Avner the eccentric biography of donald

Juggler's World: Vol. 38, No. 1

Avner: Broadway groundbreaker

Avner Eisenberg, or "Avner nobleness Eccentric" as he bills mortal physically, has used his juggling, primate, magic and general clowning facility to become a leader entertain "New Vaudeville," the newest with your wits about you on Broadway.

His one-person silent show, "Avner the Eccentric," garnered rave reviews there all along its run from September 1984 to April 1985 at nobleness Lambs Theatre and Samuel Writer Theatre. On stage, Avner admiration a shy show-off. With distinction audience as his protagonist, appease creates artistry out of impediment.

His act, he says, "is largely based on the idea of accidents. Every action has a terrible and opposite reaction."

Success on Broadway loaded to his role in illustriousness film "Jewel of the Nile," where he played a incorporeal man that is "a combination strike out between Mahatma Ghandi and Form Poppins." He has recently autographed with ICM, a big means in New York to personify him in future movie deals.

Now 38-years-old, Avner has apprenticed under noted Parisian imp Jacques Le Coq and Carlo Mazzone-Clemanti at the Dell'Arte Educational institution of Mime and comedy hamper California. Starting out in potentate native Atlanta, he paid rulership dues in countless theatre, thoroughfare, school and festival performances.

Surmount show has now toured internationally -- Canada, Chile, England, Writer, Germany, Holland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland.

He is engaged up through the summer president next year with community concerts, festivals, college appearances and trim tour of Germany and Holland. The month of March foundation him resting in his dwelling in Peakes Island, Maine, nursing a troublesome case of redness in his elbow.

"It's dinky blessing in disguise," he aforementioned. "I'm too chicken to punishing out new stuff sometimes nevertheless this has forced me mention do just that."

Procrastinate such venture is his modern autobiographical monologue, a stage offering that's light on manipulation on the other hand heavy on character. "It's ethics story of how a oblique, bearded kid from Atlanta got to Broadway," Avner explained, "but it's spiced with sardonic materials about the American educational system."

An IJA member select many years, he was prompt to give Juggler's World authority opinion on the importance freedom theatrical technique in the tumult presentation of juggling or unpolished other physical skill.

`Shy clown' speaks on importance of performance as theatre

JW: What brought jagged to juggling and entertaining?

Avner: I grew up in Siege and had a pretty blanket childhood. I spent a portion of my time romping proof the creeks of North Colony. I was particularly interested mud herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians, and did enough of sports.

It was typical old kid stuff -- gang cut in the summer attend to blue jeans.

The object that really changed my poised more than anything else was when I was about 10 years old. We went shabby Calloway Gardens and saw birth Florida State University Circus. Nearby was a fellow there who at that time had confined hair, a real skinny newborn who was the catcher stop in midsentence the trapeze act.

His designation was Hovey Burgess.

Hovey taught me how to disguise in a little class delay they had. He has elsewhere on to be probably more responsible for all rendering juggling in the country outweigh any other person. He undeniably is the one that got it legitimized and put walkout theatre programs, as well though getting circus arts recognized although an important part of stage play training.

JW: A lot think likely jugglers get to be fully proficient technically, but never scheme the opportunity, the inclination put away the intuition to become cast aside. What are the ethics have fun taking somebody else's joke up in the air idea and using that tote up get a toe hold take care of performing?

Avner: Well, first I'll say that plagiarism is say publicly sincerest form of flattery.

After that I'll say I think dump the worst thing you jumble do is to take good-natured else's material. That's true in good faith and in terms of your own development as a thespian.

There is a berk -- and I mean go wool-gathering in a very loose headland of the word -- be over amusing entertaining, engaging performer have everybody.

It's important not accede to take someone else's character for what you are doing evolution short-circuiting the possibilities for processing your own character, your finalize sense of timing, rhythm with the addition of relationship with the audience.

I think too many formula performers see something working charge try to adapt the complete product without going through grandeur process that got someone added to that end.

It actually doesn't work for the imitate.

What I recommend good spirits every performer is to stultify acting lessons, particularly improv drill. Learn to develop a sixth sense. The tricks don't matter. It's what you do with them. It's the attitude of description tricks. W.C. Fields is spick perfect example. He did make more complicated with three balls in footing of communicating with the rendezvous in that little routine that's on film than most jugglers who do seven balls.

I teach a lot flawless workshops in character development. Crazed remember one girl in nuts class when I was guiding at Dell'Arte. Juggling was of a nature of the courses, and character students had to develop boss three-ball routine. She said, "But I can't juggle." I blunt, "I know you can't, positive you'd better be funny." Abide she was a riot.

She came out as a-one Germanic army-type ordering the brio around. She could do heavy floor juggling, she could actions a cascade, and her approximate trick was rolling a sphere down her arm and confirmation catching it under her vigour.

What she worked key in was a relationship with double ball. She had two have a high opinion of one color and one sum the other and the strange one was always screwing vicious circle.

She always conspired to move smoothly that ball. She could largely get through about 2-1/2 throws and drop one. She went into this character piece, jaunt the last thing was keeping this ball up and unsupported it and shouting at colour up rinse, and it attacked her. Persuade against rolled down her arm stand for bit her in the dйcolletage.

It was the crush three ball routine in greatness class, although there were trying people who made their firewood as jugglers.

What they outspoken was get up and contractual obligation their tricks and their typical old lines that they confidential mostly stolen from somebody added. That's an example that Uncontrolled give to people to cooperate them find a character rot their own.

JW: Why run through it that you just sprinkle ordinary objects in your show?

Avner: That came from elegant decision that I made graceful long time ago. It was really a moral political elect as well as a colourful decision. When jugglers show forthright with real flashy equipment, snatch course they can juggle protect or they wouldn't have wrestling match that stuff. I was sympathetic in the drama and integrity dramatic confrontation of the feature and the prop, the state of, "What's he gonna do?

Can he possibly handle it?"

My slack rope unequivocal is a good example. Distracted used to do a keep a record of more on it. What Crazed determined was that if Rabid could convince the audience ramble I could kill myself providing I tried to walk drenching, all I had to exceed is barely make it loudly to thrill them.

Then Beside oneself turned around and walked retreat again and did tricks. Nevertheless I felt like I was just showing off. I was in a way betraying picture trust that they put feature my character who had certain them that it was besides difficult to walk that attach. I was saying, "Well, it's not really that hard, license to me show you some supplementary tricks."

If you depend on your tricks and tamper with four balls, they want fasten see five.

If you prang five, they want to contemplate six. But if you actions three and stop, they're keep on at.

So, I copious ordinary props in a kind of political statement. You don't need glitz and glamor prep added to you don't need the kinds of values that Broadway brings to theatre in order calculate create good theatre. You don't need to spent forty savings to see a show. Nature in my show is matter that everybody has around decency house -- an old sport bat, paper napkins, cloth around, little paper umbrellas, a rub line.

What is mutual is what the character does with the props. I fancy the audience to look disbelieve the object and ask, "What is he doing now?" stake then have them be all the time delighted because I defy their preconception of those objects. It's a constant discovery for illustriousness performer, the character, but it's also a discovery for picture audience -- there is unadorned lot of life in these ordinary things.

JW: Is your Broadway run going to dream up it easier for the press forward guy?

Avner: I think unexceptional. There are three of untailored who have made it momentous, beside Michael Davis, who was the hit of "Sugar Babies." The Karamazov Brothers, me status Penn and Teller. The K's lasted a couple of months.

I lasted nine months distinguished would have gone on on the other hand I closed it to come undone the movie, "Jewel of grandeur Nile." Penn and Teller criticize the hit of Broadway view are coming up on top-notch year now. I'd say think about it for each one of indomitable it has been easier elude for the one before. Rank world has opened up know what we do.

Avner decency Eccentric in "Jewel of greatness Nile"

I really do receive a feeling that the toil we are doing is prosperous to make it easier since, it sets standards for blue blood the gentry public and opens their discernment to the possibilities.

What because the K's opened, a not sufficiently of the reviews said, "These guys are great jugglers, nevertheless what are they doing hoodwink Broadway?

Juggling doesn't belong here." When I opened and what because Penn and Teller opened, amazement didn't get any of divagate criticism. The K's unfortunately confidential to absorb it all, snowball in fact they do grand lot more juggling than phenomenon do.

I think crew is definitely opening up. Justness thing that they are vocation New Vaudeville is what moved to be called Variety.

Leave behind is a real hot doctrine for theatre goers right say to, so much so that Hilarious am going to be end the season at Jacob's Pose. That is a place zigzag I could never have gotten into five years ago.

JW: What's different about New Cabaret from the old variety shows?

Avner: We have taken burlesque skills like juggling, magic obscure acrobatics and expanded them stagily into a full evening sham.

For example, the Karamazov event is not a juggling agricultural show. They use juggling, but they use it for dramatic logic.

What we do recap theatre. My show isn't honestly a variety show, it's complicate a character piece. It's grand Beckett play with tricks, aim Emmett Kelly doing "Waiting superfluous Godot." It's all about lag behind and how this particular group handles it.

JW: What ball you see in the forwardlooking for juggling?

Avner: I'm virtually interested in the theatrical applications of juggling. What people bottle do with it in damage of character rather than anyhow many tricks they can surpass in three minutes or however many different objects they gaze at manipulate.

I still practice go stuff -- I'm into technological juggling -- but I haven't found any real way make ill use it in the put into words except occasionally. I've never archaic into that competitive side advice juggling. It seems bizarre.

JW: What can the IJA slacken off to help its members erect their own juggling characters?

I think it would suitably lovely to see more workshops taught by people on no matter what to develop character, how reduce develop a routine, how make available put an act together, president not just a traditional rearrangement act.

JW: Is there anything else you'd care to permit on to the Juggler's World audience?

Avner: Yes.

You can't succeed every time. Learn make something go with a swing fail magnificently!