Gardi Hutter is one of the most well-known female clowns in the world. Based in Switzerland, she has been performing her shows since 1981 on stages across the world. At Carnevale, people dress as her- and her washerwoman character has cleaned the floors of the Swiss Parliament. She’s won at least five international prizes for her work, and has written […]
Read moreBarnaby King is a performer, director and teacher based in Leeds, England, and is the Artistic Director of Yellow Belly Theatre, which produces diverse theatre projects in the UK and internationally. In 1996 he completed a Masters in Theatre Studies at Leeds University and went on to be Associate Director with the Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah for five years, […]
Read moreCircus Bambouk is the brainchild of accomplished physical comedians Matthew Duncan and Brian Foley. Armed with the conviction that “two bald heads are funnier than one,” they have gathered their wits, instruments, and various toys and created a show that features music, juggling tricks, stunts, and classic jokes and clown routines. Based on the aesthetic of an old European circus, […]
Read morePeter Daniel Straus is an entertainer with multiple identities- clown, sketch comedian, writer, director, published author, illustrator, and probably a few other ones that I am leaving out. He has performed with a number of illustrious institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Dance Theater Workshop, the National Theatre of Norway, and on Late Night […]
Read more500 Clown is a physical theatre company based in Chicago. They have been creating work together since 2000. Their mission as a company is to create shows that use circus arts, improvisation, and action to create charged environments that allow the performers to take emotional and physical risks, and lets the audience become an active observer. Their signature piece is […]
Read morePeter Geist bills himself as a 12-year-old trapped in the body of a 36-year-old man. He has been performing his one-man show for 17 years and has been featured at the International Children’s Festival in Virginia, the National Theatre’s Family Series in Washington, DC, and the Goodwill Games in New York, among other venues throughout the United States, Canada and […]
Read moreToday (July 5) is P.T. Barnum’s birthday. He was born in the humble town of Bethel CT on July 5, 1810. Barnum always used to say that he was a Yankee Doodle Dandy (plus one!) Barnum revolutionized American entertainment by giving people what they didn’t know that they wanted– a sense of excitement and grandeur, at a relatively inexpensive price. […]
Read moreCurrently in their third decade as professional circus clowns, Greg and Karen DeSanto are one of the few husband and wife comedy/clown teams working in America today. Karen graduated from the Ringling Clown College in 1993 and then was featured in Ringling’s Blue Unit. A member of the Clown Care (SM) hospital clowning program of the Big Apple Circus, Karen […]
Read moreMark Jaster is a clown and mime based in the Washington, D.C. area. The Washington Post has called Mark Jaster a “clown extraordinaire and one of the most graceful performers you will ever see on a stage.” Mark’s skills in mime were developed in training with 20th-century masters Marcel Marceau and his teacher, E. Decroux, along with careful observation of […]
Read moreJohn Hadfield is an actor, clown, and musician based in Wilmington Delaware. John attended the University of Delaware, getting a degree in Russian language, and while there discovered the art of clowning and circus skills. After college John enlisted in the army, and during basic training was procured by the White House Communications Agency, and worked with President Carter in […]
Read moreLawrence Smythe is a Canadian clown that has performed and traveled all over the world. He is a rubber faced prankster with a number of different characters and entrees that he can perform. From mewling baby to over-strict Canadian Mounty to obtuse caveman, Lawrence approaches all of his characters with an earnestness that wins audiences over. Lawrence likes to think […]
Read moreI read an article about Malcolm Garey, the Frog Jumper, and thought that I had to make a post about him (being a flea circus guy myself, I feel a strange kin to others who take on the strange and mysterious arts. Malcolm Garey is a 63 year old showman who started his frog-jumping business in 1982. He is based […]
Read moreRich Potter is a Maryland native who has been performing for over 20 years, and has performed in over 20 countries. In 1986 Rich graduated from Ringling Clown College and spent 3 years on the road with the Ringling circus, including a stint working in Japan with the Ringling Gold Unit. After that time, he spent time street performing all […]
Read moreSemen Schuster (whose clown character is Housch-Ma-Housch) is an eccentric clown who has been wowing audiences since graduating from the Circus School of Kiev. A winner of a number of prizes (including the Grockland “Golden Grock”) at the 26th Festival Mondial de Cirque de Demain and the Silver Lion at the China Wuqiao International Circus Festival, Housch combines juggling, magic, […]
Read moreJim Jackson is an actor, clown, and puppeteer who lives in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Jim has over 25 years experience as a clown and circus performer. His first experience as an actor and clown came in the second grade when he produced the play, “Noah’s Ark” complete with a large refrigerator-box ark and spray-bottle rain. The production came to a […]
Read moreI recently received via email this article– an obit for Alfred Cunard III, a South Jersey clown. (via The Courier Post Online) I never met him. But his obit got me to thinking. Alfred Cunard III was a guy who performed for 45 years. It really was a way of life for him, and his family followed him into the […]
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