Clown and Teacher
Timothy had found himself clowning again and then thought of going the distance – he decided to take his first night performing class at the Academy of Performing Arts. It wasn’t actually a „class“, this was during the summer session, and Timothy met six times one-on-one with his professor, Odis Williford. Each session lasted two hours. Professor Williford sat in a hall with barres and mirrors, and patiently dissected Timothys jokes and tricks, move by move, line by line. He was dying of lung cancer – they didn’t talk about it, but it was obvious. Timothy kept thinking: „This guy’s dying, and he’s choosing to spend twelve of his last hours on earth with me, a total stranger, a clumsy beginner clown.“
Whether it was his love of performing arts or his love of teaching that kept him there, Timothy didn’t know. But it was humbling to see a man care so much.