| Rev. Roly Bain
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| Reverend Roly Bain | |
| The Rev. Roly Bain, clown priest performed his outstanding one man show at St Michael's 10am ICC Service this Sunday ( 6th October ). The church was packed with children of all ages, eagerly watching and participating in his unique portrayal of the scriptures. Enjoy a few of the many moments from the service that captivated young and old alike. | |
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| Reverend Roly Bain, clownpriest,taken from 72 X 48 ins oil on canvas | |
Danny and Roly during the
service. |
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| by David Cobley RP (tel 01225 865 644) | |
| From People's Portraits. | |
| The
Church's Jester |
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| Roly Bain was born in 1954, a triplet son of Richard Findlater, biographer
of the first great English clown Joe Grimaldi. The original spark
and impetus to become a clown followed his reading the autobiography
of Coco, the best loved childrens' clown of British circus. He was
only eight at the time and wrote in his schoolbook that he wanted
to be a clown in Bertram Mills Circus, make people happy, visit hospitals,
and, of course, do it all for nothing! Nevertheless, he soon forgot
that early ambition and ended up being ordained a priest in the Church
of England in 1978. But by then the clown had got him again. In 1982
he helped found Holy Fools, a loose-knit network of loose nits committed
to clowning in ministry and worship. In 1990 he and his family decided
it was time to do it properly, so he resigned his parish in London,
did a year at Fool Time, the circus school in Bristol, and he's been
doing his clowning full-time and free-lance ever since. He travels
30,000 miles a year. Unique in the UK, he has carved out a niche of
his own and is quite distinctive in approach and style. Roly has won
many awards, but his real reward is in the laughter. |
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| A
brilliant slackrope act is his party piece, but he combines humour,
circus skills, pathos, slapstick and storytelling in his efforts to
amuse, challenge, move and teach. Roly writes his own material but
also utilises traditional clown entrees and tricks to try to do and
say things the clown's way. For him the clown is a deeply profound
and mysterious figure, whose effect on people, places and institutions
can be quite staggering and yet it can be enjoyed on lots of different
levels at the same time. His is a gentle anarchy that turns the church
and the world upside down. |
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| Roly
sees clowning as a high calling and an enormous privilege. He revels
in the sound of laughter and relishes performing in all kinds of places.
He is in effect the Church's Jester, the one who is allowed to tell
the truth as long as he does it with humour and gets it right. A good
teacher and an excellent communicator, he is much in demand for workshops
as well as performances and services, and can be found in churches,
cathedrals, prisons, hospitals, schools - all places where people
gather, indoors and out. Ask him why he wants to be a clown and he'
II tell you it's because he thinks God wants him to be, but also because
he loves it and couldn't think of anything better, ever, anywhere. |
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| Roly
relies on donations as his main source of income. He does not receive
a stipend from the Church and he is not subsidised in any way. Roly's
work is now supported by the Faith and Foolishness Trust, which uses
reclaimed tax to provide funds for schools, prisons etc which might
be unable to afford his visits, and also provides Roly with some reliability
of income. |
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