Carmen Nikae - Fall 2023 Resident

Carmen Nikae is a queer, bi-coastal actor, writer, and clown; her journey in theatrical clown began in 2015 with Jean E. Taylor, which led to the development of Elsinore or Bust!, a clown show based on Hamlet, with Jean and other clowns. During the 2020 lockdown in her NYC apartment, she began creating silent, black and white films inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s work. Curious about the combination of live clown work and silent short films, Carmen co-created with Alyson Schacherer a queer, solo clown show called I Made This For You, which premiered at The Hollywood Fringe Festival in June 2023 in LA.

Carmen dabbles at the intersection of clown and silent film and continues to create silent short films, some of which are based on the characters in her solo show. She’s excited to share her clown work with the community of Muncie and invite them into the vulnerability & resilience, pursuit of pleasure, and accepting the ridiculous that are foundational to clowning!

Check out Carmen’s Schedule of Clowning Events and Workshops!

You can watch her shorts at carmennikae.com and connect with her on Instagram @carmen_nikae.