Danny Wightkin

If you hire me, you should expect hilarious, interactive entertainment that is suitable for all ages. What exactly does that look like? Well that depends on what you want! I can do a staged show to fill a block of time or I can wander through crowds performing with small audiences or sit behind a booth or whatever. I love to customize material to fit the theme of your event and would love to talk to tailor things exactly to your needs. In the end, you'd get a clown that enjoys good-natured fun and add a unique, funny experience for anyone attending your event.

Some examples:

Summer Festival (2022)- While touring my shows, I was asked to work at a city-sponsored park event in Cleveland. In two days, I developed multiple pieces for this event including the one in my profile. The day started with me dragging an empty pool through the park and having people fill it up with any liquid for a 'pool party' I would have to jump in, I performed a few other pieces like Water Balloon Animals, and the day ended with me lounging in said mixture of water, soda, and slushie, handing out miniature cocktail umbrellas to event goers as it was starting to rain. And Water Balloon Animals lives on to this day, and doing exactly what it sounds like and usually ending exactly how it is pictured. (Though sometimes people do walk away with a balloon dog filled with water.)

Brewery Birthday Party (2023) - A 10th anniversary of a local Chicago brewery had a birthday themed celebration. I matched my outfit to the party theme, strapped a giant present to my chest containing all the material I would use, and did 3 hours of wandering party-related bits ranging from mini beer pong under my hat to showing off a literal musical chair to 'accidently' smushing tiny cupcakes with larger birthday candles to having people compete for a chance to hit a piñata. I also gave out disappointing balloon animals like planets or snakes.

Arts Festival (2024,2025) - I was asked to perform in Austin, MN arts festival and I performed my solo show on the outdoor stage there. It is a non verbal show set to a soundtrack and has a lot of interactive pieces like throwing hundreds of ping pong balls at cup towers, dressing up the crowd as Where's Waldo, or tossing a plush bird around while I try my best to catch it with a large net.

I'd be happy to chat and make something for your event if you were interested in ambient entertainment! Or I have plenty of tested shows and pieces I could easily bring to entertain any crowd for however long you need!

Danny Wightkin is a Chicago based clown, performer, and teaching artist. Originally from Monroeville, PA, Danny won Best Sense of Humor from his high school and apparently let that go to his head.

Danny fell in love with the freedom and individuality that clown allows and has been studying it for the past 10 years. He is drawn to the unique relationship that clowns can have with the audience and the sense of play that can be shared in those spaces. The use of movement, physicality, and breath to create those connections is also of great interest to him.

He has studied with international teachers with the Lecoq school and Philippe Gaulier, in addition to masterclasses with renowned clown Avner the Eccentric. He has had countless other teachers and is always seeking more tools to add to his performance toolbox.

Danny consistently develops and performs clown material in Chicago and tours his shows. His solo show Help Me Help You Help Yourself has won multiple awards. He also has appeared in the Chicago Reader recommended show Clown Brunch and the variety show Who's Waldo?. Across his shows the common themes are sharing the joy of play, having the audience clown alongside him, and making an absolute mess of the stage.

Beyond clowning, Danny is an avid board game player, and is currently developing his own game. In his downtime, he enjoys rock climbing, piano, video games, painting, reading, TTRPGs, and hanging out with his cats Lord and Liege

I am extremely flexible when it comes to performing. I have the ability to bring everything but lighting with me and can perform in spaces of every size. When it comes to wandering performances, I adapt to the space and do not need anything additional.