Donna Oblongata

Donna Oblongata is a theater artist, writer, and clown teacher living in Philadelphia. She first studied the Pochinko clown technique in 2006, with master teacher Sue Morrison. The pedagogy had a profound effect on her, changing the way she approached performance and creative work in general. Seeking a deeper connection to the Pochinko pedagogy, she went on to study with John Turner, of Canada’s beloved Mump & Smoot, and has since begun teaching the work around the northeastern United States.

Donna is an active writer and performer. Her recent solo play, All 100 Fires has toured nationally twice, supported by a grant from the Puffin Foundation and by the immersive art company Meow Wolf. Play on Milwaukee called the piece “inventive, brimming with compassion, and monstrously funny.” She has toured her work around North America, New Zealand, and Europe-- performing everywhere from post offices to living rooms to Off-Broadway theaters. Donna has twice been the recipient of the Leeway Foundation’s “Art and Change” grant for her teaching work. She holds an MFA in interdisciplinary theater arts from Towson University.

Upcoming Programs by Donna Oblongata

“Menla is so breathtakingly gorgeous, situated on an indigenous sacred land where its magnetic field is very strong… I have so many beautiful photos of the campus from my hikes at dawn on the property, mostly photos capturing the sunrise and the light rays shimmering iridescently on various aspects of nature. I took almost a thousand photos in my short stay there! Truly breathtaking! Even capturing the miracle of having a doe and her fawns surrounding me just several feet away from me!”

Priscila Espinosa

“It’s not clear on your site HOW AMAZING the nature is!! I was blown away at the beauty and would have preferred an OUTDOOR retreat because of how epic the woods and creek were.”

Jillian F.

“It was a lovely weekend as it always is at Menla! Thank you. It truly is a special place in many ways. The people who work there and run the place really do make the difference, as they are all very nice and kind. I’ve been to other like places where that typically isn’t the case. I realized this past weekend that just being at Menla is simply awesome!”

Sasha Laumeister

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