Stefan Haves directed the world-renowned dinner/circus Teatro Zinzanni and is Cirque Du Soleil’s North American "Clown Scout," responsible for casting clowns, conducting workshops, and assistant directing the 2007 touring show in the areas of acting and clowns.
“Stefan is a highly regarded expert in the field of physical comedy and it is no surprise that Cirque du Soleil has chosen him as director of their clown corps,” said Peter Ellenstein, Inge Center artistic director. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with Stefan several times and he has always been inspiring, instructive and very, very funny. We are thrilled that students will have the rare opportunity to learn from Stefan and that area residents have the opportunity to see Stefan perform live.”
While at Teatro Zinzanni in San Francisco and Seattle, Haves worked with premier acrobats, magicians, and clowns, as well as stars as Joan Baez and Tony-winning actress Lilliane Montevechi.
He was also creative consultant for the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit "Fool Moon" starring the “Clown Prince” Bill Irwin and David Shiner, long a featured performer with Cirque Du Soleil. Shiner, one of the world’s masters of the art, remarked in the Los Angeles Times, “Stefan is a great help in my work and he's a creator in his own right. He has a great eye for the style and he's one of the rare people who's trying to bring this style of work back."
Haves’ education includes Dell'Arte’ School of Mime and Comedy and the “school of hard knocks” as a juggler and street clown in Paris. He credits Philippe Gaulier, for years master teacher at the Lecoq School of Movement, as “his true teacher.”
A self-proclaimed “improvisational addict,” Haves has worked with improv ensembles Second City, the Groundlings, and studied with renowned instructors Dee Marcus, Keith Johnstone, Paul Sills and Del Close. As a writer, his hilarious shows are based on physical comedy and Commedia Dell'Arte’ techniques.
Haves has performed in numerous television and stage shows, but he might be best known to audiences for his comedic one-man show “Journey Back.” Developed while Artist in Residence with the Music Center of Los Angeles, Haves toured this extraordinary show around the United States with the National Association of Campus Activities. A small portion of it, titled “Back Man,” achieved global acknowledgement on various television shows. His comedy contortion act “Back Man” won $10,000 on “America’s Funniest People” television show.
As a film director, Haves wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning short film “Punch Drunk,” starring Sally Kellerman and Connie Selleca.
In addition to being a stage and film director, Haves has helped actors during the pressure cooker of TV filming as an acting coach for “Roseanne,” “Joe’s Life,” and “Sister, Sister.”
Stefan is currently a Casting Partner with Cirque du Soleil and is currently conducting auditons for clowns and characters for all the Cirque shows worldwide, December 2007.
