The Soft Clown Residency with Natasha Mercado

The Soft Clown Residency with Natasha Mercado 

Where Soft Clown Artists Step Into Authorship — Shaping Work That Shapes Them Back

6-Week Class + Showcase 

Date: 

Saturday, February 7, 2026 to Saturday, March 21, 2026

Time:

3:00pm to 6:00pm 

Includes a showcase at The Lyric Hyperion 

Location: 

The Lyric Hyperion 

2106 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Refund Policy: No refunds 72 hours prior to class 

Description:

The Soft Clown Residency is a creative mentorship lab for artists ready to move from guided discovery into full authorship.

Building on the skills explored in previous Soft Clown levels — solo creation in clown, ensemble collaboration, and bouffon’s spirit of protest and parody — this residency invites artists to expand their practice into original, performative worlds of their own design.

Over six weeks, a small cohort of advanced performers develop new work under Natasha Mercado’s artistic direction, exploring how vulnerability, play, and precision can mature into fully realized performance.

Participants receive personalized mentorship, dramaturgical support, and collective dialogue as they shape new material.

The residency culminates in a public presentation at The Lyric Hyperion, featuring original works by the next generation of Soft Clown artists.

“Where Soft Clown artists step into authorship — shaping work that shapes them back”

Schedule: 

Session 1 - Saturday, February 7, 2026 - 3:00pm to 6:00pm 

Session 2 - Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 3:00pm to 6:00pm 

Session 3 - Saturday, February 21, 2026 - 3:00pm to 6:00pm 

—- NO CLASS ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 —-

Session 4 - Saturday,  March 7, 2026 - 3:00pm to 6:00pm 

Session 5 - Saturday,  March 14, 2026 - 3:00pm to 6:00pm 

Session 6 - Saturday,  March 21, 2026 - 3:00pm to 6:00pm 

Showcase will be on Saturday, March 28 from 3:00pm to 6:00pm 

Classes and showcase are at The Lyric Hyperion:

2106 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Bio:

Natasha Mercado is an actress, director, producer, writer and theatre arts educator— but always a clown. You can see her on Adult Swim, Amazon, HBO, TBS and stages across LA. She created “Send in the Clowns”, the first monthly clown show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and is touring her award-winning solo show “Tree” —which was called “one of LA’s Top Ten Shows” and “a must see” by Stage Raw and the Times Colonist. She is also a teaching artist for the Unusual Suspects whose mission is to champion those most needed to be heard by mentoring youth to write and perform their stories by using theater. She has virtually taught adults and children at Stomping Ground Comedy Theatre along with a workshop called “Playful Mindfulness” sponsored by the National Alzheimer’s Association to implement improv into the world of caregiving. In 2020, she was named an “Emerging Content Creator” by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. She was a director and producer for branded events at UCB and brought customized comedy programs to groups across the country including improv, sketch, storytelling and public speaking intensives.

“I found that the concepts introduced in Natasha’s [class] add an extra dimension to any creative field and the experience of life in general. I feel liberated, empowered, and awakened from the exercises we did and am forever changed.” —Elora L., 2021 Student

@champagnetashi

Please Note: 

No pets as this class requires the full focus of the attendees. 

***Refund Policy: No refunds 72 hours prior to the event***

Please contact training center director @fernandoafunes@yahoo.com with any questions.