Paul Kalina is a founding member of 500 Clown. He received his B.S. in theatre arts from Illinois State University where he studied acting and directing. Upon graduation he worked with the Idaho Theatre for Youth for three years and in '93 certified as an actor combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. He returned to Chicago to work as an actor and fight choreographer for such companies as The Goodman Theatre, CT20 productions and Steppenwolf Theatre.

Paul also worked for two years as a stuntman in live action stunt shows in both Chicago and LA. In 1996 he attended the International School of Physical Theatre Dell'Arte in Blue Lake, California where he was introduced to the world of clown. He co-founded the physical theater duo Le Pamplemousse and toured Canada and the United States until 1999. He supervised The Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital for 6 years as well as administrating the Vaudeville Caravan, an outreach program where performers visit senior centers. He cofounded the critically acclaimed acrobatic and slapstick clown duo, The Bumblinni Brothers and is currently pursuing his MFA in Directing at the University of Idaho.

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