Strutter's Complete Guide to Clown Makeup (Paperback)


Review:
World Clown Association
FANTASTIC!...has the best-looking clowns in the world in it.

Book Description
It takes know-how to create a professional looking clown face. Contrary to popular belief a proper clown face is not worn as a mask. It should be designed to compliment the natural features in the face in order to enhance the clown's expressions.
In this book Jim Roberts, a.k.a. Strutter the Clown, describes the different types of clown faces and how you can design a unique face of your own. He provides detailed step-by-step directions for applying makeup to create the three basic clown face types: Whiteface, Auguste, and Tramp.

Included are tips on powdering, applying rubber and putty noses, how to handle eyeglasses, handling common makeup problems, and proper makeup selection and removal.

Includes full-color, close-up photos which offer step-by-step directions for applying makeup.

Review: If you are a serious clown....er...that doesn't sound right
This is the best book on clowning. My copy is covered with Mehron smudges and baby powder because I still open it up as I am getting ready to get into character.
Very practilcal. Good job of addressing the needs of the beginner AND helping the veteran.

If you are going to apply clown make-up and don't want to look like a lipstick clown in a rainbow afro wig you need to get this book.

Review: Strutter's Complete Guide to Clown Makeup
This is the best book on makeup available. In full color photos, you are taught - step by step - how to apply Whiteface, Auguste and Hobo makeup. Dozens of color photos at the back of the book, provide a photo gallery of styles and designs to choose from. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any clown who is looking for pointers on their makeup technique!

Creative Clowning (Paperback)

From Library Journal
This book is aimed at clowns and would-be clowns who want to improve their skills. Included are comedy routines as well as instructions on riding a unicycle, juggling, stilt-walking, applying makeup, mime, puppetry, and magic. The advice on employment possibilities is less useful than that on acquiring specific skills. Clown schools are mentioned, but no specifics are provided. Nonetheless, anyone interested in being a clown or becoming a better one will find this a treasure trove. Recommended for public libraries. Anne Twitchell, EPA Headquarters Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review: Perfect Book for the Novice
I'm considering setting up as a childrens entertainer, so I purchased a good few books. This is without doubt the best of the bunch.
The book covers lots of aspects of clowning, gives great ideas, and is an easy read.

The only downside is that it does not have space to go as in depth in some areas as I would of liked - but there are plenty of speciality books to do so

Review: If you are a serious clown...er...wait a second,
Every hobby has one or two definative books. This is it for clowning. Everything I wanted to find out and more. Like any good reference book it started me down the path and I have read several books recommended.
If you are going to get into clowning you need this book.

Review: An inspiring book indeed!
Having read four customer reviews of this book, I might have had high expectations. Maybe I didn't realize it's true value at first, but after learning various skills, you may want to try others, which didn't catch your interest at first. Then you realize how powerful a tool this book is.

Until now I've focused on juggling and unicycling. The book not only teaches you how to ride a unicycle, -it also provides a lot of amusing variations. Though I knew how to ride before buying this book, it taught me how to ride in a very ridiculous way, seemingly out of control. I've experienced a tremendous effect when acting upon these hints in front of an audience. ...

Just recently I grew interested in the stiltwalking sections and made a pair of wooden tie-on stilts. I'm not exactly an engineer, but following the instructions, all I needed was a saw, some wood, a drill, some glue, some bolts and screws.

Reading the ingenious instructions given sometimes make me laugh out loud, thinking of how it would work in real life. The illustrations are really amusing, and I do enjoy all the hints on starting a clowning business. Lots of detailed information.

Also, the book is packed with numerous jokes and material that can be used for shows. The next stage for me will be learning how to twist balloons into different animal shapes.

I was actually looking for a book on how to put on clowns' make-up for my unicycling. This book is all you need to know about various types of make-up for various clown types, plus so much more. If you're thinking about clowning, either for fun or for money, I highly recommend this book!

Review: Creative Clowning for the Beginner!,
I thought this book was informative, extremely informative for new clowns. You get a history of clowning, pictures of famous clowns, and jokes on most of the pages to use when performing. There is a chapter on how to develop your own clown character which also explains the different types of clowns (Whiteface, Auguste, Tramp and Character), their makeup and their character. Mimes are not excluded either! Topics covered are: clown outfits, props, routines, expression, timing, and working with partners. There are even chapters on balloon art, puppets, juggling, stilt walking, unicycling, and balancing objects. I found the last few chapters very helpful. They gave tips on designing your own business cards so people won't throw them away and how to get bookings and also how much to charge. There is a great Publications and Organization section full of books and suppliers. I would certainly recommend this book to any one who is interested in clowning around! This book has it all!

Review: Creative Clowning
Being a clown of 15 years, I find this book the bible of clowning. This book clearly covers all aspects of clowning. It is a book that you will continually use over the years. Each time I read it, it gets creativity flowing.

Review: THE best, most all encompassing clown book available!,
If you are a clown, or even thinking of being a clown, THIS is the one book you should start your library with! It is, hands down, the best book currently available on these subjects...and there is a lot more to "clowning" than meets the eye! GET IT!!

Review: The! clowning book, excellent for professionals & amateurs
If you have only one resource on clowning, make it this one. That's no exaggeration. It's a resource with numerous contributors, including sections on the history of clowning, creating a unique clown character, the mind of the clown, make-up, costuming, talents (juggling, balloon twisting, magic, balancing, stilts, etc.), marketing and being booked. If it's not on your shelf, go buy it. (No, I don't work for the publisher & am not related to anyone involved in the book -- I simply think it's that good.

Review: THE! one book on clowning! Highly recommended!
An excellent introduction to clowning. Topics covered include everything from the history of the clown, make-up & costuming basics, the clown's mindset, juggling, balloons, puppetry, creating an act, booking, etc. Excellent, with many, many color photos of dozens (if not over a hundred) different clowns, etc. Recommended highly.

Clown Magic (Paperback)

Review: A very good book for school performers

David Ginn is one of the premier school performers in the United States. He teaches and lectures about magic and school show creation all over the United States. This book tells, in a simple, easy-to-read style, how to do a number of easy magical tricks that don't require a lot of skill or manipulation to perform. But it is not enough to be able to do the tricks. One must also be entertaining while doing them. This book helps performers to be entertaining and funny while performing magic. And that is a pretty amazing stunt all by itself!

Review: The Best
This is a very good book. It teaches you a lot on clowning not just funny magic tricks but also how to behave as a clown. This book was very helpful to me and I'm shure it will be helpful to you to. If you are thinking of buying a clowning book, this one should be at the top of your list.

Review: A "must have" resource for all skill levels of clowning
David Ginn's CLOWN MAGIC is well written and beautifully illustrated, giving the reader a wealth of information. He covers a wide variety of "magic" skills from the presentation to the actual production of the illusion. This is a must for those in the clowning/magic entertainment field.

Review: Magic for clowns
Incredibly highly recommended! Although a comedy magician (not a clown - there is a difference!), David Ginn clearly understands the difference, and has adapted many of his magic skits to a clown's world. Among his other credentials, he's taught at the UW-La Crosse Clown Camp.




Fun Clown Facts
from Wikipedia
Text is used under the GNU Free Documentation License.



Clowns can be seen just about anywhere, doing just about anything. What ties all clowns together is a keen sense of the absurd, and a willingness to perform.A clown today is one of various types of comedic performers, on stage, television, in the circus, rodeo, children's & birthday party entertainers and buskers. Though not every clown is readily identifiable by appearance alone, clowns frequently appear in makeup and costume, as well as typically unusually large footwear, oversized or otherwise outlandish clothing, big or otherwise unusual nose, and enacting humorous sketches, usually in the interludes between circus acts. The clown's humor today is often visual and includes many elements of physical comedy or slapstick humor but not exclusively. For instance, Wavy Gravy's comedy is often cerebral, spiritual, or even political in nature.

Contents
1 Word origin
2 History
3 Quotes
4 Clown types
4.1 Whiteface
4.1.1 Classic Appearance
4.1.2 Character
4.1.3 Examples
4.2 Auguste
4.2.1 Appearance
4.2.2 Character
4.2.3 Examples
4.3 The Contra-Auguste
4.4 "Character Clown"
4.4.1 American Character Clown Types
4.4.2 Examples
4.5 Joey, the Auguste and the Ringmaster
5 Other types
5.1 Native American Clowning
5.2 Rodeo
5.3 Commedia del Arte
5.3.1 Pierrot/Pirouette
5.3.2 Arlecchino/Harlequin
6 Styles
7 Skills
8 Customs and traditions
8.1 "The Code"
8.2 "A knock is a plug"
8.3 "Eggs"
8.4 Superstition
9 Clowning frameworks
9.1 Gags, bits and business
9.2 Menu
9.3 Interludes
9.4 Prop stunts
10 Cooperative bits and 'improv'
10.1 Pete and re-Pete
10.2 "That's good/that's bad" routine
11 Famous clowns
12 Further reading
13 References
14 External links
14.1 Clown organizations
14.2 Clown training
15 See also



Word origin
The word clown comes from words meaning "clot" or "clod" which came also to mean "clumsy fellow", according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Clown is both a noun and a verb, and can also be an adjective (clown bike, clown shoes, clown white, clown gag and so on). Clown is also used to refer to anyone who provides entertainment in a clownish manner. Among professional clowns, "clown" often refers to the character portrayed, rather than the performer. This usage is somewhat rare outside of the professional clown and/or theatrical community.

In anthropology, the word clown refers to a person who wears an outrageous costume while functioning as an entertaining social critic (see clown society).

History
Clowning is a form of entertainment which has appeared in some manner in virtually every culture. In most cultures the clown is a ritual character associated with festival or rites of passage and is often very different from the most popular western form. In Europe, up until as late as the 19th century the clown was a typical everyday character, and often appeared in carnivals. The performance is symbolic of liminality - being outside the rules of regular society the clown is able to subvert the normal order, and this basic premise is contemporarily used by many activists to point out social absurdity.

A popular early form of clown was the fool, a role that can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt and appears as the first card in the tarot deck. Most fools suffered from some physical or mental deformity, and were given to the local landlord as a charge, because their families were unable to look after them, and the surrounding communities often feared them. They were the butt of jokes, and their masters had the power to inflict violence upon them and even take their lives. However, being perceived 'idiots' they were often the only people in court who enjoyed free speech, and during the 16th century, especially in France, actors began to train as fools often in order to have the ability to make satirical comment. This is mainly where we get the contemporary idea of the court jester, immortalised and romanticised by actors such as Danny Kaye in The Court Jester. There is evidence of the 'wise fool' similar in function to the jester in many other cultures.

The clown of this era and eras previous to it were also associated with jugglers, who were seen as the pariahs of society alongside actors, prostitutes and lepers, and thus (at least in Europe) wore stripes, or motley - cloth associated with marginalised people such as the condemned, with strong associations of the devil. Jugglers often used attributes of the clown, and the later court jesters often danced, performed acrobatics and juggled.

During the 16th century the Commedia dell'arte also became a huge influence on perceptions of the clown in Europe, and influence which passed through pantomime, into vaudeville and on to the touring circuses of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Commedia took influences from the grotesque masked clowns of carnivals and mysteries, and began in market places as a way to sell vegetables. It became incredibly popular throughout Europe amongst both the general public and the courts. The stock characters of the commedia originally included the Zanni - peasant clowns, Pantalone, the old Miser, Il Dottore - The Banal Doctor, and then grew from there to incorporate the Lovers, Arlecchino, Pedrolino, and Brighella, who have survived into the twentieth century in one form or another.

Quotes
"Clowns are the pegs on which circuses hang." — P.T. Barnum
"A clown is like aspirin, only he works twice as fast." — Groucho Marx
"It is Meat and Drink for me to see a Clown." — William Shakespeare

Clown types
There are three basic traditional types of clowns, The whiteface, the auguste and the character. In addition, there is also a character-type called the contra-auguste. In circus, each of these types can wear a makeup that is either neat (slightly exaggerated) or grotesque (wildly exaggerated). There is no single absolute definition of what constitutes each clown type, with international performers encompassing an extremely wide range of styles, not to mention the classical and modern variants of each type.

Please Note: It is important to remember that a whiteface character doesn't always wear the classic whiteface makeup. Additionally, a character can wear traditional whiteface makeup and be an auguste character

Whiteface Clown Makeup
Classic Appearance
Traditionally, the whiteface clown uses "clown white" makeup to cover his or her entire face and neck with none of the underlying flesh color showing. Features are then usually painted on in either red or black. He is traditionally costumed far more extravagantly than the other two clown types, sometimes wearing the ruffled collar and pointed hat which typify the stereotypical "clown suit".

Character
The whiteface character-type is often serious, all-knowing (even if not particularly smart), bossy, and cocky. He is the ultimate authority figure. He serves the role of "straight-man" and sets up situations that can be turned funny.

Examples
Moe Howard of the Three Stooges
Oliver Hardy of Laurel & Hardy
Bud Abbott of Abbott & Costello
Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners
Dean Martin of Martin & Lewis
Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy
Dick Smothers of The Smothers Brothers
Jerry Seinfeld on Seinfeld
Ren Hoek on Ren & Stimpy
Bert of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie
Squidward on SpongeBob SquarePants
Looney Tunes' Bugs Bunny
Some circus examples include Pipo Sossman, Francios Fratellini, Felix Adler, Paul Jung, Harry Dann, Chuck Burnes, Albert White, Ernie Burch, Bobby Kaye, Jack and Jackie LeClaire, Joe and Chester Sherman, Keith Crary, Charlie Bell, Mike Snyder, Tim Tegge, Jimmy James, Kenny Dodd, Frankie Saluto, Tammy Parrish, Pennywise, and Prince Paul Albert.

Auguste

Appearance
Classically, the auguste looks like the stereotypical clown. In general he does not have a white base of makeup on his face but leaves bare skin or uses a flesh-tone base. His makeup is often very colorful and draws attention to the eyes or mouth.

Character
Accompanying a circus clown, as part of a troupe, or as one of a clown duo, there is often another clown character known as an auguste. 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 the task given 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 is screwing up less deliberately.

Examples
Some non-circus examples of an Auguste:

Curly Howard of the Three Stooges
Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers
Stan Laurel of Laurel & Hardy
Lou Costello of Abbott & Costello
Ed Norton on the Honeymooners
Jerry Lewis of Martin & Lewis
Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy
Tommy Smothers of the Smothers Brothers
Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld
Stimpy on Ren & Stimpy
Ernie of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie
SpongeBob on SpongeBob SquarePants
Looney Tunes' Daffy Duck
Woody Allen
Some circus examples include Albert Fratellini, Lou Jacobs, Jeff Gordon, Chocolat (from the duo Footit & Chocolat), Bario (from Dario & Bario, Greg and Karen DeSanto, Tom Parrish, Billy Vaughn, Chesty Mortimer, Gijon Polidor, Nicolai and Michael "Coco" Polikov, Charlie Rivel, Alfredo Rastelli, Chuck Sidlow, Toto Johnson and Mitch Freddes.

The Contra-Auguste
The contra-auguste plays the role of the mediator between the whiteface character and the auguste character. He has a lower status than the whiteface but a higher status than the auguste. He aspires to be more like the whiteface and often mimics everything the whiteface 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.

"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.

American Character Clown Types
The most prevalent character clown in the American circus is the tramp, hobo, or bum clown. There are subtle differences in the American character clown types. According to American circus expert Hovey Burgess, they are (in order of class):

The Tramp Migratory and finds work where he travels to.
The Hobo Migratory and does not work where he travels to.
The Bum Non-migratory and non-working.

Examples
Some non-circus examples of character clowns:

W.C. Fields
Joe Penner
Pinky Lee
Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers
Paul Reubens' Pee-Wee Herman
Ed Wynn
Bob Einstein's Super Dave Osbourne
Jim Varney's Ernest P. Worell
Sherman Hemsley's George Jefferson
Don Novello's Fr. Guido Sarducci
Ed O'Neill's Al Bundy
Lily Tomlin's Ernestine the Telephone Operator
Andrew Silverstein's Andrew Dice Clay
George Costanza on Seinfeld
Patrick Starfish on SpongeBob SquarePants
Bill Irwin's Mr. Noodle on Elmo's World
Some circus examples include Barry Lubin, Tom Dougherty, Bill Irwin, David Shiner, Geoff Hoyle, John Gilkey, 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, Kenny Raskin, Oleg Popov, Rik Gern and Bello Nock.

Joey, the Auguste and the Ringmaster
In clown duos, Clowns often rely on the Joey & Auguste framework, or Manipulator/Victim. The Joey & Auguste Framework is often used widely in such comic works as Looney Toons. Simply put, the two clowns, who for whatever reason are competing for survival, desperately rely on each other; without each other, they live a meaningless, and perhaps even more perilous adventure. For example, when Sylvester finally catches Tweety Bird (or thinks he does) he becomes so ridden with guilt that he nearly commits suicide.

The Ringmaster relationship is the addition of an ur-manipulator, or ur-victim to this chemistry. This often takes the form of a mutual enemy or nemesis. An example of this situation might be as follows:

A husband comes home late, he's drunk, and has a collar covered in lipstick. His wife wants to know where he's been, and a manipulator-victim relationship occurs. Suddenly their child enters the scene, and the dynamic changes in an attempt to avoid traumatizing him/her. The child wants to know why there's a strange man in their bedroom, and the manipulator-victim dymnamic shifts during the next argument. Then it turns out that the child has constructed this elaborate ruse in order to steal cookies and watch late-night TV without notice, giving him ur-manipulator status.

This is an example of a ringmaster situation. Clowns in the ringmaster position are often character clowns, where Joey and Auguste duos are typically made up of a Whiteface Clown and an Auguste.

Other types

Native American Clowning
Many Native Tribes have a rich history of Clowning. The Canadian clowning method developed by Richard Pochinko 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 which explores his or her personal Experiences and Innocenses.

Rodeo
The rodeo clown has one of the most dangerous jobs in all of show business. A rodeo clown is a courageous and hard-working cowboy, or animal wrangler, dressed in wild costumes — almost always oversized and consisting of loose fitting layers of clothing to protect them from, and to distract, rodeo bulls, broncos, etc. The looseness of the layers allows a rodeo clown to shed portions of their attire in the event of its being snagged -- as on an enraged bull's horn. This professional — whose highly dangerous job is to protect other performers from bucking horses and charging bulls while at the same time entertaining the audience with the antics of a clown — might tell you: "Druther lose a shirt than lose my life".

Commedia del Arte
There are two distinct types of clown characters, which originated in Commedia del Arte but which still hold some favor today, Pierrot and Arlecchino.

Pierrot/Pirouette
The Pierrot, or "French clown", derived from the commedia dell'arte character Pedrolino - the youngest actor of the troupe, deadpan and downtrodden. Although Pedrolino appeared without mask, Pierrot usually appears in whiteface, typically with very little other color on the face. Like Arlechinno, Pedrolino's character changed enormously with the rising popularity of pantomime in the late 19th century, becoming Pierrot. This clown character prefers black and white or other a simple primary color in his or her costume. (le Pierrot is often female, and has also been called "Pirouette" or "Pierrette". When Bernard Delfont was made a life peer, he chose "Pierrot and Pierrette" as the heraldic supporters of his coat of arms.).

The tragic Robert Hunter song "Reuben and Cerise" mentions Pirouette twice, in symbolic colors:
...Cerise was dressing as Pirouette in white
when a fatal vision gripped her tight
Cerise beware tonight...
Cerise is Reuben's "true love", but Ruby Claire was a temptress:
...Sweet Ruby Claire at Reuben stared
At Reuben stared
She was dressed as Pirouette in red
and her hair hung gently down...
Both women have names which translate as "red", but reuben's true love is dressed in pure white, the other, to whom he played his fateful song, is the "lady in red" this symbolism might imply that Reuben was Pierrot's companion, Arlecchino:

Arlecchino/Harlequin
Harlequin, or Arlecchino, a character originally from Commedia dell'Arte, is a "motley" clown — in "commedia", Arlecchino always carries a cane to "whack" the other performers, however this is normally taken off him by the other performers and used against him. This is believed to be the origin of "slapstick" a form of physical comedy. A slapstick (battacio in Italian) is a prop with two flat flexible wooden pieces mounted in parallel, the two sticks slap together when the implement is struck, causing a slapping sound, exaggerating the effect of a comedic blow. Despite the slapstick, Arlecchino is not malicious, but mischievous, the slapstick being a classic example of carnivalesque phallic imagery (see also the commedia masks' noses). Like a cross between the characters of Puck and Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Arlecchino is spritely and adept at the same time as being clumsy and dim, and is normally the 'messenger' character in a comedy — the catalyst for mayhem. Arlechinno has a female counterpart, Arlechinna, or Rossetta, however more often he is in love with the character of Columbina, a straightforward and intelligent maid, who is usually given the prologue and epilogue. Arlechinno has other derivatives with slightly different features: Traccagnino, Bagattino, Tabarrino, Tortellino, Naccherino, Gradelino, Mezzettino, Polpettino, Nespolino, Bertoldino, Fagiuolino, Trappolino, Zaccagnino, Trivellino, Passerino, Bagolino, Temellino, Fagottino, Fritellino, Tabacchino, whose names could all be considered funny-sounding names, even to an Italian. Arlechinno's name is probably from "hellech" "inno" - little devil, "inno" is little, so "Trufflino" is little Truffler, Trivellino is (Arlechinno's) "little Brother". The Harlequin often loses much of Arlechinno's character during pantomime, as he becomes more of a ballet character, stripped of dialogue and subversive content to a wide extent.

Styles
In Europe there is a tradition of "entree clowning" where the troupe of clowns usually comprising of "whiteface", "auguste" and a "character" perform a set routine; "The Busy Bee" (in German, "Bienchen Bienchen Gib Mir Honig"), "The Bon Bon", or "the Ghost" are just a few regularly performed in European Circus. Water entrees and Paste (soap) entrees are also staple diets for these audiences. Up until the eighties reprise clowns in Europe were very traditional, but lately they are showing more versatility with a range of different styles and presentations involving audience participation and more inventive "gags" rather than relying on the old faithfuls. The main difference with the U.S. is that usually European shows have one ring and the clown has the complete attention of the audience; in the States, where multiple rings are the norm, there are more clowns, each working a different section of the public.

The European Rastelli family of clowns featuring all of the traditional clown types: character, classic whiteface and the novelty of "twin" augustes.There was for many years a tradition of families of clowns all working together (such as the Rastellis, the Francescos, The Alexis, and many more), but with the economics changing, it is no longer viable for many shows to afford a large family unit. These are slowly disappearing.

Circuses have recently been faced with stiff pressure from animal rights groups for alleged abuse and mistreatment of animals, as well as the competitive pressure from popular new live action versions of children's television programs. In response, American circuses at least, have begun to lean towards shows based specifically around the clown as a marketable character and personality. This has promoted a new class of "Celebrity Clowns" like The Big Apple Circus' Barry Lubin (Grandma), Bello Knock or David Larible, headlining recent Ringling Brothers tours, and garnering significantly larger shares of the a shows's operating budget than their fellow performers. This return to clown as central theme in circus is mirrored in the likes of Cirque du Soleil, which commonly uses clowns as a central thread to link their acts and give their shows structure. The myriad smaller independent and underground circuses around the world have always relied upon the clown as the primary staple in their retinue. [1]

Skills
It has been said "clowns can do anything", mostly because clowns have such wildly varying performances. "Everyone knows" a clown can do magic, juggle, balance things on his nose and do backflips, but clowns might be called on to do just about anything.

In the circus, a clown might be convinced to perform another circus role:

Walk a tightrope, a highwire, a slack rope, or a piece of rope on the ground, though in the last case, the predictably unpredictable clown might be just as likely to wrestle around on the ground with it, as if it were a boa constrictor.
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.

Customs and traditions
As with any ancient artform, fools, clowns and other related artists have developed customs, traditions and even superstitions regarding their chosen avocation. Many of these customs are widely held, and considered fundamental to the Art of Clowning.

"The Code"

Longtime stars of the Cirque Medrano, the legendary clown trio of Albert (auguste), Francois (whiteface), and Paul (character playing "contre-auguste") Fratellini.As with any ancient artform clowns and other related artists have developed many widely held customs and traditions regarding their chosen avocation. The most fundamental of these holds that each individual clown has the informal, exclusive right to their costume, makeup and other unique performance attributes that contribute to their particular character and that must not be infringed by other clowns. Despite no enforcement through intellectual property or similar laws, this code of non-infringement is nonetheless respected by professionals. This practice is of such great importance that it is often referred to by clowns as simply "The Code."

"A knock is a plug"
Professional clowns typically do not make disparaging remarks about other clowns, not only because this is considered petty, but because of the tradition that "a knock is a plug", in other words, to mention a poor performer by name is to provide that performer with undue advertisement.

"Eggs"
In Britain, as recognition of The Code, each clown has their own clown face painted onto an eggshell and no two eggs can be alike.

Superstition
It is common for clowns to avoid the use of blue face paint, as this is considered bad luck.

Clowns do not wish each other good luck, an old show business custom, however, among clowns the expression "knock 'em dead", or "Bump A Nose" seems more prevalent than the customary expression, "break a leg." Wishing a fellow performer "good luck" is considered a jinx. it has been suggested that this stems from the Bouffon Tradition.

Clowns are also notoriously lucky, to the degree that many superstitions are inverted with a clown, and curses placed against a clown will inevitably benefit the clown and curse the curser. Clowns often hold the only position in society where they can get away with outright blasphemy against the clergy and government.

Clowning frameworks
Frameworks are the general outline of an act that clowns use to help them build out an act. 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 Entrées, Side dishes, Clown Stops, Track Gags, Gags and bits.

Gags, bits and business
"Business" is the individual motions the clown uses, often used to express the clown's character. A "gag" is a very short piece of clown comedy which when repeated within a bit or routine may become a "running gag". Gags may be loosely defined as "the jokes clowns play on each other" Bits are the clown's sketches or routines made up of one or more gags either worked out and timed before going on stage or impromptu bits composed of familiar improvisational material. A gag may have a beginning, a middle and an end to them, or they may not. Gags can also refer to the prop stunts/tricks or the stunts that clowns use, such as a squirting flower.

Menu
Entrées are feature clowning acts lasting 4-8 minutes. They are typically made up of various gags and bits, and usually use a clowning framework. Entrées almost always end with a blow-off. (The blow-off is the comedic ending of a show segment, bit, gag, stunt or routine.)

Side dishes are shorter feature acts. Side dishes are essentially shorter versions of the Entrée, typically lasting 1 - 3 minutes. Side dishes are typically made up of various gags and bits, and usually use a clowning framework. Side dishes almost always end with a blow-off.

Interludes
Clown Stops or interludes are the brief appearance of clowns while the props and rigging are changed. These are typically made up of a few gags or several bits. Clown Stops almost always end with a blow-off. Clown stops will always have a beginning, a middle and an end to them.

Prop stunts
Among the more well-known clown stunts are: squirting flower; the "too-many-clowns-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 to be individual bits.

Cooperative bits and 'improv'

A clown duo might employ a number of cooperative "bits" to help them create an improvisational performance. Using this technique allows both clowns to participate in what looks like a well-rehearsed sketch, but might well be a mere placeholder/spacefiller for a missing act, or used to cover "prop failure" etc. Particularly in a Circus or Variety show, clowns are often relied on to perform "at the drop of a hat" and a well-prepared clown will not only have a large repertoire of bits, but will remain alert when off-stage. In accordance with the well-known "show biz" tradition that "The Show Must Go On", the best clowns will always be ready to save the day, even in the midst of a tragedy — such as an injured performer.

Pete and re-Pete
In "Pete and re-Pete", the first clown narrates the gag, the second "repeats" the main elements of the first clown's exposition:

"I see you bought yourself a new hat"
— "Yeah, a New Hat (big happy smile of contentment with his battered stovepipe hat)
"Get it uptown?"
— "Yup, Got it Up Town, oh Yeah, you're not gonna get a Fine New Hat like this one down town" (taking the hat off again for another satisfied look at the hat, and rocking up on to the balls of his feet and back on his heels, proudly).
"You can say that again"
— "OK: Got it Up Town, yeah, not gonna get one of these downtown" (another proud look at the hat, picking an imagined piece of lint from the torn brim of the bedraggled Fine New Hat), yep, nothing like an Up Town Hat."
"Uhuh ... they pay you much?"
The first clown narrates the gag, the second repeats main elements of this exposition, and finally delivers the punch line.

"That's good/that's bad" routine
In the routine called "that's good/that's bad", the first clown narrates the gag, the second responds alternately with "that's good / that's bad":

"I found a dog."
"That's good" (noncommittally).
"It wasn't a hot dog though" (showing the dog).
"That's too bad" (looking at the dog, wistfully).
"He's really friendly ..."
"Oh, that's good" (agreeably).
"... with people's legs."
"Well that’s bad" (appalled).
"He doesn't eat much."
"That's good" (nodding agreeably).
"He sure poops a lot though."
"That's bad" (that stinks expression).
"He's housebroken."
"That’s good" (of course it is).
"No that's bad: he did some jail time for the last housebreak."
"Okay, then that's bad" (willing to be corrected).
"No that's good: it was his second offense. He's gone straight now."
"That's ... uhhh ... good?" (confused now).
"No that's bad, he's gone straight for your pastrami sandwich!"
This bit is also seen with other "good/bad" interjections: perhaps "that's fortunate/unfortunate" or even (with a pair of two "Surfer Dude" clowns) as "Dude that rocks!/Man, that bites".

Note that a clown would likely choose the word pastrami rather than corned beef, because pastrami is a funny word and corned beef is not. So clowns prefer:

monkey wrenches to "spanners"
doohickeys to "gadgets"
kitchen gadgets to "small appliance"
monikers to "nicknames"
and a clown would much prefer to be

fidgety than "restless".
Each clown has his own gags or bits, these techniques are used to share gags with other clowns that are unfamiliar with the material, by using "Yes, and..." techniques ("Yes and" has become a technique commonly taught in "improv" classes) such as "Pete and re-Pete", and "That's good/that's bad", the clowns avoid conflicting gags, supporting each other in whatever they may say, and keeping the performance flowing.

It is considered bad improvisational form to "deny the proposition" as in:

"Hi Dewey, looks like you got yourself a new pair of shoes"
"No, Tiny, these are my regular shoes."
Contradiction tends to stop the show, "killing" the "comedic momentum" crucial to keeping the attention of the audience.

The "Pete and re-Pete" act has also been used in the Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror III"

Famous clowns
See main article under Famous clowns.
Many clowns found fame beyond the circus walls, including Emmett Kelly, Coco the Clown and George Carl, an American clown who found great success in Europe. He gave a "Royal Command Performance" for the Queen at the Paladium in London and also received the coveted "Golden Clown" award from Princess Grace, (Grace Kelly) at the Circus Festival of Monte Carlo.

Further reading
Poor Clown by Charlie Rivel
Behind My Greasepaint by Coco
Bert Williams - A Biography of the Pioneer Black Comedian by Eric Ledell Smith
The Book Of Clown by George Speaight
Bring On The Clowns by Beryl Hugil
Clown, My Life In Tatters and Smiles by Emmett Kelly and F. Beverly Kelly
The Clown In Times (Volumes 1-6) by Bruce Johnson
Clowns by Douglas Newton
Clowns by John Towsen
Clowns Of The Hope - Tradition Keepers and Delight Makers by Barton Wright
Felix Adler by Anne Aull Bowber
The Fool and His Scepter by William Willeford
Fools and Jesters At The English Court by John Southworth
Greasepaint Matadors - The Unsung Heroes of Rodeo by Jeanne Joy Hatnagle-Taylor
Grimaldi - King of Clowns by Richard Findlater
Grock - King of Clowns by Grock
Here Come The Clowns by Lowell Swortzell
Jest In Time: A Clown Chronology by Bruce Johnson
Life's A Lark by Grock
A Ring, A Horse And A Clown by John H. McConnell
Russian Clown by Oleg Popov
The Tramp Tradition by Bruce Johnson
Hammond, J.
Woven Gods: Female Clowns and Power in Rotuma (book review)[2]
Handelman, D., Models and Mirrors: Towards an Anthropology of Public Events [3]
Little, K., Clown Performance in the European One-Ring Circus. Culture, 1981. 2(1):61-72.[4]
Rudlin, J., Commedia Dell'Arte; An Actors Handbook[1]
Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of the American horror-core group Insane Clown Posse (ICP).

References
^ "The Power Clown", Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2005
^ Woven Gods: Female Clowns and Power in Rotuma. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ MODELS AND MIRRORS Towards an Anthropology of Public Events. Retrieved on 2007-05-20.
^ Public anthropology, "Culture 1981". Retrieved on 2007-05-20.

External links
Physical Theatre Live Journal
A community containing information of Physical Theatre [and everything similar and connecting to it], Physical Theatre performers, companies, books, schools, reviews, tour information, discussions, [you don't have to have a Live Journal to read or comment].

Clown organizations
Clowns of America International
World Clown Association
Annual Clowns Directory

Clown training
Clown Resource Directory
List of Clown Educational Events
Clown Conservatory at the San Francisco Center for Circus Arts