I have been performing my “anywhere at any time” street shows since I made my debut at the Edmonton International Street Performer’s Festival (Summerfest) in 1985.
A big thanks goes out to Dick Finkle. I studied the Richard Pochinko method of mask and clown with Jan Henderson of Fool Moon and Small Change Theatres. I went to clown college and earned my red nose in 1993. I’m a roving performer and I also run together various juggling and comedy routines into two circle show presentations.
Michael Rene Charrois Esquire The Third Incorporated For Tax Purposes Only, is a red-nosed vaudevillian in red hat and plaid tails. He presents his Gonzo Variety Spectacular anywhere and at any 
time; roving on foot or on roller-skates or in the centre of a crowd for a circle show. The Gonzo Variety Spectacular is a one-man, mobile juggling/ clown show. Iconoclastic and irreverent- the performance features a big bag o’ comedy and juggling, music and magic – a guaranteed kick-in-the-pants good time.
The Gonzo Variety Spectacular has been performed at: Evergreen Cultural Centre’s Summer Drama Camp, Coquitlam; Westside Montessori Academy, Vancouver; First Night Festivals, Edmonton; Ottawa , Vancouver and Northern Alberta’s Children’s Festivals, Arctic Winter Games, Slave Lake; West Edmonton and Eaton Centre Malls; Timmy’s Birthday Party, Leduc; Victoria Park Skating Oval; and at parks and parties, halls and malls, from here to there, I’m ready to go anywhere.
Economics 101- a 40 minute semi-educational family show, 8 to adult.
In this circle show I play John Kenneth Galbraith, famed Canadian Economist. I bring a satirical 9 week, entry-level university economics course and pack it into 40 minutes of comedy, magic and juggling. Exploiting child labour for profit has never been more fun!
JKG controls the land and capital (the juggling gear) then explores the nature of wage slavery by hiring child labourers and putting them to work. The mid-term exam re-creates the Cold War – competition for scarce resources- and poses the question, “Who wins when there’s a war?” The economy! After the post war boom the economy goes bust, one labourer is laid off while the remaining worker learns about the Rope of Death and the Pole of Taxation. The final exam question is, “What can I do to stimulate the economy?” When audience members put their money into the hat it pays their tuition for the course and they earn a PhD certificate – Piled higher and Deeper degree from IOU, the International Open University.
Economics 101 has been performed at: Edmonton International Street Performer’s Festival (2000- 2002), Edmonton Kids Fringe (2000- 2003), InterPlay Arts Festival (2000- 2003), Calgary International Children’s Festival (2003), Northern Alberta Children’s Festival (2002) and Granville Island, Vancouver (2003). Firehall Theatre, BC Buds Festival, (2008).
>> Canada Day gig in Fort St. John, British Columbia, roving clown and stage show,
>> Circus skills: Juggling Workshop Co-ordinator at the Vancouver Children’s Festival, May 2004.
>> Festival performer in Granville Island, British Columbia throughout the summer with Economics 101.
Michael Charrois 