About Jeannie

Jeannie Lindheim has taught for the past 30 years — acting, movement, improvisation, creativity, auditioning, and characterization techniques at a variety of educational institutions including: 

• The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
• University of Massachusetts - Boston
• Harvard University Law School (Theater in the Courtroom)
• Boston University
• Boston College
• Lyric Stage 
• Simmons College
• Lesley College Expressive Therapies Graduate Program 
• Cambridge College
• Wheelock College
• Antioch College
• American University
• George Washington University
• The JFK Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC 

Jeannie Lindheim’s Theater Workshop
She ran her own theater school for 13 years in Brookline, Massachusetts, that offered professional theater training for adults.

Hospital Clown Troupe
In 1996, Jeannie went to Russia with the famous Patch Adams and 35 other hospital clowns and founded Hearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe (www.heartsandnoses.org).  

A Training Program
She wrote The Art and Joy of Hospital Clowning Training Program. Copies of the book have been sold in 23 countries: France, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Portugal, Malaysia, New Zealand, Greece, Singapore, Israel, South Africa, Spain, Germany, the Indian Ocean, Iran, Denmark, the Philippines, Sweden, South America, Ireland, Canada, as well as throughout the USA! The book represents the only published comprehensive training for improvisation-based hospital clowning. A video accompanies the book and illustrates many of the 32 exercises in the book.

Hurricane Katrina
Following Hurricane Katrina, Jeannie and a colleague went to Houston where they did 1,100 ‘by the cot’ visits at the George R. Brown Convention Center. They clowned and supported those who had been evacuated from New Orleans.

Education

• Master of Fine Arts - Brandeis University
• Master of Arts - University of California
• Bachelor of Fine Arts - Ohio University, Boston University
• American Conservatory Theater - San Francisco
• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - London, England
• Herbert Berghof Studio (HB Studio) - New York City

Jeannie has acted professionally in Boston, Ohio, and California.

Trusting the Moment Unlocking Your Creativity and Imagination: A Handbook for Individual and Group Work
Trusting the Moment is a book for individuals and for people who work creatively with people: Coaches, Teachers, Facilitators, People in the Helping Professions, Therapists, Directors, Actors, Retreat Directors, Drama, Art, Music & Creative Writing Teachers, Youth Leaders, Artists, Dancers, Writers, and People who like to have FUN.
Part 1: The Art of Group Leadership
Part 2: 50 exercises for Creativity
More information at trustingthemoment.com.

Workshops
Jeannie has conducted over 100 regional and national workshops for primary care and specialty physician groups in Dealing with Challenging Patients and Situations and Communicating to Patients with Life-threatening Illness at some of the following organizations:

• Harvard Risk Management Foundation
• The Society of General Internal Medicine
• The American Academy of Pediatrics
• Massachusetts Medical Society
• Children’s Hospital
• Harvard University School of Public Health
• The Mass Chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Society of Gynecologic Oncologists
• Bayer Institute of Health Care Communication
• Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Massachusetts General Hospital 
• Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital
• The American Cancer Society 

National Speakers Association, New England Chapter
Jeannie coaches professional actors and professional speakers. She has presented workshops on “Dynamic Acting Techniques to Excite You and Your Audience.”

Voice-Over Work
Jeannie has done voice-over work for radio and television. Garelik Farms, Coldwell Banker, Loon Mountain, and a long list of others. More information at: www.jeannielindheim.com.

Some of Jeannie’s Honors Include:

• The Boston Celtics has a ‘Heroes Among Us’ program that honors “individuals in our community who have made an overwhelming impact on the lives of others.” Jeannie was selected “because of her dedication to brightening the lives of the ill children of Boston’s hospitals.”
• Jeannie was honored at the Magic 106.7 Exceptional Women Awards Luncheon in May 2003. 
• Jeannie was chosen to be featured in Joanne Gordon’s book Be Happy At Work, 100 Women Who Love Their Jobs, and Why. Joanne Gordon interviewed 100 women, including Jeannie, who love their jobs, probing the "why" and "what" decisions they made along the way.
• Jeannie Lindheim's Hospital Clown Troupe was featured on WCVB-TV (Channel 5) magazine-format program Chronicle in a segment titled, "Clowning Around: Just What the Doctor Ordered."

Photo: Jeannie with Antoine Walker and Shaquille O’Neal of the Boston Celtics when she was chosen for the "Heroes Among Us" Award, 1999-2000.

Art Training:

Cleveland Institute of Art - Design class
One assignment was to put three lines of different length on a white paper. The assignment lasted for a week, and the class was three hours a day. What a fabulous exercise!

Ohio University - Figure drawing
I loved every minute of it. Every graduate student in the class was drawing in charcoal. I took the class as an undergraduate. The best elective ever! The instructor, a fabulous Italian man, came up to me during the second class and said, “Ignore everything I teach. Bring in crayons, markers, whatever you want, and just draw what you FEEL.” I was in heaven. 

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine
I took Graphics and ended up sitting on the deck of our studio sketching trees for three weeks. I did do some etching, but the trees were my joy every day for three weeks.

Watercolor
Jan Kilburn Damariscotta, Maine, and Jeanne Carbonetti in Chester, Vermont. Both women are wonderful teachers.

My Inspirations
The mountains of Vermont, improvisation, being in the moment, having fun, getting in a zone, and playing with colors and textures.