Major Flapps calls for lift off

Compliments come in all shapes and sizes. The most flattering accolade clown artist Stuart Nemtin ever received was having a doctor prescribe his show to a patient suffering from depression.

“That’s my job – lighten up the world,” says Nemtin, more commonly known to his international following as Major Conrad Flapps, the beloved clown aviator who just can’t seem to get off the ground.

The grinning, leather-helmeted aviator, complete with red nose and eight-foot scarf, gets airborne this Saturday at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre as a showcase performer during the Lite Up the Nite Christmas Festival.

In his World in a Flapp show, the roguish major enlists the audience as volunteers for his flight crew. Tangled flying scarves, flipped propellers and human gas tanks are all part of his silly brand of physical, acrobatic and musical comedy.

“I think the kids love to see the character having a rug pulled out from under them. It’s a great thing to see pompous adults falling on their face. We all fall on our face, but if we can learn to appreciate the joke, it doesn’t have to be a negative experience,” Nemtin adds.

The Ontario-raised British Columbia transplant moved west to study theatre at the University of British Columbia. He fell in love with the West Coast and by accident discovered the clown inside.

During one of his improvised theatre classes, everyone was asked to bring old clothes to invent a character.

“We threw them (clothes) in a pile. There I found a long scarf, a beaten up aviator helmet and here was a character. I started doing various exercises to solidify the character and emotional range. It slowly evolved by letting go and not being afraid to be silly. A big part of clowning is letting go, failing, and making the process succeed.”

By the late ’70s Nemtin was acting in regional plays across Canada, but decided to take a two-month break visiting Greece and Africa. It ended up as an eight-month European tour largely supported by his busking skills on the fiddle.

Upon his return, he debuted a 15-minute clown act at a performing arts trade fair.

“I was a big hit. It was like being discovered. I was booked for a solid year and it juiced me up. I was inspired. I followed the trajectory and it kept evolving and the work kept happening.”

World in a Flapp is a one-hour show and after each performance, Major Conrad Flapps will host a meet and greet, and kibitz with his fans.