Dare to be a Clown: Clown Types

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

DARE TO BE A CLOWN: CLOWN TYPES

     The clown standing before me wore size 16 red-trimmed white Pony sneakers. Her horizontally striped costume was covered with multi-colored figures and triangles. It was mismatched, indicating she could not decide what style to whip up on her sewing machine: the blouse had a long sleeve on one side and a single strap on the other side.

     Her face, though not painted, was superficially masked by a painted on smile. Her hair was hidden under a nightcap covered with an oversize butterfly.

     Her entire person was hidden from view. She was quite the clown, daring to be bigger than life, and I was distinctly aware of her, “the clown.”

     Since ancient times, clowns have

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DARE TO BE A CLOWN: Clown History

In America, the first clowns were circus clowns, often sent ahead of the circus with promotional material. Their function was to attract audiences. Under the big top, they worked as time-fillers, tension-relievers between dangerous acts and as distracters who kept the audience from watching scene changes. They made it possible for the audience to enjoy the show.

 

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Many still perform the same duties today, though their status level has risen considerably. In the old days clowns were very