Ruthie Scarpino is a clown, director, mask, and circus maker hailing from the wilds of Maine. As an artist and a scholar, she believes art can enrich the human experience beyond entertainment alone, using movement, masks, and physical theatre like a microscope, zooming in to show what is otherwise unseen.

Clown

Ruthie's physical theatre, clown, and corporeal mime work has graced stages internationally. Since 2020 she has performed in New York City, Paris, New England, Edinburgh, Berlin, and Sarsina. Her specialty is in interactive comedy and physical storytelling; solo or ensemble. Since 2011 Ruthie has collaborated with Hybrid Movement Company, Panto-WHAT!?, Horse Trade Theatre Co., and Compagnie Commedia, gracing notable stages such as The SPACE, New York City Summer Stage, FEAST Fest, La Bienalle des Arts et du Mime du Gest, Clown Slam, and Plautus Festival il festival del Teatro Classico a Sarsina.

Mask

Ruthie discovered the art of mask while training at Ecole International de théâtre de Jacques Lecoq. Following her professional training she learned how to build Larval, and expressive masks in Berlin, and worked with companies exploring modern mask theatre. In 2020 she created TOGETHER, ALONE a solo mask piece that created the illusion of an ensemble through infrared technology which premiered at SPLIT Film Festival and was invited to be in residence GlogulAIR in Berlin. In summer 2025 her new mask piece Love at First Flight premiered with Apricot Productions, a mask and comedy piece exploring love and lust through the absurd story of a crow falling in love with a dress. Through object manipulation, comedy, corporeal mime, and mask, Ruthie uses the body to deep dive into this very human experience through the isolation of the face as an expressive tool.

Workshops & Residencies

Ruthie is an applied arts activist, using theatre and circus beyond entertainment alone. Since 2024 she has hosted workshops in Embodied Mask, Corporeal Mime, and Character Creation at The Hybrid Movement Lab in Brooklyn. Her workshops have been hosted by LA NAVE at El Calderon Teatro in Valladolid Spain, TACU, Linden Global, and other international theatre and social justice spaces. Her summer workshops in Berlin focus on how puppetry and storytelling could support social and emotional learning for young people on the spectrum, and she is currently collaborating with Linden as an applied arts facilitator. Ruthie has taught workshops and been an artist in residence at The Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, Antioch College, The Fulbright Fellowship, The House of Yes, The Sable Project, La Main Collectif, and The City University of New York with the Creative Arts Team. Ruthies Applied Arts work is diverse and she has worked in schools, prisons, refugee camps, special needs centers, and programs for undocumented children. She collaborates in teams, often with the support of licensed therapists, and learning specialists, bringing together artistic and mental health teams to provide the best support possible.