Theater and popular entertainment scholars interview clowns at the Family Pickle Circus and other clowns who have developed the same new kind of circus comedy over the last quarter of the 20th century. c. Book News Inc.

The Cambridge Companion to the Circus provides a complete guide for students, scholars, teachers, researchers, and practitioners who are seeking perspectives on the foundations and evolution of the modern circus, the contemporary extent of circus studies, and the specialised literature available to support further enquiries. The volume brings together an international group of established and emerging scholars working across the multi-disciplinary domain of circus studies to present a clear overview of the specialised histories, aesthetics and distinctive performances of the modern circus. In sixteen commissioned essays, it covers the origins in commercial equestrian performance during the late-eighteenth century to contemporary inflections of circus arts in major international festivals, educational environments, and social justice settings.

Send in the Clowns presents interviews with twenty-four pioneering humanitarian and activist clowns and thought leaders working in hospitals, refugee camps, orphanages and war zones, and at the sites of street protests and locations of social unrest across the world. This book is built around interviews with some of the world’s leading practitioners of clowning for change, justice, and health outside of the entertainment mainstream, featuring artists and organizations including Patch Adams (US), the Dream Doctors Project (Israel), Clown Me In (Lebanon), and Doutores da Alegria (Brazil). Situating the topic in relation to indigenous and ritual clowning, investigating the various functions of the clown in early societies, and centering the discourse around interviews with key practitioners, the book explores a wide range of clown applications across the globe. This includes the special significance of the clown archetype in socially, politically, and culturally challenging situations, the successes and challenges of the art activists who are at the forefront of this movement, and the modern humanitarian clown’s relationship to original forms of clowning that can be traced back through history. This is a vital resource for anyone studying, teaching, or practicing clown work in applied contexts, from health care to conflict resolution.

This book tells the story of ground-breaking movement theater performers of the late twentieth century. It explores how the virtuoso stage clowns and mimes drew on all the performing arts to create and star in shows in order to reveal our deepest thoughts and feelings. They ignored taboos and busted boundaries to redefine the relationship between performer and audience, making a theater of kindness—a theater of joy. Complete with over two hundred photos, the book tells how these performers came together at the International Movement Theatre Festivals and reached American audiences with their work. It also details the author’s story, his devotion to, and love of, the art and the artists, and his sometimes-harrowing journey into non-profit management. It offers a peek behind the curtain to describe the process of engaging artists, audiences, funders, and the international press in this mission.

Clowns: In Conversation with Modern Masters is a groundbreaking collection of conversations with 20 of the greatest clowns on earth. In discussion with clown aficionados Ezra LeBank and David Bridel, these legends of comedy reveal the origins, inspirations, techniques, and philosophies that underpin their remarkable odysseys. Featuring incomparable artists, including Slava Polunin, Bill Irwin, David Shiner, Oleg Popov, Dimitri, Nola Rae, and many more, Clowns is a unique and definitive study on the art of clowning. In Clowns, these 20 master artists speak candidly about their first encounters with clowning and circus, the crucial decisions that carved out the foundations of their style, and the role of teachers and mentors who shaped their development. Follow the twists and turns that changed the direction of their art and careers, explore the role of failure and originality in their lives and performances, and examine the development and evolution of the signature routines that became each clown’s trademark. The discussions culminate in meditations on the role of clowning in the modern world, as these great practitioners share their perspectives on the mysterious, elusive art of the clown.

Clowns: In Conversation is a groundbreaking collection of interviews expanded in this second edition to include over 30 of the greatest clowns on earth. In discussion with clown aficionados Ezra LeBank and David Bridel, these legends of comedy reveal the origins, inspirations, techniques, and philosophies that underpin their remarkable odysseys. These artists speak candidly about their first encounters with clowning and circus, the crucial decisions that carved out the foundations of their style, and the role of teachers and mentors who shaped their development. Follow the twists and turns that changed the direction of their art and careers, as they explore the role of failure and originality in their lives and performances, and examine the development and evolution of the signature routines that became each clown’s trademark. This new edition has been fully updated and expanded, bringing in Lila Monti, Cristina Marti, Leo Bassi, Danise Payne, Bernice Collins, Ketch, Robert Dunn, Nina Conti, Hélène Gustin and Tanja Simma, Michelle Matlock, Shannan Calcutt, and Gardi Hutter. Clowns is a unique and definitive study on the art of the clown, exploring their role in the modern world – a fascinating series of discussions for students, scholars, and teachers of clowning.