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Chapter 9 - Circus Clowns

from Part II - Circus Acts and Aesthetics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2021

By
Louise Peacock
Edited by
Gillian Arrighi  and
Jim Davis
Gillian Arrighi
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle, New South Wales
Jim Davis
Affiliation:
University of Warwick
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Summary

This chapter takes an historical and cross-cultural approach to the development of the clown in circus in Europe and the USA. It explores the points of connection and difference in the way clowning developed as the scale of circus expanded and contracted in these regions. For example, the creation of the three-ring circus in the USA placed particular performance demands on the clowns in terms of both run-ins and entrées which were quite different to the challenges faced by clowns in Europe and the United Kingdom. These demands influenced the costume and make-up of the clowns as well as the performance strategies used. The development of new circus/nouveau cirque from the 1970s onwards created new opportunities for clowns in terms of scale and style of performance, which are also examined here.

Keywords

double actclowncircusaugustewhitefacetrampfemale clowns
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to the Circus , pp. 141 - 154
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

Further Reading

Adams, Katherine H., and Keene, Michael L.. Women of the American Circus, 1880–1940. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2012.Google Scholar
Carlyon, David. The Education of a Clown: Mentors, Audiences, Mistakes. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.Google Scholar
Davison, Jon. Clown: Readings in Theatre Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jamieson, David. Clowns of the Twentieth Century: Photographs of 100 Years of Circus Clowns. Buntingford, UK: Aardvark Press, 2001.Google Scholar
LeBank, Ezra, and Bridel, David. Clowns: In Conversation with Modern Masters. London: Routledge, 2015.Google Scholar
Peacock, Louise. ‘Grock: Genius among Clowns.’ In Popular Performance, edited by Ainsworth, A., Double, O., and Peacock, L., 119–35. London: Bloomsbury, 2017.Google Scholar
Peacock, Louise Serious Play: Modern Clown Performance. Bristol: Intellect, 2009.Google Scholar
Remy, Tristan. Clown Scenes. Chicago: Ivan R Dee, 1962.Google Scholar
Schechter, Joel. The Pickle Clowns: New American Circus Comedy. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2001.Google Scholar
Speaight, George. The Book of Clowns. New York: Macmillan, 1980.Google Scholar
Towsen, John. Clowns. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1976.Google Scholar

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  • Circus Clowns
  • Edited by Gillian Arrighi, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Jim Davis, University of Warwick
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to the Circus
  • Online publication: 22 June 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108750127.010
Available formats
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  • Circus Clowns
  • Edited by Gillian Arrighi, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Jim Davis, University of Warwick
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to the Circus
  • Online publication: 22 June 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108750127.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Circus Clowns
  • Edited by Gillian Arrighi, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Jim Davis, University of Warwick
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to the Circus
  • Online publication: 22 June 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108750127.010
Available formats
×