The Face of the Clown- Thoughts on Theatre Clowning

 Perhaps the word 'art' is tossed around so frequently that it becomes muddied in the pollution of text and prose.  It becomes a nonsense word that bears as much meaning as a child's scrambled first sentence.  Buffoons and youthful clowns rant "Theatre", "performance" "art is my life", and then sleep through their own authenticity.  But if art is to bear any respectable connotation it should most certainly be attached to a practice that hosts skill and passion.   Art is not a button to wear, or a snarky, ironic t-shirt.  In its illustrious format, art is a precise explanation of our innermost realities, our insides that are as varied as the colors of a clown's make-up, presented formally in the space of our life's theatre. 
 
  In the world of performance, the art of clowning should be considered a respectable use of theater space.  A clown in the theatre very consciously uses his skill to amass an air of humor, a performance that directly engages the audience.  Funniness is not about performance as much as it is about the audience themselves.  Theater clowning requires this knowledge.  It requires the clown to bring the theatre audience with him on the travels of cerebral digestion.  As opposed to blatant attempts at humor in presentational art, theatre clowning is not playing pretend or pushing funny whether or not people are laughing.  It is the real face of a clown, a theatrical representation of everyones' follies and farce.

I have no idea where this is going but it should be fun (and funny for that matter). I moved up to New York a few months ago to be an actor but this whole clown thing just came out of nowhere like a pie to the face. Comedy (especially physical comedy) has always been my strong suite. Most of the roles I did in college (even including some dramatic ones) involved me spinning about the stage like a dervish, falling over, and just being 100% ridiculous (there’s photos on Facebook to prove it) and I loved it. I mean, if I’m not sweating profusely and out of breath by the end of a performance, I’m just not satisfied.
So this whole New York clown thing is something I kinda just stumbled in to. A little after I
moved up here I found out about The Brick Theatre’s Clown Festival, which piqued my interest a bit. Right after that, I found about clown auditions for Cirque Du Soleil, which I was lucky enough to attend. I was cut in the first group, which I wasn’t too surprised about. I did walk away with a great piece of advice from the French guy who was running the audition however: “You should get some clown training.” And that’s what I’m doing now. Not necessarily to be in Cirque some day (all though that would be awesome), but just because it’s something I’ve wanted to try. Back in the day when they actually showed good stuff on the Disney Channel, I would constantly watch old Martin& Lewis and Laurel & Hardy movies. I guess I’ve spent my whole life as an actor trying to mimic those movies
without the actual training. I guess it’s time to change that. It’s time to earn myself a red nose and become a New York Clown.

Be a Clown!
 
Clown school is a great way to learn the essential skills needed to be a clown. Whether you are a beginner or expert clown performer, clown school will give you the valuable tools that you will need to construct and execute a great performance. If you want to be funny, clown school is the place for you. Here is a list of clown schools. Grab your shiny red nose and baggy pants and get to a clown school near you.
 
California
The Clown Conservatory
755 Frederick Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: 415-759-8123, ext 21
Email: None listed
Clown School of San Francisco
3252 19th Street
San Francisco, CA
Phone: (415) 206-1765
Email (Christina Lewis): dottymoppet@yahoo.com
Dell'Arte
January 2011
131 H Street
P.O. Box 816
Blue Lake, CA 95525
Phone: (707) 668-5663
Email: info@dellarte.com

 

Florida
Toby's Clown School #296
5 Sessions per year.
Contact: Sue"Petals" Shillady PO Box 540
Lake Placid, FL 33862
(863) 465-2920
Email: tobysclowns@embarqmail.com
Fun World Clown Alley School
Orlando, FL 32806
(407) 876-1576
Email: magic@FunWorldClownAlley.com
The Clown Krewe Alley Clown College
PO Box 1122
New Port Richey, FL 34673
(727) 389-5202
Email: webmaster@theclownkrewe.com
Caloosa Clown Alley COAI#97 Clown Classes
Two sessions: Oct-Nov & Jan-Feb, weeknights from 7:00-9:00 PM
4375 St. Clair Ave. West
North Fort Myers, FL 33903
Contact: Kent Sheets, KA-YO the Clown
Phone: (239) 995-8881
E-mail: SheetsKent@aol.com

 

Georgia
TnT University
August 2-8, 2010
Georgia Baptist Conference Center
462 Sonrise Way
Toccoa, GA 55431
Phone: 1-800-442-6432
Email: jrtheclown@aol.com

 

Indiana
Red Skelton Clown School
June 8-13, 2010
Vincennes, IN
Email: Terry.Ricketts@redskeltonclownschool.com

 

Nevada
California Clown School
Reno, NV (also in Las Vegas)
Phone: 209-744-1368
Email: info@californiaclownschool.com

 

New York
NY Goofs Clown School
New York, NY
Phone: 866-596-GOOF
Email: info@nygoofs.com
NY Downtown Clown Workshop - Slapstick Dojo
Every Wednesday from 6:00 -7:00 PM
West Side Dance Project
260 W 36 Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY
FEE:$10 per class - first class is FREE!
Email: info@newyorkdowntownclown.com

 

North Carolina
Four Seasons Clown Camp
May 12-15, 2011
Hendersonville, NC
Email: fourseasonsclowncamp@yahoo.com

 

Ohio
Ohio College of Clowning Arts
206 Hollywood Ave., Suite 100B
Akron, OH 44313
Phone: 330-835-9460
Email: rkreidler@OhioCollegeClowningArts.com
Cosacomica
Athens, OH
Phone: 413-637-0252
Email: info@cosacomica.com

 

Pennsylvania
Clown College
March - May
Erie, PA
Phone: 814-825-6655
Email: Tagalongtraveler@aol.com
Erie Clowns Clown College Erie, PA
Phone: 814-838-2867
Email: Emerald@erieclowns.com

 

South Carolina
Charlie's Chaplains Skool '10
September 24-25, 2010
Hickory, SC
Email: charlieschaplains@gmail.com

 

Texas
Cheerful Clown Alley - Clown School 2010
June - August
Houston, TX
Phone: 281-591-1047
Email: aedwards22@comcast.net

 

Washington
Shakespeares's Fools Camp
February
Teatro ZinZanni’s Antique Belgian Tent
222 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA

 

Wisconsin
Clown Camp 14 Copeland Ave. Suite 101
La Crosse, WI 54603
Phone: 608-796-1546
Email: info@clowncamp.org

 

Canada
Fantastic Space Enterprises
6360 Ross Street
Vancouver, BC V5W 3L9
Phone: 604-551-0620
Email: david@fantasticspace.com

 

Europe
Orchard Theatre Company
Tipperary, Ireland, UK
Phone: 353 (0) 86 108 6767
Email: info@orchardtc.com
Escola de Clown de Barcelona
Pontos, Girona 17773
Barcelona, Spain
Phone: +34 872 004 898 or +34 622 110 537
Email: info@escoladeclown.eu
The Actors Space: The Clown
Mas Fontarnau, Sentfores Vic 08505
Barcelona, Spain
Phone: +34 938 851 233
Email: info@actors-space.org
Gouda's International Clown School
Denmark & Oslo
Phone: 0182-548503
Email: plvdboom@tiscali.nl
Clown & Mystic - Part Two
Eidsfoss, Norway
Phone: +47 40218791/40045943
Email: plvandenboom@gmail.com