cathy

Tony Award-winning actor Bill Irwin says he’s a fan of Connor Storrie in a new Playbill interview exploring the comeback of clowning. “One of the most visible examples of that movement breaking into the mainstream is Connor Storrie—of whom Irwin admits he is a fan. The young actor, who became a breakout star through his performance on Heated Rivalry, arrived at his 2026 hosting debut on Saturday Night Live with a background in Los Angeles’s alternative clowning scene. Before his screen success, Storrie had been developing characters and performing in a community where physical commitment, absurdity, and the willingness to look ridiculous are essential parts of the work. Clowning is not simply a collection of funny physical gestures; it is a discipline built around presence, exposure, and the unpredictable exchange between performer and spectator. It exists in the friction between artist and audience, rather than in between words on a page. For Irwin, that exchange is the point: “The only thing I've ever been able to offer up to students who are interested in this, is that the audience is in the room with you,” he says. "I'd love to ask Connor what led him here, why that was the foundation for him. I know why it was for me, but I'm coming from the Broadway song and dance man generation. The young people, I have so many questions for them." 🔗 Full interview: playbill.com/article/bill-ir…