Michael Amendola (he/they) is a Philadelphia-, New York City-, and Texas-based performer-creator and educator focused on embodied play. They have performed with the American Shakespeare Center, ZACH Theatre, and completed a three-year, 600-performance run with Drunk Shakespeare Off-Broadway. As a deviser, they co-created The Bad Pirate Rock Show, MADCAP & BUSTY, and 5 Stagehands Fall Out of a Closet. He holds a BFA from Texas State University and an MFA in Devised Performance from the Pig Iron School at Rowan University. He has studied clown with Giovanni Fusetti, Julia Proctor, Christopher Bayes, Sophie Amieva, and Aitor Basauri. Amendola has led workshops at Duke University, Rowan University, PhysFestNYC, Philly Improv Theater, Circadium School of Contemporary Circus, and Austin Shakespeare. He is the founder of PLAY•JAM in Philadelphia, inspired by Julia Proctor’s Clown Gym in New York City. His work applies a clown ethos to disorient power and cultivate curiosity. www.michaelamendola.art