From Sydney's Bondi Beach, to a magic mountain in New Zealand, an unlikely father and daughter team of sand-sculptors embark on a crazy adventure exploring the transient nature of art and life, to discover that dreams are real.
Alan Clay is a New Zealand writer and filmmaker who was born in Wanganui in 1954. He has built an international reputation for his fiction and his clown teaching work, through his book Angels Can Fly, a Modern Clown User Guide.
Alan's first novel, 'Moontan, a Clown's Story'( adult fiction, 150 pages) was well received at its launch at the Wellington Fringe Festival in New Zealand, and in Australia at the Warrana Writers Festival in Brisbane in 1994.
"This novel, which describes the occupation of Auckland's Civic Theatre by a collective of artists, is simple but well-told. This book is enjoyable, the characters are few but convincingly portrayed, and the city of Auckland and the Civic Theatre itself are sketched in with a deft touch. " Dominion Post
Alan wrote and directed a short film based on his novel 'Moontan', which screened at the 2007 Wellington Fringe Film Festival. The film is available on Amazon on DVD together with a 20-minute 'making of' documentary, which give a good insight to both Alan's clown and film work.
Alan's second novel 'Dance Sisters' (adult fiction, 294 pages) was launched at the Melbourne Writers Festival in 1997.
"Dance Sisters by New Zealander Alan Clay had me hooked from the first explosive page. A female song and dance trio threatens to self-destruct on the brink of fame, when its leader becomes involved with a manipulative cult, touting sex, astrology and virtual dreaming. What a refreshing read!" Sydney Beat Magazine
In 2002 the State Library of NSW purchased the manuscripts and associated papers to both Dance Sisters and Moontan, to be held in the Mitchell Reference Library, together with a set of 12 archive videos from the work at Playspace Studio.
In 2009 Alan wrote and directed a feature film 'Butterfly Crush', which he adapted from his novel 'Dance Sisters'. The film has won four 'Best Feature Drama' awards at US festivals. The profile picture shows Alan at the REEL Independent Film Festival in Washington DC holding the 'Best Feature Film' award. 'Butterfly Crush' is available on Amazon as VOD and DVD. Check out the trailer in the Author Video on the right.
In Alan's third novel, 'Believers in Love' (adult fiction, 300 pages), a father and daughter team of sand-sculptors embark on a crazy adventure which takes them from Sydney's Bondi Beach, to a magic mountain in New Zealand, in which they explore the transient nature of art and life, and discover that dreams are real. American reviews of 'Believers in Love' were so good, that he toured literary festivals in the USA and Canada in 2003.
"Believers in Love is a powerfully creative work, with prose that sings like poetry. Beautifully told and evocatively rendered, Believers in Love comes very highly recommended." Amazon top 50 reviewer
Alan's fourth book, 'Angels Can Fly, a Modern Clown User Guide'(textbook/adult fiction, 535 pages), was launched at the Brisbane Writers Festival in October 2005. The book includes a mix of personal anecdotes from clowns from around the world, 50 practical clown exercises , some theory on the nature of modern clown and a collection of stories following the adventures of ten clowns. The book has fast become a textbook for a fast changing art form and been embraced by performers and drama teachers in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
"I love this book! I purchased two copies of Angels Can Fly as soon as it was released through Amazon, and I have already recommended it to several performers that I know and work with. It is a great source of ideas and inspiration!" New York performer.
