Benoît François’ “Total Modeling”

Overview

Benoît François’ “Total Modeling” is an absurd avant-clown show about cybernetics on a boat. Part lecture, part throwdown featuring a blind drunk, his invisible man, third birds, and a domesticated ass. A philosophical odyssey weaving together professional wrestling and existential despair. Losing sight, finding vision.

About the Artist

Benoît François (also known as Benjamin Stieler) is a Philadelphia-based clown and performance artist. He is the cofounder of the Philadelphia Clown Slam and has performed at the Satellite Art Show in Austin, TX and the Idiot’s Hour in New York City. In 2024, he co-produced the Harvest Punch Festival in Ithaca, NY, and has toured nationally with the Bread and Puppet Theater.

 

Director: MASON ROSENTHAL is a performance maker raised in Skokie, IL and based in Philadelphia. He is a co-founder of the award-winning devised theater company Lightning Rod Special. LRS highlights include Nosejob (FringeArts 2024), The Appointment (The New York Times’ "Best Theater of 2019"), and Underground Railroad Game (2016 Obie Award for Best New American Theater Work). Mason's recent work includes: Sohrab is Bumbling Foriegner with Sohrab Haghverdi and Benjamin Rosenthal (FringeArts 2025 and Cannonball 2024 Al-Bustan Award for SWANA Artists), The Fluxus Brothers Present: Good Art Bad Art with Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews and Benjamin Rosenthal (PhysFestNYC 2025 and Cannonball 2024). Check out his other Fringe project Fascist Groove Thang with Janine Renee Cunningham as part of Cannonball. www.masonrosenthal.weebly.com

IG: @lvlas0n

Credits