Willy the Clown, alias Antonio Villella, was born in 1976 in Turin, Italy. In 1998 he graduated as a director and actor in the Theatre School of the Compagnia Viartisti in Turin. From 1994 to 2007 he was part of the company. In 2008 he founded the Crab Teatro company, of which he is still a member. In 2011 he created the "Teatro Abitato" Project, an ensemble of theatre companies and training centre in Avigliana (To). In 2013, he participated in the foundation of the Torino Fringe Festival, with which he still collaborates.
Since 2005 he has been experimenting with Clown and his most important encounters have been with P. Hottier, C. Colombaioni, P. Nani, F. Tardito, A. Rendina, P. Radice, J. Edwards and P. Ercolano.
Since 2015, he has devoted himself mainly to clowning and carries on his teaching method: 'The Game, the Listening, the Clown'.
His is not a politically correct clown. His physicality is dense and concrete. His sometimes black humour appeals to an audience of all ages. His theatrical background places him somewhere between theatre, movement and clowning, and so does his teaching.
In 2016 he moved to Berlin where he teaches and collaborates with the pantomime school 'Die Etage', the Mime Centrum, Polyrama Museum and the Phyhixtanzt Studio.
