Clowning Around

Study Notes

A Brief History of Clowns

The most ancient clowns have been found in the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt, around 2400 BC.
Clowning is often considered an important part of training as a physical performance discipline.
In anthropology, the term clown has been extended to comparable jester or fool characters in non-Western cultures.
Heyoka is an individual in Lakota and Dakota culture cultures who lives outside the constraints of normal cultural roles, playing the role of a backwards clown by doing everything in reverse.
The Canadian clowning method developed by Richard Pochinko and furthered by his former apprentice, Sue Morrison, combines European and Native American clowning techniques.
The first mainstream clown role was portrayed by Joseph Grimaldi, who also created the traditional whiteface make-up design.
The comedy that clowns perform is usually in the role of a fool whose everyday actions and tasks become extraordinary.
The clown character developed out of the zanni rustic fool characters of the early modern commedia dell'arte, which were themselves directly based on the rustic fool characters of ancient Greek and Roman theatre.
The circus clown developed in the 19th century.
The strong association of the (Bozo-derived) clown character with children's entertainment as it has developed since the 1960s also gave rise to Clown Care or hospital clowning in children's hospitals by the mid-1980s.
There are different types of clowns portrayed around the world, including circus, Pierrot and Harlequin, white and Auguste, and scary and evil.
The character clown adopts an eccentric character of some type, such as a butcher, a baker, a policeman, a housewife, or hobo.Overview of Clowning
Famous character clowns include Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Rowan Atkinson, and Sacha Baron Cohen.
Character clown makeup typically starts with a flesh tone base and may use accessories like glasses, mustaches, warts, big ears, and strange haircuts.
The most prevalent character clown in the American circus is the hobo, tramp, or bum clown, with subtle differences in attitude.
The World Clown Association and Clowns of America International are organizations for clowns, jugglers, magicians, and face painters.
Clowns International is a British clowning organization responsible for the Clown Egg Register.
Clowns may perform other circus roles or skills like tightrope, juggling, unicycling, and Master of Ceremonies, or sit in with the orchestra.
Frameworks are the general outline of an act that clowns use to build out an act, and shows are the overall production that a clown is a part of.
Clown stops or interludes are brief appearances of clowns in a circus while the props and rigging are changed and typically involve a few gags or several bits.
Among the more well-known clown stunts are the squirting flower, the too-many-clowns-coming-out-of-a-tiny-car stunt, and prop stunts.
The clowning is a thread that links the whole show together in many modern circus shows.
The clowning industry is a serious business and clowns may be required to attend formal training and workshops.
Clowning can be therapeutic and is used in hospitals to help patients cope with their illnesses.

Description

Are you curious about the history and different types of clowns? Test your knowledge with our quiz on clowning! From ancient Egyptian clowns to the modern-day circus performers, this quiz covers it all. Learn about the different types of clowns, famous clown characters, their makeup, and even the therapeutic benefits of clowning. Impress your friends with your newfound knowledge of this beloved art form. Take the quiz now!