Gale LaJoye grew up and lives in Marquette. It is here that LaJoye began and continues to study how people respond to situations and each other. Over time, LaJoye has learned how to integrate his observations into funny and poignant stories without words – stories that turn sorrow into joy and inspire us to embrace life.
LaJoye has worked to make a difference in the lives of others through his humorous and heartfelt performances. Attending Northern Michigan University he initially enrolled in pre-law. When required to take a humanities or theatre course, LaJoye chose theatre. When he discovered how plays can change people’s lives he shifted his focus from pre-law to theatre. His initial dramatic roles were in Chekov’s Three Sisters and as the lead, Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest. Early on, LaJoye developed a reputation for portraying complex characters – characters that rely on physical humor and non-verbal communication. After college, LaJoye attended the Valley Studio in Spring Green Wisconsin, where he studied mime, commedia dell′ arte and the Japanese art of Kabuki.
In 1973, LaJoye ran off to Florida to be with the greatest show on earth – Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. While with the circus, he mastered the art of gesture, silent communication and poignant short story telling. Within four years, LaJoye became “Boss Clown” – one of the highest honors in circus tradition.
In 1979, fate dealt Gale LaJoye a crushing blow. After a car ac ... view more »
Gale LaJoye grew up and lives in Marquette. It is here that LaJoye began and continues to study how people respond to situations and each other. Over time, LaJoye has learned how to integrate his observations into funny and poignant stories without words – stories that turn sorrow into joy and inspire us to embrace life.
LaJoye has worked to make a difference in the lives of others through his humorous and heartfelt performances. Attending Northern Michigan University he initially enrolled in pre-law. When required to take a humanities or theatre course, LaJoye chose theatre. When he discovered how plays can change people’s lives he shifted his focus from pre-law to theatre. His initial dramatic roles were in Chekov’s Three Sisters and as the lead, Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest. Early on, LaJoye developed a reputation for portraying complex characters – characters that rely on physical humor and non-verbal communication. After college, LaJoye attended the Valley Studio in Spring Green Wisconsin, where he studied mime, commedia dell′ arte and the Japanese art of Kabuki.
In 1973, LaJoye ran off to Florida to be with the greatest show on earth – Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. While with the circus, he mastered the art of gesture, silent communication and poignant short story telling. Within four years, LaJoye became “Boss Clown” – one of the highest honors in circus tradition.
In 1979, fate dealt Gale LaJoye a crushing blow. After a car accident, his doctors advised him he would “never walk again.” Driven to be a performer, LaJoye immediately began rebuilding his body and using humor to heal his mind and soul. Today, you would never imagine LaJoye was once paralyzed.
After regaining his balance and the ability to perform physical stunts in the early 1980s, LaJoye produced the critically acclaimed and much loved Too Foolish for Words. After touring this silent comedy around the globe, LaJoye set to work to produce Snowflake.
In 1990, Snowflake premiered in Minneapolis and Marquette and LaJoye then embarked on a global tour. For the last 28 years, LaJoye’s Snowflake has toured throughout Asia, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Scotland, Ireland and the United States. Hailed by critics and audiences alike as “a must see,” and “one of America’s finest theatrical clowns” LaJoye has performed Snowflake over two thousands of times. In Japan alone, he toured Snowflake to 300 cities.
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