Sonia Norris is an LA-based physical theatre director specializing in the development of new work with theatre, circus, clown, mask and puppetry companies including: Rogue Artists Ensemble, Los Angeles (Reckless Sea of the Brain), Handspring Puppet Company, South Africa (Olifantland, Renosterbos), Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Cymbeline), Luminato Festival (Taj), Red Sky Performance (Mistatim), Cirqiniq Arctic Circus (The Three Girls), Common Boots Theatre (Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw), HIFA Festival, Zimbabwe (When You Stand Alone, I Have a Dream!...), LEGacy Circus (Cyborg E.R.I.N.), Banff Centre Indigenous Dance (Transformations), SoCirc Social Circus (Carnival of Life), and Workman Arts (Masks of Madness). Upcoming directing projects include Candy Bones Theatre’s clown show Larry for the Montreal Clown Festival, and the bouffon/puppet/video production Extinction Burst, with Winnipeg artist Lisa Walter. Sonia trained in physical theatre at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in France, Ecole Philippe Gaulier in England, and the Dell’Arte School of Physical Theatre in California. She is a graduate of the Playhouse Acting School in Canada and holds an MFA in Directing from York University. Her clown, bouffon, and puppetry research has been published internationally. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor/Head of Acting in the Theatre Department at California State University Northridge.