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1 results

  • Chapter 9 - Circus Clowns

  • from Part II - Circus Acts and Aesthetics
  • Edited by Gillian Arrighi, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Jim Davis, University of Warwick
  • Book:
    The Cambridge Companion to the Circus
    Published online:
    22 June 2021
    Print publication:
    01 July 2021, pp 141-154

  • 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.