts Festival | February 1997 |
“ACT’s Awards” | The Alliance For Children and Television | November 1996 |
“The Dini Petty Show” | CTV, Toronto | January 1996 |
“Special” | CBC, Edmonton | July 1995 |
“Taking the Falls” | Alliance | March 1995 |
“Adrienne Clarkson” | CBC | August 1993 |
“Friday Night Live” | CBC | December 1992 |
“Breakfast Television” | City TV | November 1992 |
“Genie Awards” | CBC | November 1992 |
“Midday” | CBC | June 1992 |
“The Fairy Who Didn’t Want To Be A Fairy Anymore” | Canadian Film Centre, Dir. Laurie Lynd | March 1992 |
“The Princess Who Wouldn’t Smile” | Canadian Film Centre, Dir. Paul Quarrington | February 1992 |
“Arts & Entertainment” | Rogers Cable | June 1990 |
“Breakfast Television” | City TV | November 1990 |
“Toronto After Hours” | CBC | July 1990 |
“Breakfast Television” | City TV | January 1990 |
“Toronto After Hours” | CBC | November 1989 |
“F.Y.I. Entertainment” | CFPL | November 1989 |
Industrials
WHAT | COMPANY | DATE |
---|---|---|
“Cafe & Doctor” | Celebrex, Quebec City, Quebec | April 1999 |
“The Cafe” | C.I.B.C., Richmond Hill | November 1996 |
“Planes, Trains & Snowmobiles” | Bombardier, Toronto Harvard Business Club | May 1996 |
“C.I.B.C” | C.I.B.C., Halifax | November 1995 |
“Flonase” | Glaxo, Mariposa Communications | September 1993 |
“Art Handling” | Art Gallery of Ontario | December 1992 |
“Mind Works” | Ontario Science Centre | October 1990 |
“Cnd Magazine Awards” | Wolfsen Bell Productions | April 1990 |
“Inn Laundry” | Holiday Inn | December 1988 |
Teaching
SHOW | WHERE | DATE |
---|---|---|
“Clown” | The Clown Farm, Manitoulin Island | 2002-present |
“Clown” | The SPACE | 1997-2003 |
“Clown” | Indigenous Theatre School (C.I.T., Toronto) | 2000-present |
“Clown/Movement” | Workman Theatre Project | 2000-2003 |
“Physical Comedy” | Humber Comedy Centre (Toronto) | 1999-present |
“Clown” | Laurentian University (Sudbury) | 2002-present |
“Clown” | Bishops University (Quebec) | 1994-2001 |
“Clown” | California State University California State University | July 1998 |
“Baby Clown” | Equity Showcase (Toronto) | 1991-1997 |
“Clown Intensive” | Equity Showcase (Toronto) | 1991-1997 |
“Clown” | University of Guelph | February 1997 |
“Clown” | Yale School of Drama (New Haven, USA) | March-April 1994 |
“Clown Intensive” | Tel Aviv University (Israel) | October 1993 |
“Clown” | Claude Watson School of Fine Arts (Toronto) | Jan 1992, 1993 |
Awards & Achievements
WHERE | WHAT | DATE |
---|---|---|
Toronto, Canada | 2 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Flux Outstanding Production and Direction | June 2003 |
Toronto, Canada | Canadian Comedy Awards Best Performers, Theatre | April 2000 |
La Jolla Playhouse California, USA | Drama Logue Award Best Actors, Ferno | September 1994 |
American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, Mass. USA | Boston Theatre Awards Outstanding Production by a visiting company, Caged & Ferno | July 1994 |
Yale Repertory Theatre New Haven, Connecticut, USA | Associate Artists | 1994-2002 |
Others
WHAT | WHERE | DATE |
---|---|---|
“Blue Rainbow” | Just Peachy Productions (Dirk & Drock) Global Television | July 1997-1999 |
“Adventures of Sinbad” | Accent Productions, Voice work, Toronto | October 1997 |
“Fou” | Toronto Fringe – Produced, Directed, Clown Coached | July 1996 |
“Soir Bleu” | Yorktown Prod/Partners’ Film Co.(Clown Consultants) Dir. Norman Jewison | December 1994 |
“Prince and Princess” | Refugee Camps, Gaza (Israel) | October 1993 |
“Jick & Udo” (Hosts) | The New Yorker Theatre, Diabetes Benefit (Toronto) | September 1993 |