Clown

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This article is about the comic performer. For other uses, see Clown
(disambiguation).
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Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical
humour, often in a mime style.
Clowns have a varied tradition with significant variations in costume and
performance. The most recognisable modern clown character is the Auguste or "red
clown" type, with outlandish costumes featuring distinctive makeup, colourful
wigs, exaggerated footwear, and colourful clothing. Their entertainment style is
generally designed to entertain large audiences, especially at a distance.
Modern clowns are strongly associated with the tradition of the circus clown, which
developed out of earlier comedic roles in theatre or Variet shows during 19th to
mid 20th century.
Many circus clowns have become well known and are a key circus act in their own
right. The first mainstream clown role was portrayed by Joseph Grimaldi (who also
created the traditional whiteface make-up design). In the early 1800s, he expanded
the role of Clown in the harlequinade that formed part of British pantomimes,
notably at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Sadler's Wells and Covent
Garden theatres. He became so dominant on the London comic stage that
harlequinade Clowns became known as "Joey", and both the nickname and
Grimaldi's whiteface make-up design were, and still are, used by other types of
clowns.
The comedy that clowns perform is usually in the role of a fool whose everyday
actions and tasks become extraordinaryand for whom the ridiculous, for a short
while, becomes ordinary. This style of comedy has a long history in many countries
and cultures across the world. Some writers have argued that due to the widespread
use of such comedy and its long history it is a need that is part of the human
condition.
The "fear of clowns", circus clowns in particular as a psychiatric condition has
become known by the term coulrophobia.[1]
Contents
[hide]

1History
o

1.1Origin

1.2Modern circus clown

1.3History in 20th-century North America

2Principal types
o

2.1Circus clown

2.2Pierrot and Harlequin

2.3White clown and Auguste

2.4Whiteface makeup

2.5Character clown

2.5.1North American

3Clown organizations
o

3.1Clowns International

3.2World Clown Association

3.3Clowns of America International

4Clowning terminology
o

4.1Skills

4.2Frameworks

4.3Gags, bits and business

4.4Menu

4.5Interludes

4.6Prop stunts

5"Clowns" in the world's cultures

6Gallery

7See also

8References

9External links

History
Origin
The "clown" character develops out of the zanni "rustic fool" characters of the early
modern Commedia dell'arte, which were themselves directly based on the "rustic
fool" characters of ancient Greek and Roman theatre. Rustic buffoon characters in

Classical Greek theater were known as sklro-paikts (from paizein "to play (like a
child)") ordeikeliktas, besides other generic terms for "rustic" or "peasant". In
Roman theater, a term for clown was fossor, literally "digger; labourer".
The English word clown is first recorded c. 1560 (as clowne, cloyne) in the generic
meaning "rustic, boor, peasant". The origin of the word is uncertain, perhaps from a
Scandinavian word cognate with clumsy.[2] It is in this sense that "Clown" is used as
the name of fool characters in Shakespeare's Othello and The Winter's Tale. The
sense ofclown as referring to a professional or habitual fool or jester develops soon
after 1600, based on Elizabethan "rustic fool" characters such as Shakespeare's.
The Harlequinade developed in England in the 17th century, inspired by
the Commedia dell'arte. It was here that "Clown" came into use as the given name
of a stock character. Originally a foil for Harlequin's slyness and adroit nature, Clown
was a buffoon or bumpkin fool who resembled less a jester than a comical idiot. He
was a lower class character dressed in tattered servants' garb.
The now-classical features of the clown character were developed in the early 1800s
by Joseph Grimaldi, who played Clown in Charles Dibdin's 1800 pantomime, Peter
Wilkins: or Harlequin in the Flying World at Sadler's Wells Theatre, where Grimaldi
built the character up into the central figure of the harlequinade. [3][4]
Modern circus clown
Main article: Circus clown
The circus clown develops in the 19th century. The modern circus derives from Philip
Astley's London riding school, opened in 1768. Astley added a clown to his shows to
amuse the spectators between equestrian sequences. American comedian George
L. Fox became known for his clown role, directly inspired by Grimaldi, in the
1860s. Tom Bellingsenior (18431900) developed the "red clown" or "Auguste"
(Dummer August) character in c. 1870, acting as a foil for the more sophisticated
"white clown". Belling worked forCircus Renz in Vienna. Belling's costume became
the template for the modern stock character of circus or children's clown, based on
a lower class or "hobo" character, with red nose, white makeup around the eyes and
mouth, and oversized clothes and shoes. The clown character as developed by the
late 19th century is reflected in Ruggero Leoncavallo's 1892
opera Pagliacci ("Clowns"). Belling's Auguste character was further popularized
by Nicolai Poliakoff's Coco in the 1920s to 1930s.
The English word clown was borrowed, along with the circus clown act, into many
other languages, such as French clown, Russian (and other Slavic languages) ,
Greek , Danish/Norwegian klovn, Romanian clovn etc.
Italian retains Pagliaccio, a Commedia dell'arte zanni character,[5] and derivations of
the Italian term are found in other Romance languages, such as French Paillasse,
Spanishpayaso, Catalan/Galician pallasso, Portuguese palhao, Greek ,
Turkish palyao, German Pajass (via French),[6] Yiddish ( payats), Russian ,
etc..

History in 20th-century North America

In the early 20th century, with the gradual disappearance of the "rustic simpleton"
or "village idiot" character of everyday experience, North American circus and
comedy developed derived characters such as the "tramp" or "hobo",
notably Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp (1914) and Emmett Kelly's Weary
Willie (developed by in the 1930s based on the hobos of the Depression era).
Another influential "tramp" circus clown character was played by Otto
Griebling during the 1930s to 1950s.
Red Skelton's character in The Clown (1953), Dodo the Clown, depicts the circus
clown as a tragicomic stock character, "a funny man with a drinking problem".
In the United States, Bozo the Clown was a very influential Auguste character since
the late 1950s. The Bozo Show premiered in 1960 and was received nationally via
cable television from 1978.
The McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain derived its mascot clown Ronald
McDonald from the Bozo character in the 1960s. Willard Scott, who had
played Bozo during 19591962, first performed as the mascot in 1963 television
spots. The MacDonald's trademark application for the character dates to 1967.
Based on the Bozo template, the US custom of "birthday clown", private contractors
who offer to perform as clowns at children's parties, developed in the 1960s to
1970s.
The strong association of the (Bozo-derived) clown character with children's
entertainment as it has developed since the 1960s also gave rise to "Clown Care" or
"hospital clowning" in children's hospitals by the mid 1980s. Clowns of America
International (established 1984) and World Clown Association (established 1987) are
associations of semi-professionals and professional performers.
The shift of the Auguste or "red clown" character from his role as a foil for the white
in circus or pantomime shows to a Bozo-derived standalone character in children's
entertainment by the 1980s also gave rise to the evil clown character, the attraction
of clowns for small children being based in their fundamentally threatening or
frightening nature.[7] The "evil clown" stock character was notably popularized
by Stephen King's novel It (1986).
Principal types
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help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)
The clowns have different types of forms which includes...

Auguste

Blackface

Bouffon

Buffoon

Harlequin

Jester

Mime artist

Pierrot

Pirouette

Pueblo

Rodeo clown

Sacred

Tramp

Whiteface

Circus clown
Further information: Circus clown
Pierrot and Harlequin
See Harlequinade
The classical pairing of the White Clown with Auguste in modern tradition has a
precedent in the pairing of Pierrot and Harlequin in the Commedia dell'arte.
Originally, Harlequin's role was that of a light-hearted, nimble and astute servant,
paired with the sterner and melancholic Pierrot.
In the 18th-century English Harlequinade, Harlequin was now paired with Clown. As
developed by Joseph Grimaldi around 1800, Clown became the mischievous and
brutish foil for the more sophisticated Harlequin, who became more of a romantic
character. The most influential such pair in Victorian England were the Payne
Brothers, active during the 1860s and 1870s.
White clown and Auguste
The white clown, or clown blanc from the original French, is a sophisticated
character, as opposed to the clumsy auguste. [8] They are also distinguished as the
"sad clown" (blanc) and "happy clown" (auguste). [9]
The Auguste face base makeup color is a variation of pink, red, or tan rather than
white. Features are exaggerated in size, and are typically red and black in color. The
mouth is thickly outlined with white (called the muzzle) as are the eyes. Appropriate
to the character, the Auguste can be dressed in either well-fitted garb or in a
costume that does not fit either oversize or too small is appropriate. Bold colors,
large prints or patterns, and suspenders often characterize Auguste costumes.

The auguste character-type is often an anarchist, a joker, or a fool. He is clever and

has much lower status than the whiteface. Classically the whiteface character
instructs the auguste character to perform his bidding. The auguste has a hard time
performing a given task, which leads to funny situations. Sometimes the auguste
plays the role of an anarchist and purposefully has trouble following the whiteface's
directions. Sometimes the auguste is confused or is foolish and makes errors less
deliberately.
The contra-auguste plays the role of the mediator between the white clown and the
auguste character. He has a lower status than the white clown but a higher status
than the auguste. He aspires to be more like the white clown and often mimics
everything the white clown does to try to gain approval. If there is a contra-auguste
character, he often is instructed by the whiteface to correct the auguste when he is
doing something wrong.
Whiteface makeup
There are two major types of clowns with "whiteface" makeup: The classic "white
clown" is derived from the Pierrot character. His makeup is white, usually with facial
features such as eyebrows emphasized in black. He is the more intelligent and
sophisticated clown, contrasting with the rude or
grotesque Auguste types. Francesco Caroli and Glenn "Frosty" Little are examples of
this type. The second type of whiteface is the buffoonish clown of the Bozo type,
known as "Comedy" or "Grotesque Whiteface". This type has grotesquely
emphasized features, especially a red nose and red mouth, often with partial
(mostly red) hair. In the comedic partnership of Abbott and Costello, Bud Abbot
would have been the classic whiteface and Lou Costello the comedy whiteface or
Auguste.[10]
Traditionally, the whiteface clown uses "clown white" makeup to cover the entire
face and neck, leaving none of the underlying natural skin visible. [11] In the
European whiteface makeup, the ears are painted red.
Whiteface makeup was originally designed by Joseph Grimaldi in 1801. He began by
painting a white base over his face, neck and chest before adding red triangles on
the cheeks, thick eyebrows and large red lips set in a mischievous grin. Grimaldi's
design is used by many modern clowns. According to Grimaldi's biographer Andrew
McConnell Stott, it was one of the most important theatrical designs of the 1800s. [11]
America's first great white faced clown was stage star George "G.L." Fox. Following
English Joseph Grimaldi, Fox popularised the Humpty Dumpty stories throughout the
land in the first half of the 19th century in America. [12]
Character clown
The character clown adopts an eccentric character of some type, such as a
butcher, a baker, a policeman, a housewife or hobo. Prime examples of this type of
clown are the circus tramps Otto Griebling and Emmett Kelly. Red Skelton, Harold
Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin would all fit the definition of a character
clown.

The character clown makeup is a comic slant on the standard human face. Their
makeup starts with a flesh tone base and may make use of anything from glasses,
mustaches and beards to freckles, warts, big ears or strange haircuts.
North American
The most prevalent character clown in the American circus is the hobo, tramp or
bum clown. There are subtle differences in the American character clown types. The
primary differences among these clown types is attitude. According to American
circus expert Hovey Burgess, they are (in order of class):

The Hobo: Migratory and finds work where he travels. Down on his luck but
maintains a positive attitude.

The Tramp: Migratory and does not work where he travels. Down on his luck
and depressed about his situation.

The Bum: Non-migratory and non-working.

Emmett Kelly was the preeminent clown of this type. Others include...

Barry Lubin

Tom Dougherty

Bill Irwin

David Shiner

Geoff Hoyle

Funny Man Poodles

John Gilkey

Eric Davis

Peter Shub

Poodles Hanneford

Bluch Landolf

Larry Pisoni

John Lepiarz

Bobo Barnett

Happy Kellams

Fumagalli

Charlie Cairoli

Bebe

Jojo Lewis

Abe Goldstein

Rhum

David Larible

Scott Linker

Kenny Raskin

Oleg Popov

Rik Gern

Bello Nock

Vance Colvig, Jr.

Red Skelton.[citation needed]

Clown organizations
Clowns International
Clowns International claims to be the oldest clown society in the world. It was set up
in 1946. Apart from being a membership organisation Clowns International has set
up a museum of clown memorabilia and a register of clown make-up. The latter has
full eggshells, decorated as replicas of the specific clown's head. [13]
World Clown Association
Main article: World Clown Association
The World Clown Association (WCA) is a worldwide organization for clowns Jugglers,
Magicians, face painters, and clowning. It holds an annual convention, mainly in the
United States.
Clowns of America International
Main article: Clowns of America International
Clowns of America International, Inc. (COAI) is a Minnesota-based nonprofit clown
arts membership organization which aims "to share, educate, and act as a gathering
place for serious minded amateurs, semiprofessionals, and professional clowns".
Clowning terminology
Skills
In the circus, a clown might perform another circus role:

Walk a tightrope, a highwire, a slack rope or a piece of rope on the ground.

Ride a horse, a zebra, a donkey, an elephant or even an ostrich.

Substitute himself in the role of "lion tamer".

Act as "emcee", from M.C. or Master of Ceremonies, the preferred term for a
clown taking on the role of "Ringmaster".

"Sit in" with the orchestra, perhaps in a "pin spot" in the center ring, or from a
seat in the audience.

Anything any other circus performer might do. It is not uncommon for
an acrobat, a horse-back rider or a lion tamer to secretly stand in for the
clown, the "switch" taking place in a brief moment offstage.

Frameworks
Frameworks are the general outline of an act that clowns use to help them build
out an act.[14] Frameworks can be loose, including only a general beginning and
ending to the act, leaving it up to the clown's creativity to fill in the rest, or at the
other extreme a fully developed script that allows very little room for creativity.
Shows are the overall production that a clown is a part of, it may or may not
include elements other than clowning, such as in a circus show. In a circus context,
clown shows are typically made up of some combination of Entres, Side dishes,
Clown Stops, Track Gags, Gags and bits.
Gags, bits and business

Business the individual motions the clown uses, often used to express the
clown's character.

Gag very short piece of clown comedy that, when repeated within a "bit"
or "routine," may become a running gag. Gags are, loosely, the jokes clowns
play on each other. A gag may have a beginning, a middle, and an end or
may not. Gags can also refer to the prop stunts/tricks or the stunts that
clowns use, such as a squirting flower.

Bit the clown's sketch or routine, made up of one or more "gags" either
worked out and timed before going on stage, or impromptu bits composed of
familiar improvisational material.

Menu

Entre clowning acts lasting 510 minutes. Typically made up of various

gags and bits, usually within a clowning framework. Entres almost always
end with a "blow-off" the comedic ending of a show segment, "bit," "gag,"
"stunt," or "routine."

Side dish shorter feature act. Side dishes are essentially shorter versions
of the "entre," typically lasting 13 minutes. Typically made up of various
"gags" and "bits," side dishes are usually within a clowning framework. Side
dishes almost always end with a "blow-off."

Interludes

"Clown Stops" or "interludes" are the brief appearances of clowns in a circus while
the props and rigging are changed. These are typically made up of a few gags or
several bits. Clown stops will always have a beginning, a middle, and an end to
them, invariably culminating in a blow-off. These are also called "reprises" or "runins" by many, and in today's circus they are an art form in themselves. Originally
they were bits of "business" usually parodying the act that had preceded it. If for
instance there had been a tightrope walkerthe reprise would involve two chairs with
a piece of rope between and the clown trying to imitate the artiste by trying to walk
between them, with the resulting falls and cascades bringing laughter from the
audience. Today, interludes are far more complex, and in many modern shows the
clowning is a thread that links the whole show together.
Prop stunts
Among the more well-known clown stunts are: squirting flower; the "too-manyclowns-coming-out-of-a-tiny-car" stunt; doing just about anything with a rubber
chicken, tripping over ones own feet (or an air pocket or imaginary blemish in the
floor), or riding any number of ridiculous vehicles or "clown bikes". Individual prop
stunts are generally considered individual bits.
"Clowns" in the world's cultures
Main article: Clown society
Further information: Ritual clown, Heyoka, Trickster, Bouffon and Jester
In anthropology, the term "clown" has been extended to comparable jester or fool
characters in non-Western cultures. A society in which such "clowns" have an
important position are termed "clown societies", and a "clown" character involved in
a religious or ritual capacity is known as a "ritual clown".
The most ancient "clowns" have been found in the Fifth dynasty of Egypt, around
2400 BC.[15] Unlike court jesters,[dubious discuss] clowns have traditionally served a socioreligious and psychological role, and traditionally the roles of priest and clown have
been held by the same persons. [15][16][clarification needed] Peter Berger writes that "It seems
plausible that folly and fools, like religion and magic, meet some deeply rooted
needs in human society".[17] For this reason, clowning is often considered an
important part of training as a physical performance discipline, partly because tricky
subject matter can be dealt with, but also because it requires a high level of risk
and play in the performer.[18]
In Native American mythology, the Trickster channels the spirit of the Coyote and
becomes a sacred Clown character. A Heyoka is an individual in Native cultures who
lives outside the constraints of normal cultural roles. The Heyoka plays the role of a
backwards clown, doing everything in reverse. The Heyoka role is sometimes best
filled by aWinkte.
Many native tribes have a history of clowning. The Canadian Clowning method
developed by Richard Pochinko and furthered by his former apprentice, Sue
Morrison, combines European and Native American clowning techniques.

In this tradition, masks are made of clay while the creator's eyes are closed. A mask
is made for each direction of the medicine wheel. During this process, the clown
creates a personal mythology that explores their personal experiences.