Alan Clay

In 2007 he produced, wrote and directed the short film Moontan, a story about two street clowns swept up in the occupation of New Zealand's last Victorian theatre, the Royal Wanganui Opera House.

Butterfly Crush won an "Accolade Award of Excellence" for Best Supporting Actor for Amelia Shankley's portrayal of the Dreamguides leader, Star.

In the novel 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 astrology and virtual dreaming.

In Clay's third novel, Believers in Love, a father and daughter team of sand-sculptors embark on an 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.

Clay studied clowning in Stockholm, Sweden in 1977, and then formed the Imperial Trunk Fools Theatre Company (pictured right), which toured New Zealand in 1978 performing at Community Arts Festivals.

He started teaching clowning in Oslo, Norway, in 1981 and 1982, and subsequently taught workshops at festivals and arts centres in Germany and Denmark while performing his solo show extensively on the streets throughout Europe.

[citation needed] During 1997 and 1998 Alan performed together with Amanda Burgess in the duo The Untouchables, touring New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.