Openclown

Openclown — presentation

Openclown is an artistic training and creation center located in Beaumont-sur-Sarthe , in the Sarthe region of France. The association was founded in 2017 by Nicolas Béatrix , an artist and educator also known as Clown Caracas . His work focuses primarily on theatrical clowning , comedic performance , improvisation , and creative expression .

Identity and specialization

Unlike multidisciplinary circus schools offering juggling, acrobatics, balancing, and aerial disciplines, Openclown has a much more specialized identity. Its work focuses on character , stage presence , audience interaction, improvisation , and the pursuit of comedy .

Pedagogy

The pedagogy developed under the name Openclown is based on a progression that combines research , acceptance , play , and improvisation in front of an audience . The goal is to allow participants to learn and progress while developing their ability to be present , available, and open to the performance.

Creation

Creation is the natural extension of this learning. Research, writing, rehearsals and public presentations allow the experiences gained during the workshops to be transformed into genuine artistic proposals.

Searching for a neutral state

The work can begin, in particular, with the search for a neutral state . The participant learns to be present in front of the audience without immediately seeking to produce an emotion or a comedic effect. This openness then becomes a starting point for improvisation, character development, and playing with the audience's reactions.

Partners and areas of intervention

The structure intervenes directly with numerous partners and in various locations, which is an important characteristic of the project.

• Circus schools, theatre schools, conservatories
• Colleges, schools, educational institutions
• Community centers, youth structures
• Nursing homes, care facilities
• Companies and other organizations wishing to develop a project around clowning or comedy

The interventions can take place in different spaces:

• Room
• Theater
• Big Top
• Public space
• Staying with a local resident

Nicolas Béatrix's career path

Nicolas Béatrix has a particularly extensive training background in clowning, physical theatre and live performance. He notably trained at the Samovar Theatre School in Bagnolet and at the National Institute of Music Hall Arts in Le Mans.

His career also includes numerous training courses and workshops dedicated to comedy, mime, burlesque, dance, and clowning. He cites the following artists and teachers among those he has met:

• Jean-Hugues Lime
• Catherine Dubois
• Yves Marc
• Ivan Bacciocchi
• Friend Hattab
• Julien Cottereau
• Gilles Defacque
• Franck Dinet
• Cédric Paga
• Gabriel Chamé
• Alexandre Pavlata

An experience conducted in Canada with Cirque du Soleil focusing on creative content, casting and performance completes this artistic journey.

Creations and shows

Nicolas Béatrix is also developing his own creations, including several short pieces and long shows.

• Short pieces: The Traveler , Tango and Clash , Guitar Roll , The Painter
• Character worn: Caracas
• Touring show: " Thermostat 7 ", a solo performance of approximately 50 minutes
• New show announced for 2026: " An Extraordinary News Item "

Supported groups and social actions

The educational activity is not only aimed at theatre or circus practitioners. Openclown also works with people supported by social or medico-social organizations.

• Mutual support groups welcoming vulnerable adults
• Community centers
• Care facilities for adults and children
• ULIS classes

In these various contexts, comedy becomes a tool for developing presence , expression , interpersonal skills , imagination , and confidence . The organization adapts its offerings to the audience and the partner's project.

Educational boxing and hybrid projects

Openclown also develops an original approach combining comic play with Educational Assault Boxing. This practice can be offered alone or in conjunction with clowning in projects aimed at young people.

Educational Assault Boxing is based on controlled practice where mastery and the relationship with the partner take precedence over the pursuit of power. Nicolas Béatrix holds a federal boxing instructor qualification as well as a BPJEPS (Brevet Professionnel de la Jeunesse, de l'Éducation Populaire et du Sport) in Boxing, which he obtained in 2025 .

The association can thus build hybrid projects combining artistic expression, comic play, movement and educational boxing, particularly with teenagers and youth structures.

Continuing education

Continuing education plays a significant role in the speaker's career path. Among the courses undertaken are:

• Training courses offered by the Regional Federation of Circus Schools
• PREAC with Myrto Andrianakou and the company Un Loup pour l'Homme
• Creativity training at a circus school with Philippe Brasseur
• Work on the school of the spectator with Le Plongeoir – National Circus Center of Le Mans
• In 2025: training dedicated to teaching posture, gestures and contact with Le Plongeoir and the French Association of Adapted Sport
• Raising awareness about disability and gender-based and sexual violence and harassment

Equipment and safety

Openclown has its own space in Beaumont-sur-Sarthe, at 285 rue du Léard , on the Champ du Cormier site. The structure includes a big top and an octagonal tent.

The marquee has its own safety register. Nicolas Béatrix is the safety manager and also holds a qualification as a skilled technician in the assembly and dismantling of marquees, tents and structures.

This equipment allows for the organization of internships, workshops, programs, exhibitions, creations and public presentations in a true circus environment.

Affiliations and recognition

Openclown belongs to the network of the French Federation of Circus Schools (FFEC) and is affiliated with FREC Atlantique . The FFEC practice license is required for activities organized under a big top, depending on the duration of participation.

The organization also claims a quality accreditation from the FFEC. Its current listing in the federal directory confirms its membership in the FFEC network and the FREC Atlantique.

2026-2027 Season

For the 2026-2027 season, Openclown continues to offer its services to circus schools, theatre schools, conservatories, educational establishments, social centres, care facilities, nursing homes and businesses.

• Types of projects: internships, workshops, creations, private lessons
• Support for companies and external perspective on creative projects (quote available upon request)

Conclusion — stance and ambition

Openclown thus constitutes an atypical structure within the network of circus schools. Its activity is not based on a classic multidisciplinary school but on a strong specialization around theatrical clowning , comic performance , improvisation and creation .

Its location under a big top, its membership in the FFEC network, the artistic and educational experience of Nicolas Béatrix and the diversity of the audiences encountered allow Openclown to create projects with circus and theatre practitioners as well as with schoolchildren, young people from social centres or people accompanied by medico-social establishments.

In Beaumont-sur-Sarthe as in its external interventions, Openclown thus defends a practice in which the clown becomes a true artistic language: to search , to accept , to play , to improvise , to meet the public and then to use this experience to build and present a creation.