Patrons of ISAAC
“Ira Seidenstein has the best eye I know for when an actor is really working creatively and when not. His vision of the actor’s whole body, of the clown’s whole commitment of him or herself to the exercise or the speech, or the improvisation, is a bracing one that encompasses every moment of presence on stage. He knows how to coach, and advise, and push any actor, any clown, any performer.”
Professor Tom Bishop
Shakespeare scholar
Anna-Sophie Jürgens
Researcher in Popular Entertainment Studies and Science in Fiction Studies
“What Ira contributed to our academic clown explorations was a sense of how meaning is generated from movement. And even more so, he created a space where we were able to not only witness and discuss, but to experience bodily creativity as method and result of our workshop adventure. It is not an exaggeration to say that through his careful guidance, Ira helped us grow as clown/popular entertainment scholars and humans.”
“Not only is Ira a uniquely gifted and experienced performer but he is also a master teacher, whose complete commitment to deepening and broadening his own theatre practice serves as a continual source of inspiration to those who are lucky enough to have the opportunity to study and learn from him.”
Frederick Copperwaite
Co-founder and artistic director of Mooghalin Performing Arts
Tim McGarry
Creative Director and Producer, Monkey Baa Theatre Company
“Ira is a dedicated art’s practitioner whose career has seen him work with some of the most prestigious international arts companies. When I was directed by Ira one of my standout memories was Ira’s intense focus on the creative process and the freedom performers
were given to discover character. He cares deeply about the art of theatre. He cares deeply about nurturing the performer’s craft.”
“In 1990, I moved to Paris, along with my acrobatic partner Henning, our act/show being Price and McCoy, and soon established ourselves as the leading comedy acrobatic act, certainly in Europe and possibly the world. So I feel I have authority in declaring Ira a true master in his art. His devotion, knowledge, understanding and teaching technique is unequalled.”
Terrence Price
Price and McCoy acrobatic duo
Younes Bashir
Theatre director, mentor and actor
“Seeing him work, play and reinvent the theatrical space was a great learning experience and a great opportunity to consider my own way of working as a director. Ira is a ‘Maestro’ because of his great experience and his great vision of play, real play, like in life’s own play. Thank you Maestro!”
“Ira Seidenstein is 100% committed to assisting performers expand their creative potential in a way that is fully embodied, playful and unique to themselves. As a performer I found Ira’s Clown workshops liberating. His techniques capture universal performance principles and can be easily integrated with performers’ other training backgrounds.”
Anna Yen
Performer, theatre maker, director and movement teacher
Oliver Pollak
Mime artist, teacher and director