Performing Career
Clay studied clowning in Stockholm, Sweden in 1977, and then formed the Imperial Trunk Fools Theatre Company (pictured right), which toured New Zealand in 1978 performing at Community Arts Festivals.
Over the next two years Clay performed with his partner, Kerstin Gronlund, as the duo "High Waves", touring the Pacific Islands and Scandinavia. He started teaching clowning in Oslo, Norway, in 1981 and 1982, and subsequently taught workshops at festivals and arts centres in Germany and Denmark while performing his solo show extensively on the streets throughout Europe.
He formed "Playspace Theatre" in 1984, who toured festivals in New Zealand with "Weird People Playing Normal Games", a theatre performance which had elements of mime, movement and clowning.
In the mid-1990s he toured European and Australian festivals with his teenage son, Michael, as the duo Snap and Crackle (pictured right) including performances at the Pflasterspektakel in Linz, Austria and the Vlissingen International Festival in Holland and the Stockholm Water Festival in Sweden.
During 1997 and 1998 Alan performed together with Amanda Burgess in the duo, The Untouchables (pictured right), touring New Zealand, Australia, Holland, Germany and Austria.
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