Vincenzo Tortorici, a friend, and clown passed away 10 years ago this August. He was an actor, musician, clown, and overall wonderful artist. Looking back on his passing, I can't help but ponder how so many things are different now compared to how they were when he died. I'm also aware of what remains the same.

In 1990 I took a summer job in Atlanta for the Georgia Shakespeare Festival. After that summer job ended, I knew I wanted to stay in Atlanta. Eventually, I worked as much as possible in Atlanta's theater community. That is where I met Vincenzo Tortorici.

We first worked together in a school production of Taming of the Shrew for the Shakespeare Festival. He was Petruchio, and I was Lucentio. After that, we often saw each other at various theater functions and auditions around town. On one occasion, years later, I remember running into Vincenzo at a laundry mat in Decatur. We exchanged a few pleasantries, then he told me about an audition to work for the Big Apple Circus as a hospital clown. He knew we shared an interest in clowning and juggling and music. As he was telling me about it, I remember nodding and saying. "Yes, I heard about it and had already applied for the audition." We were of the same mind.

Little did I know that audition would have me working closely with him for years. Little did I know that hospital clowning would shape so much of my artistic life for the next 20+ years.

We worked together for the next 16 years as Hospital Clowns. He loved doing this work. He often talked about how hospital clowning was an ideal combination of two things, the artistic work of clowning and service work to the patients and the families in the hospital. He liked working for a Circus as we did this work. He brought so much variety to hospital clowning, his love of mask work, and his ideas of improv and Comedia. He was always trying new ideas and new approaches to our hospital clowning. I remember having many conversations with him about our work. He was an idea man, so he liked talking about the theory and philosophy of the work.

I remember how enthusiastic he became one day when I mentioned a performing theory I was applying to our hospital work. I told him I was thinking about "effort shapes," a movement theory. He almost jumped out of his chair with a sense of excitement and recognition. He was familiar with the concepts and eager to see how we could use these ideas in our hospital work.

He was eager to try new approaches in our work. Sometimes it was a new song, prop, or costume piece that would inspire him. Other times he was fueled by the simplicity of doing only one thing … and only one thing well. I miss him as a work colleague, a friend, and an artistic sounding board.

I often wonder what we would be working on if he was in the hospital. Surely, it would be something new and challenging. That was one of the reasons I liked working with him so much. Much has changed since his passing. The Big Apple Circus dissolved, and a new organization, Ha! took it's place in Atlanta. Now, we strive to continue our work after COVID.

I deeply appreciate the work he helped us create and the memories I have of him as a father, an artist, and a man.

Thanks, Vincenzo!

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