Clown Peter Ercolano Bio

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PETER ECHO
Born: June 29th 1958
Place: Rochester, New York – U.S.A.

Peter Ercolano, in art Peter Echo, is the only son of Felice and Giovanna, two Italian tailors who immigrated to the United States in 1956.
Peter’s father, Felice (which in English means happy) belonged to a family of 7 brothers and sisters.Unable to afford school Felice worked in the village barbershop up to the age of 16 when he left his home town, San Giorgio a Liri (FR) Italy and moved to Rome where he learned the art of tailoring. He eventually became a high fashion tailor and opened his own atelier in Genova where he lived and worked for 16 years. During World War II he lost everything in Genova and thereafter moved to the U.S. to start a new life in Rochester, N.Y. where he obtained citizenship and worked in a tailor factory up to age of 65.
Peter’s mother, Giovanna lived in a small village (Morra De Sanctis – AV) and was given in bride to Felice by her father without knowing who her future husband was. They married in Italy and after a few months Giovanna joined her husband in the U.S. That was her first trip out of the village, crossing the Atlantic Ocean alone for two weeks on a passenger ship in tourist class not knowing a word of English bound for an unknown country. Once in the States she eventually learned English, obtained citizenship and worked in a clothing factory until 1973 when the family moved to Formia, Italy.
At the age of 15 Peter left his hometown with his parents to move to Italy. His parents didn’t want him to become a tailor (as a matter of fact he doesn't even know how to sow a button on his shirt) so he attended business school and at the same time had to learn Italian. By coincidence his first friends all belonged to a theatre group in Formia and therefore Peter starting performing in their shows, basically in mime roles due to his lack in Italian. Peter’s first performance was at the age of 5 in kindergarten directing the children’s choir imitating Mitch Miller (famous bearded orchestra director in the 50’s and 60’s).
As a teenager Peter realised that what he enjoyed most of all in life was to make people laugh. This is what he did in school, in the family and in every day life. He started studying acting and clowning at the age of 16 while still in business school. After Business school Peter attended Economic University in Rome for a few years although he spent more time in Rome Central train station sitting on a bench observing people as possible stage characters than he did in the university class rooms. While still studying acting and clowning as well as performing, at the age of 19 Peter started working in a shipping agency where throughout the years he became director of operations department after having achieved titles such as ship agent, ship broker, surveyor and English interpreter/translator. In the meantime Peter continued his activity in the theatrical field. Evenings, Sundays (when he wasn't in the office), holidays and all his free time was fully dedicated to performing, studying and organizing theatrical events. He founds 3 theater groups and a theatre school in Formia (Italy). He applies his natural positivism and clowning skills in the office creating a unique and happy working atmosphere. At the age of 40, he’s had enough of the shipping business and realises (never too late) that his routine job is killing his creativity and clown. In this period of his life he meets Jango Edwards and finally decides to leave the shipping agency after 21 years, becoming a professional actor and clown, forming a duo with Jango. Today Peter teaches, performs, directs and writes with his partner Jango Edwards, with Giovanna Bellina and on his own. His goal in life is to fight ignorance, violence, sufferance and arrogance with the power of laughter. As a clown his aim is to help as many people as he can through his art. Together Jango and Peter, through their work, are building a global clown army to help reach these goals and aims.
His belief, experience of his own life, is: it’s never too late to be a clown !

FORMATION

Mime school - Angelo Corti, Rome (1977/79)
Body work, voice training, acrobatics - Piccolo Teatro Pontedera (1977/79)
Theater Wshop - E. Barba (Odin Teatret) ISTA Volterra (1982)
Voice and acting – Alfiero Vincenti of Carmelo Bene Co. Rome (1983)
Dancing school – Gloria Desideri - Rome (1983)
Acting, body control, acrobatics, stilts – Teatro Tascabile Bergamo (1988)
Body training and voice - Daniela Regnoli of Teatro Potlach (1989)
Workshop Clown Theory – Jango Edwards - Rome (1995)
Cannes Master Class – Jango Edwards – Cannes (1996)
Cannes Master Class – Jango Edwards – Cannes (1997)
Workshops with Johnny Melville, Peter Shub and Leo Bassi (1995/2001)
Clown workshop – Carlo Colombaioni – Geneva (2003)

PROFESSION

Shows - Theater Groups - Events

Member of theatre group “Nuova Compagnia di Teatro Popolare” with whom he performs in “Questi Fantasmi” of Eduardo De Filippo (1973)
Founds together with others a theatre group called “Gruppo di Iniziative Teatrali with whom he performs in “Napoli Millionaria” and “Filumena Maturano” of Eduardo De Filippo (1974/76)
Founds a theatre group called “Collettivo Teatrale Bertolt Brecht” together with Ferruccio Padula and Tommaso Prisco (1976)
« Pierrot » in a comedy pantomime show called « Ma Voi Potreste ? » in Italy (1976/79)
« Pierrot » in a comedy pantomime show called « Les Feus Choses de la Vie Quotidienne » in France (1980)
« Pierrot » in a comedy pantomime called “ La Commedia della Vita” – Munich, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart (1981)
Clown in “Angleterre Hotel” from Majakovski and Esenin in Italy and Germany (1982)
Organizes and International Theater Festival in Formia with groups from India (Sanjukta Panigrai) and Bali (1983)
“Miserotango” Italy (1984)
Performs in “La Commedia dell’Arte” from Carlo Goldoni – Italy (1984)
Organizes in Formia a 7 day theater festival (1987)
Street performer on stilts in “Parade” - Italy (1988)
Organizes and International Theater Festival in Formia with groups for Brazil (Bel Horizonte), Peru and Cile (1989)
“Primo Amore” – from Samuel Beckett (1989)
“Adesso Tu Vivi Nell’Aria” - Antonio Gramsci (1990)
Founds a theater group together with Giovanna Bellina and Ferruccio Padula called “Laboratorio Teatrale Istrio” and a Theater School in Formia called “La Scuola dei Mestieri” (1990)
From 1990 to 1995 performs in comic and clown roles in the following shows:

? “L’Eternità è Banale” (from Samuel Beckett)
? “Notturni” (from Byron and Jenet)
? “Macbeth” (from Shakespeare)
? “Il Cielo di Cartone” (from Oscar Wilde)
? “Burlesque”
? “Supine nel Trifoglio”
? “Krap’s Last Tape” (Samuel Beckett)
? “Happy Days” (Samuel Beckett)
? “End Game” (Samuel Beckett)
? “Arbeit Mach Frei”

“I Poeti e La Terra” (1996)
“Città Invisibili” – with 200 performers from round the world directed by Pino Di Buduo – Teatro Potlach - Italy (1998)
“Hollywood Express” – directed by Jango Edwards – Cannes (1999)
Founds a theatre group with Giovanna Bellina, Ferruccio Padula and others called Teatro La Bufala (2000)
“Tango Misery – Almost a Musical” – directed by Jango Edwards and Peter Echo – Italy, Switzerland and Finland (2000/2002)
“WFUN Radio 121” – directed by Jango Edwards and Peter Echo – Italy and Europe (2002/2005)
“Classics” – stage partner to Jango Edwards – Italy, Europe, worldwide (2002/2005)
“Classics Duo” – with Jango Edwards – Italy, Europe, worldwide (2003/2005)
“I Soliti Ignoti” – with G. Bellina – directed by Jango Edwards and Peter Echo (2004)
“Fools Militia” – directed by Jango Edwards and Peter Echo – Forum Barcelona 2004 and Europe (2004/2005)
In the past years Peter has worked also with Leo Bassi, Johnny Melville, Laura Herts, Nana Divina, Philip Radice, Marco Carolei, Dino Lampa, Lucchettino, Eric De Bont, Ulik, Luisa De Martino, Maurizio Stammati, Enrico Forte, Progetti Dadaumpa and many others.

Festivals and theatres

International Theater Festival – Sail-sous-Couzan, France (1980)
Blitz Theater – Munich, Germany (1981)
Sand Korn in der Fabrik – Karlsruhe, Germany (1981/82)
Teatro La Scaletta – Rome, Italy (1984)
Teatro Colosseo – Rome, Italy (1991)
Teatro Comunale di Latina – Latina, Italy (1991/92)
Festival del Teatro Italiano – Fondi, Italy (1991/92/93)
Teatro San Carluccio – Naples, Italy (1992/93/94/95)
Teatro Belli – Roma, Italy (1993)
Teatro Ariston – Gaeta, Italy (1983/91/92/95 – 2001/2002)
Clown Festival – Leukerbad, Switzerland (1996/97)
Performance d’Acteur Festival – Cannes (1998/99/2000/2002/2003/2004/2005)
Miramar Theater – Cannes (1999/2003/2004)
Finland Arts Festival – Jyvaskyla, Finland (2000/2001)
Caffè del Tio – Milano, Italy (2001)
Circus Roncalli – Leipzig, Germany 2001
Festiclown and MundoClown Festivals – Pontevedra, Spain (2001/2002/2003)
Comicodeon Festival – Kapfenberg, Austria (2001/2002/2003/2004/2005)
O Riso Da Terra – Joa Pessoa, Brazil (2002)
Rocking Chair – Vevey, Switzerland (2002)
Petit Music Hall – Geneva, Switzerland (2002)
Certe Notti Cabaret – Crotone, Italy (2002)
Festival Internazionale del Teatro di Strada - Sarzana, Italy (2002)
City Theater – Bratislava, Slovakia (2002)
Festival internazionale Teatro Comico – Sant’Omero, Italy (2002)
Festival Del Cabaret – Martina Franca, Italy (2002)
Circumnavigando Festival – Genova, Italy – (2001/2003)
World Circus Festival – Recife, Brazil (2003)
Mash Camp animation for Swiss Bankers - Geneva, Switzerland (2003)
Bajazzo Theater Tent - Hamburg, Germany (2003)
Savoy Theater – Dusseldorf, Germany (2003)
Palais du Cannes Festival - Cannes, France (2003)
Teatro Team – Bari, Italy (2003)
C.C.C.B – Barcelona, Spain (2003)
International Lachfestival – Belgium (2003)
Teatro Novelli – Rimini, Italy (2003)
Arena del Sole – Bologna, Italy (2003)
Teatro Bertolt Brecht – Formia, Italy (2004)
Teatro Comunale – Marzabotto, Italy (2004)
International Yamaha Dealers Convention – Rodi, Greece (2004)
Forum Barcelona 2004 – Barcelona, Spain (2004)
Mostro Comico Festival – Rome, Italy (2004)
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Barcelona, Spain (2004)
Comic Monsters – Rome, Italy (2005)

And many other festival and theaters around Europe

Television

“Maurizio Costanzo Show” – Canale 5 – Italy
“Sognando Las Vegas” – RAI 1 – Italy

Teaching

Clown Peter holds workshops about the art of clowning all over Italy and Europe on his own and as an assistant to Jango Edwards.

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