Clown News November

Clowns Welcome Holiday Travelers at Metro Airport

Clowns in the News: Welcome to Detroit!

Traveling during the holidays is no laughing matter. If the crowds and lines don't drive you crazy, the security checkpoints and hidden fees will.

But there is hope. Members of the Parade Company's Distinguished Clown Corps, dressed to the nines in full costume and makeup, of course, will be on hand from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday to welcome travelers to the Detroit area. The clowns will even give beads to travelers as they arrive at Detroit Metro Airport's Delta Airlines Terminal on the busiest travel day of the year.

'Modern Family': Eric Stonestreet Reveals Cameron's Clown-filled Past

Clowns in the News: Modern Family

As the lovable Cameron on the hit ABC comedy, the 38-year-old Kansas native frequently steals scenes with his spot-on quips and pitch-perfect performance.

And viewers will soon get the opportunity to not only learn about Cameron’s past, they get to see Stonestreet in a role he knows very well: a clown.

In the episode to air Nov. 25, Phil and Claire decide to throw Luke a memorable birthday party. But when Cameron shows up as a clown named Fizbo, all doesn’t quite end well.

You’ve said before that you base Cameron off of your own mother; what’s your fondest memory of her where you think, “That’s a Cameron moment?”

There’s a single moment in the pilot episode where it was this inspiration. When I walk in and see the mural that’s panted (in Lily’s featuring Mitchell and Cameron as Michaelangelo-esque naked angels with carefully placed drapery). The script said, “Cameron gasps” but all I could hear was my mom. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my mother say, “Ohhh, my God.” I told my mom you’re gonna be happy to know that I got the part, and that I based it off you and there was that “Ohhh, my God!!” It’s not as much based on her, it's just an anchor in something that’s familiar. Lots of actors do that with characters. She was the easiest and most forward thing in my mind, her mannerisms and her body language.

Soon we get to see Cameron show his skills as a clown, which I understand taps into your background.

I wanted to be a clown as a kid. That’s very well documented, you’ll even see some old pictures of me. By 5 I was wearing clown shoes and makeup. My birthday is in September, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey always came to town. I was always fascinated by clowns. When it was explained to me that they were people in makeup, it made perfect sense to me. That’s what I wanted to do.

I think they are so good. They have the difficult job. It’s hard for me to sorta say. I like that they take Cameron and Mitchell in a way that wasn’t stereotypical. We’re a comedy, we’re making a comedy, and stereotypes are going to make their way in. But I think what is great is that Jesse (Tyler Ferguson, plays Mitchell) and I are very conscious are spinning those roles on their head. I just love the idea of creating a well-rounded, versatile character.

Cameron’s always so fashionable. His button-ups are to die for. What store would Cameron be spending all his hard on money at?

[Laughs] It’s funny. I think all his shirts would be custom made. Cameron would have his own tailor. I think his tailor would call him each week and tell him to come over. The budget of 20th Century Fox says his shirts come from Macy’s. It’s one of the biggest highlights of my day … seeing what he will wear.

There has already been an impressive stable of guest stars with Shelley Long, Edward Norton and now Minnie Driver. Who’s on your wish list?

If I could pick one person to play Cameron’s mom, my dream would be Kathy Bates. Her as my mom from the farm and being the loving supporting mom would be incredible. I have no idea if TV is on Kathy Bates’ radar. They are so good to get great people. But I hope they keep finding great unknown people. I can sympathize with them. Going out for roles and not getting them in favor of someone more famous. That was me eight months ago.

Pierrepont Teacher Is Top Clown

Clowns in the News: The old Macy's Clown balloon floats down the parade route at the Macy's 82nd Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on November 27, 2008. (UPI Photo/John Angelillo)

Raymond Roig may be a teacher at Rutherford's Pierrepont School, but in his spare time he mostly clowns around.

A physical education teacher, Roig has volunteered as a clown in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the past 10 years. He first got involved in the parade years ago after he heard about the chance from a friend who worked at Macy's. The retail giant requires that all of the parade participants—and there are over 4,000—be sponsored by an employee of the store.

He decided to give it a try. But before Roig was could be in the parade, he had to go back to school—specifically, to Clown University, a training program for participants run by the clowns of the Big Apple Circus.

"I did the training, which for me was like a physical education workshop," he said. "They really prep you for the whole mechanics and staging of what's going to happen." The professionals show the volunteers how to stay active as they move, how to do basic tricks like walking an invisible dog and how to act out certain characters like pirates, cowboys or studio artists pretending to paint people in the audience.

One of Roig's favorite routines from Clown University is called a "school of fish." Everyone will shuffle-walk in tiny steps down the street. One clown at the head of the group is the leader and whenever he changes direction, everyone else does, creating the appearance of a whole body of people changing direction in tandem.

These moves can be a real workout. Unlike many of the parade's other participants who just have to march down the street in formation, the clowns are expected to be a little more active. "For us it's not just marching, it's skipping, it's waving, running down side streets… It's a workout. It keeps you in shape."

Roig has to be careful, though. For all the people who enjoy the antics of clowns, there is also the occasional sufferer of coulrophobia—the fear of clowns. As they go racing up and down the street, sometimes running out into the crowd to shake hands and give season's greetings, every now and again they run across a scared child or an adult who's made very uneasy by their presence.

"They tell you in clown college if you get someone who's scared of you, just back away," said Roig. "You're not going to counsel them; you're not going to change them." Roig said Macy's has deliberately toned down the amount of make-up the parade participants put on, so that they're more approachable and less likely to scare little children or adults who have bad associations. Unlike some clowns who are more mime-like, the Macy's clowns are allowed to talk which goes a long way towards making people more comfortable.

"We're really more greeters," he said. "It's not the same as a performance with a troupe of clowns. It's more one-on-one."

Roig loves the tradition of the parade, which dates back to 1924. Each year he gets a thrill out of heading into the city before dark to arrive at the Hotel New Yorker by 5:30 a.m. There he and about 800 of his clown brethren arrive, get dressed and put on their make-up. Each year about 3 million people line the two-and-a-half mile-long parade route, starting on Central Park West and heading down Broadway.

"I'm always amazed at how many people come from all over the world," he said. Roig has met both participants and spectators from around the world and all over the country.

At 63, Roig is in good shape and said he has no plans to stop marching anytime soon. He said he still loves to see the wonder in people's eyes when they see the parade for the first time. He saw it firsthand when his daughter-in-law from the Czech Republic came to visit.

"She thought we were going to be in a little town parade," he said. "She was amazed."

Israeli Clown Spreading Goodwill

Clowns in the News: Itzik “the Clown” Ozery entertains residents of The Cohen Home, a Jewish-oriented assisted living residence in Johns Creek. Acting as his willing assistant is nurse Nerlie Laguerre. Hatcher Hurd

JOHNS CREEK – Itzik Ozery is known all over his native country of Israel as "Itzik the Clown."

But it's for a good reason: He is the Captain Kangaroo of Israel, hosting a daily radio program for children and appearing on Israeli television's youth channel. He also writes an advice column for children, answering the questions they send in.

Ozery has come to Atlanta under the sponsorship of the Israeli Consulate on a special mission to bring smiles and perhaps laughter to children in local hospitals. For 18 years, he has been a certified medical clown at The Schneider Children's Medical Center, the largest children's hospital in the Middle East.

At the hospital, the doctors recognize the therapeutic value of Ozery's rapport with severely ill or injured children so much he is considered part the staff. He helps children get through difficult procedures, then helps with the rehabilitation.

"For instance, Itzik uses balloons in his act a great deal. So he can get a child to blow up a balloon as part of respiratory exercises in the child's physical therapy. He can calm a child who is going through a difficult procedure," said Israeli Deputy Consul General Sharon Kabalo.

Dr. Enrique Freud, director of Schneider's Surgery Department, said Ozery's work is invaluable.

"Itzik succeeds in getting things from the children that no doctor or nurse can do," he said.

According to Freud, humor and laughter are positive influences on the recovery process of the child, helping encourage patient and his family.

"The level of anxiety and tension in the child and his family are diminished when Itzik comes into the room. Children hospitalized for prolonged periods just wait for the day that Itzik the Clown will arrive," Freud said.

Itzik the Clown is always "on alert" every day of the year. In the event of terrorist attacks or other critical contingencies, the department's head nurse has standing instructions to call him in and cheer up the children.

In Atlanta, however, he has not been so readily accepted into children's wards because of the fear of spreading H1N1 and a general lack of understanding about what Itzik the Clown does.

Meanwhile, Ozery asked if it could be arranged for him to entertain older adults. And so it came to pass that he was invited to The Cohen Home, a Jewish-oriented assisted living residence in Johns Creek.

Using magic, jokes and an endless supply of balloons, Ozery performed for about a dozen residents. While Itzik the Clown's English is not quite perfect, the language of his comedy is.

"In Israel, I volunteer two days a week at Children's Medical Center. One day I work in cancer ward, the other day I go to surgical ward," he said. "Sometimes I get call in middle of the night to come to hospital. It makes me good feeling when I can make children smile."

Connie Dodge, an activity director at The Cohen Home, said she was pleased to have Ozery entertain the residents.

"We were delighted when we got the call from the consulate asking us if he could make a stop at our facility. They just adored him. He knows how to make a connection with people, and he just makes them laugh," Dodge said. "And we all need that."

Clowns Turn A Bad Hair Day Into A Lark

Corporate elite pay $1,000 'fun fee' for privilege of goofing off on the job

Clowns in the News: Toronto Star reporter Mary Ormsby was one of the celebrity clowns in the 105th annual Santa Claus Parade in Toronto. (Nov. 15, 2009)
RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR.”

The jolly man in the red suit asked for a favour: He was short-staffed and needed an extra clown to toss candies to children in Sunday's Santa Claus Parade.

Not this reporter, who's been called a bozo enough times over the years to make clown duty a natural fit. But I had big red shoes to fill in the 105th edition of the annual parade.

What I didn't realize was that the smiling, sweetie-tossing clowns supporting Santa don't just donate their time. Each November these "celebrity clowns" – often Toronto's corporate elite, who remain anonymous behind white grease paint – keep the parade operating by paying a $1,000 fun fee, which my bosses at the Star paid, too.

This year, even in a bah-humbug economy, the clowns raised $200,000 toward the not-for-profit event's $1.3 million budget.

"It shows you that Santa is recession-proof," crowed parade co-chairman and clown-founder Ron Barbaro.

Like arriving (on time) on parade day for the 6:45 a.m. clown registration. Then slipping into a wide, multi-hued neon number that, for sure, made my butt look big. Pulling on a fire engine red wig, pretending it didn't highlight spider veins and crow's feet. Being lost under layers of thick, gooey makeup.

But with a million pieces of candy to share with excited kids along six kilometres of parade route, a clown needs a good game face. And the Star's harlequin looked the part.

A very special detour took 15 of us to Sick Kids' Hospital, with the other parade co-chairman, George Cohon of McDonald's fame, leading the visit. The H1N1 flu fright meant many children had to stay behind closed doors. But the open ones were a privilege to enter – even as delight sometimes turned to fright when the jesters got too close.

A police escort whisked us to join a clown convoy heading to the Bloor and Christie start. We'd noticed lots of people had staked out spots as early as 9 a.m. but two hours later, the numbers were swelling quickly on an unusually mild November morning. By the time the parade kicked off, with Burlington's Top Hat Marching Orchestra setting the jazzed-up Christmas tone, the crowds were thick, vocal and happy.

My job was unbelievable: Walk straight through the heart of Canada's largest city, deliver candy canes and jellies to children, chat, wave, absorb the energy of the city and delight as Barbaro and Cohon skipped along the entire route. (Barbaro, by the way, is 78, and Cohon is 72.)

And a few of the amazing people I met along the way: Toronto native Vincenza Fogel, 53, who flies in every year (10 and counting) from her San Francisco home to be a clown; Margaret Way, 63, and 20-year-old son Oliver, who have been costumed characters together for two decades; and Enid Pagnini, a lively, lovely 81-year-old who walked the whole route dressed as a lamb.

Santa had asked for a favour but instead, in his Kris Kringle-y way, he delivered a gift: Families swaddled in love and a city, united, embracing a glorious afternoon.

Celebrities Love Clowning Around

Film director among first to don a costume on parade route

...In a photograph, Norman Jewison is wearing an oversized polka-dot and striped clown costume with a large yellow collar. He has an enormous grin on his face, as does Ron Barbaro, also in polka-dot clown garb...

It's a memory the renowned film director holds close to his heart. It was also the inspiration for a celebrity clown program that now funds a large portion of the Toronto Santa Claus parade.

Entertaining large groups has never been a problem for Jewison, but typically the process for the Academy Award winner begins behind a camera and ends in a theatre. But 27 years ago, he hit the streets in a clown costume, not only to entertain but also to help sustain the beloved parade.

Every November since, being a clown in the parade has been part of his annual holiday tradition.

"The kids have such expectation and hope – they are expecting to see Santa," says Jewison. "For a 5- or 6-year-old, this is a really big moment."

When Jewison first donned a costume for the parade in 1982, he walked the 5.7-kilometre route from Christie Pits to Front St. and discovered first-hand the pure joy and excitement the parade evokes.

"It's a hoot," he says. "You sometimes see three or four generations of one family at the parade. It's really exciting. These days, I like to make a big fuss over grandmothers – and embarrassing grandfathers."

Jewison is among dozens of celebrity clowns who donate $1,000 ($1,100 for first-timers) each year to be part of the parade. And starting last year, their kids can also take part for a donation of $500.

The clown program represents the biggest fundraiser for the event and is a big reason the parade still exists. "The clowns are the foundation of the parade, representing about $200,000," says Barbaro, the parade's founding director.

The tradition goes back to 1983, the year after Eaton's announced it could no longer fund the event due to tough economic times.

Paul Godfrey, then-chairman of Metro Toronto, approached a group of local business leaders and asked them to help rescue the parade. Among them were Jewison and co-chairs Barbaro, then-chairman of the Toronto Zoo, and George Cohon, founder of McDonald's Canada.

"Everybody was in a state of shock. We said, `What would it take to pull it all together?'" recalls Jewison. "I just couldn't believe they were going to let the parade die."

The directors gathered enough money from large corporate sponsors to get the floats on the street that year.

The next year, about 60 celebrity clowns joined the parade. More than 150 are expected this year, along with 50 junior clowns.

Barbaro says their identities are usually kept secret because the parade isn't about them. "We don't say who they are because it's about Santa Claus."

All celebrity clowns receive their own custom-made costume, complete with wig, accessories and professional makeup. The clowns never know what the design will be from one year to the next.

This is the first year Jewison won't be here for the parade since the tradition began. He is attending an event in Los Angeles, but his son Kevin, a cinematographer living in Paris, will take his place.

"We have the heads of multinational corporations doing this," he says. "You should see the change in them when they arrive – they become different people."

How hard could it be to beat a bunch of clowns at Scrabble?

But hundreds of kids got that chance at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont Tuesday when they joined clowns from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey cast.

In what was dubbed as a Game-a-Thon, clowns and kids faced off in such classic board games as Scrabble, Monopoly and Parcheesi.

The event was intended as a promotion for the current Ringling Bros. Zing Zang Zoom show at the Allstate Arena.

But it was also, organizers said, a way to promote old-fashioned games to a new generation of kids probably more accustomed to computer games than board games.

Some of the participants received free tickets to the circus, which runs through Sunday at the Allstate Arena before moving to the United Center in Chicago for a Nov. 17-29 run.

Fall Play Has Students Clowning Around

Clowns in the News: The Eudora High School Drama Club takes the stage Monday night during a dress rehearsal of the fall play, entitled “Under the Big Top.”

The students in the Eudora High School Drama Club mill about the auditorium Monday night before a dress rehearsal for the fall play.

They greet each other and joke about costumes, and when they take the stage the jocularity continues.

They’re method actors, and a play about a circus is right in their wheelhouse.

“Under the Big Top,” to be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday in the Eudora Middle School Auditorium, is about a circus that is dysfunctional in just about every sense. The lion tamer is afraid of lions, the trapeze artists are afraid of heights and the clowns don’t talk. In addition, the circus is headed for foreclosure.

Between the colorful sets created by EHS art instructor Gary Hinman and the multitude of happenings onstage, play director and EHS English instructor Linda Riedel said sensory overload was a possibility.

The play is appropriate for all audiences, but it helps if you’ve got a quick wit as the students are encouraged to add a little bit of their personality to their performances.

“You have your lines, but the stuff you improvise to make it funny to show your creativity is what I like,” EHS senior Matthew Schultz said. “But everyone is funny in this.”

Seeing creativity on the part of her students is one of Riedel’s favorite parts of directing.

“I have a tremendously different approach to directing a play than most people,” Riedel said. “I tell them where we’re going to start and where we’ll end and they instantly begin creating. Then, at the end I have to pull it all together.

“I don’t want to mess with their creativity because they’ll come up with better stuff than I ever would.”

The play originally was planned for Friday but because some of the actors are on the football team, which will play in state sectionals at 7 p.m. Friday at Laws Field, the first performance was moved to Thursday.

Admission prices are $4 for adults and $3 for students. Call EHS at (785) 542-4980 for more information.

Crazy for Clowning

Clowns in the News: Ken and Ruth Byerley enjoy clowning around together. The two have been dressing as clowns for 13 years. Staff photo by Hillary Gavan

CLINTON — Who can get away with carrying a satchel made of men’s underwear? It’s a clown toting his “brief case.”

Those are some of the many props that clowns Ken and Ruth Byerley use to entertain crowds in the Stateline. From handing over a roll of toilet paper to a hospital patient saying it’s their discharge papers, to watering an imaginary dog, the Byerleys have tried just about every stunt to get people to crack a smile.

Known as Uncle Fudd and Aunt Rufus, the two became clowns 13 years ago, and are part of the Stateline Clown Ministry and the Delavan Clown Alley.

Ken, a retired maintenance welder, and Ruth, a former real estate broker transformed into clowns in their retirement years. Ken heard from his pastor about clown ministry and he jumped at the opportunity to attend a two-week camp.

Ken was shocked, however, when his wife Ruth agreed to join in, jokingly calling her “Miss Prude.”

Ruth, who had performed in the Clinton Players theater group many years ago, said her father was always a jokester. She said she also liked the idea of having an activity to do together with her husband.

Other performance rules say clowns must stay in character while they are out in public and must cover most of their body. Jokes can only be played on other clowns, not regular people. And if teasing a volunteer in a show, the volunteer must be raised back up by the end of the comedic routine.

There are three basic clown faces including: white face, face and neck is white; hobo, resembling a hobo; and Auguste, white face with some flesh coloring. There are also smaller subcategories such as mime, rodeo, tramp or character clowns, according to the Clown Museum, www.clownmuseum.org.

The Byerleys are Auguste clowns, using white and flesh colored paints on their faces. The Auguste clown tends to be the silly clown in skits. The costume of the Auguste clown tends to be loud, mismatched and bright, unlike the white faced clown who typically has more formal and somewhat matching outfits.

The early years of clowning were an exciting time for the Byerleys, who spent time collecting outfits and various props to test out. Ken went for the hillbilly clown look, and saved money by getting some of his clothes from Goodwill and getting some previously worn clown shoes for about $50. Ruth sewed her own dress and added a blonde wig. Both say it’s not clothing which makes a true clown.

“You have to have a clown heart and a clown heart is a loving heart, it’s caring for other people,” Ken said.

The couple also learned little skits to perform at hospitals. For example, Ken will pull out a kitten and say he’s ready to perform a cat scan or prop up a stool and say it’s his stool sample. The couple also experimented with balloons and Ken can do some light juggling.

The couple agree volunteering at hospitals has been one of the highlights of their clowning. Although not all people will want to joke around, they are usually glad to have a visit.

“Sometimes we go in and pray with them. Sometimes they just want to talk. You go with whatever you find out about the patient,” Ruth said.

The couple also have learned acts and skits for parades, birthday parties and church events. Although they charge for birthday parties, they usually do church events and benefits for free or just for a donation to their ministry.

Over the years they have entertained everyone from children to Alzheimer’s patients. Even when traveling, they aren’t afraid to whip out their costumes. When visiting Ken’s brother in Texas, for example, they visited hospitals and used Spanish interpreters to help them with the Hispanic patients. Some of their funniest moments, however, were unplanned accidents like when Ken fell and lost his wig, nose and glasses.

Ruth said clowns have an interesting history. In addition to being court jesters, they used to pop out of a little door in the front of churches to keep pastors humble and the people awake.

Ken said he always wanted to be more extroverted and to talk to others about his faith but was kind of reserved.

“Whenever you are in clown you are a different person. When I was a different person like that I could let myself go. You let the kid inside of you out. Now I think nothing of walking up to a stranger and start talking to them,” Ken said.

For more information on the Stateline Clown Ministry contact the Byerleys at 608-346-5487 or e-mail them at Byrly@aol.com

Harwich: Clowns to Show Friendship

Clowns in the News: Clowning to show friendship

Pupils and staff at Harwich Community Primary all dressed up as clowns for a circus-themed day on Friday.

The event was the finale of a week dedicated to learning about friendship through a variety of activities.

Rachel Griffith, deputy headteacher at the school, said: “All the activities related to the circus - making clown faces, making up songs and we made friendship cakes with clown faces on them.

“The week was just about getting across the importance of friendship and teaching them how to make friends.

“We mixed them from year one to year six. It was nice to see older children looking after the younger ones.”

She added: “On Friday the staff and children dressed as clowns, it was a good day.

The World’s Doctor-Clowns Show in Argentina: Why Laughter is Healthy

BUENOS AIRES – Some 400 clowns and doctors adept at clowning took part in an international conference in Buenos Aires to present scientific evidence, backed by their own experience, to show why laughter is healthy.

The 3rd International Congress of Hospital Clowns, being held this weekend in the Argentine capital, gets together artists and health professionals who work with humor and health care in countries that include Israel, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela.

“All over the world there are doctors who work with the art. Some put on clown noses and some don’t. But in almost all regions, in Europe, the United States and Latin America, there are hospital clowns at work,” said Argentina’s Jose Pellucchi, artistic director of Payamedicos (Doctor-Clowns).

The organization has some 500 members, mostly doctors, specially trained in how to clown around with hospitalized patients to help them get better.

In European countries and the United States, for example, there is a growing trend in medical centers to hire professionals with this comedic-therapeutic profile.

According to Pellucchi, using the clown’s art in health care goes back to ancient Greece, where people with manic episodes were taken to see theatrical dramas, while those suffering depression were treated to comedies.

“There are pictures from the beginning of the 20th century that show the presence of clowns in hospitals. But the technique got a big boost from the movie ‘Patch Adams,’” the doctor said.

In the 1998 film Robin Williams plays Patch Adams, a U.S. doctor who promoted “laugh therapy” and was responsible for making the technique a part of modern medicine.

Among other positive effects, Pellucchi said that his organization has studies showing that, after doctor-clown treatment, patients’ blood pressure drops by 13 percent.

Among the lecturers at the congress will be Argentina’s Dr. Alejandro Gruber, who for years has worked in Israel where he founded a company of hospital clowns as part of a project that also encourages integration, since Palestinian and Israeli patients who are admitted share the same rooms.

Also taking part in the Buenos Aires meeting was the group of Clowns No Perecederos (Non-perishable Clowns), made up of 50 artists, an organization founded during Argentina’s severe economic crisis of 2001-2002.

“People felt guilty about laughing and also, because of the severity of the crisis, they couldn’t go to shows because they had no money. That’s when we decided to put on shows where the price of a ticket would be some non-perishable food item that would be donated to children’s dining rooms. That way people could laugh guilt-free,” said Cristina Marti, founder of Non-perishable Clowns.

The artist, who trains clowns, said that “getting laughs, causing pleasure is very healthy,” but added that there are significant differences between ordinary clowns and hospital clowns.

“There are a lot of things a hospital clown cannot say or do, while an ordinary clown is allowed to do whatever he comes up with. He doesn’t have so many things to be careful about as he would in front of a patient in a precarious state of health,” Marti said.

Fools Gold

Clowns in the News: The Fool Effect will be taking to the Wimbledon stage – and you dictate what happens.

The clowns are coming to Wimbledon this November, with an improvised comedy show about your life and times. The Fool Effect clowns base their show around whatever the audience wants to talk about. One of the clowns, Teri West, explains: “We ask the audience to tell us anything they like, either about their life or about a news story that has really got their goat. Then we reinterpret the story on stage.

“But clowns are not very good at telling a story, we tend to obsess about particular details and so it can get quite surreal and off the point.

“Normally, people tell us something they have noticed in their lives, anything from a bumblebee trying to rescue itself from a puddle to a national event. “It is fun and cathartic to have a story about your life, or a news story that has been bothering you, given a twist and to be able to laugh about it.”

The cast met during their clown training with Nose to Nose and gradually evolved into The Fool Effect. They have a wealth of experience between them, from touring theatre, new circus, mime and puppetry to DIY, car mechanics and making yoghurts.

West says: “We do it all with red noses on but we are not circus clowns. We don’t wear big shoes or drive around in tiny cars. It is more physical theatre. “Our audiences are amazingly diverse and we invite some of them onto the stage. “But people shouldn’t be put off, the audience participation is in no way threatening and we would never home in on someone who was in any way unwilling.

“We improvise everything in the show, even the games we play on stage. “Improvisation seems to be a big thing at the moment but what’s different about us is that we are clowns, we are not trying to make it all go right.”

Clowning Around — For A Living:
Bridgeport Native is Ringling Brothers Clown

Clowns in the News: “I love every single minute of my life,” said Barney, the son of Joseph and Ann Barney. “I’m always having a good time. I get to be a giant kid all day.”

For circus clown Alex Barney, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ eight-performance run in Bridgeport last week wasn’t just another stop on a 23-month tour. It was a homecoming.

Barney, 19, was born and raised in the city. He was able to sleep in his bedroom in his parents’ home near Beardsley Park while the circus was at Harbor Yard Arena. It’s more homey than the small space — about 7-feet by 4-feet — where he usually sleeps on the circus train while on the road.

His father also is a professional clown and entertainer, who now plans and performs shows for the Six Flags theme park chain in the United States. His mother is a computer technology teacher for the city school system.

“We are very, very proud of him,” Joseph Barney said of Alex. Joe Barney is well known locally as a P.T. Barnum impersonator.

Barney is the youngest clown in his Ringling Bros. traveling show troupe, which has 10 clowns. Ringling Bros. has four traveling circus shows. Barney’s troupe has 350 crew members.

In Bridgeport, Barney hosted the circus pre-show in addition to performing in the main show. The pre-show allows circus ticket-holders to meet performers, check out props and learn some circus tricks. He said being the host is like being “the ringmaster before the show.”

The circus crew travels by train from city to city. His troupe was in Buffalo, N.Y., before Bridgeport, and now is in Pittsburgh. He carries everything he needs in a steamer trunk — including his clown outfit and make-up, street clothes and other personal belongings.

His clown character is called “Barney,” and he does just about everything a clown can do — from stilt-walking to unicycle-riding. “You name it, I do it,” he said.

Much of what makes a successful clown, he said, involves improvisation. “It’s on the spot and of the moment,” he said. “I don’t know if you can learn it. You’re kind of born with it.”

He said clowning skills do improve with time and practice. “You make mistakes, and find out what works,” he said. “According to master clowns, you need 20 years to be a really good clown.”

Barney attended Hooker School and then Notre Dame High School in Fairfield. He joined Ringling Brothers at age 18. “I’ve been performing since I can remember,” he said. “Show business is in my blood.”

He has five sisters, and two younger siblings are interested in becoming involved in the entertainment industry but not as performing clowns. “They all know the business,” said Joe Barney, whose clown name is “Geezer.”

As a youngster, Alex’s interests were slightly different than most of his classmates. Instead of academics or athletics, he preferred to focus on his juggling and stilt-walking, and got involved in designing parade floats and creating characters.

He visited a lot of clown conventions with his father, who is active with the Clowns of America International organization. He said his father inspired him to be a clown. “He got me into being a clown and being an entertainer,” Alex said.

The life of a circus clown isn’t easy. “I live on the road,” he said. “I live in another city every week.”

But it’s a life he would recommend to young people if it’s something they have a passion to pursue. “It’s definitely worth doing,” he said. “To prepare, I’d get involved in any sort of performing — just get involved in doing something in front of any kind of crowd,” he said.

Before joining Ringling Bros. as a clown, he did a lot of side show work — some with his father — at various entertainment venues.

Like other clowns, Barney was able to create his own clown personality as well as look. “All the clowns design their own face,” he said. “You try to create a face that goes with your own face.”

One key to clown performing, he said, is being able to act so people can pick up on your emotions from a long distance away. “You do that through make-up and body movement,” he said.

One of Barney’s heroes is P.T. Barnum, the 19th century showman who also served one term as Bridgeport mayor. “I’m a huge fan of Barnum and am honored to share my hometown with him,” he said.

He noted that Barnum played a major role in building Bridgeport into a major urban metropolis in the late 1800s. He likes Barnum’s perseverance. “Nothing stopped him — not bankruptcy or all the nay-sayers,” Barney said.

When performing in other cities, including overseas, he always tries to tell people about P.T. Barnum and his role in popularizing entertainment for the masses.

While in Bridgeport, Barney received a key to the city from Mayor Bill Finch He planned to visit Barnum’s grave at Mountain Grove Cemetery with other circus performers and also go to the Barnum statue at Seaside Park.

Joseph Barney visited his son every day at Harbor Yard Arena. That was a treat, he said, because Alex is away all the time on the road.

Family members hope to fly to Florida early next year to see Alex perform in Tampa, Joe Barney said. “It was great to have him home for awhile,” he said.

Lincoln County Clown Inducted Into Rodeo Hall of Fame in Washington State

One of the West's most respected rodeo clowns, Butch Lehmkuhler of North Platte, has been named to the Ellensburg, Wash. Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Lehmkuhler, a mechanical drafting instructor at North Platte High School, traveled to Washington state Sept. 3 to accept the award.

"It is very flattering and humbling to be appreciated by a community this way," he told the audience.

Ellensberg takes rodeo seriously, attracting top cowboys to the annual competition. City officials claim the rodeo is one of the top 25 in the nation. It is the biggest Labor Day rodeo in the United States and the largest rodeo in the state of Washington. Lehmkuhler was a clown there for nearly 10 years, mostly during the 1990s.

Lehmkuhler has entertained at a lot of rodeos during a 30-year career that is still continuing.

In 1974, he and North Platte School Activities Director Rich Reinert starting clowning at local rodeos - college, little britches and amateur rodeos.

Lehmkuler, a 1972 graduate of Stapleton High School, was a gymnastics athlete at Chadron State College. He later became the first coach of the North Platte High School swim team, and taught woodworking and drafting.

He got serious about rodeo in 1988, taking a year's leave of absence from teaching to pursue his goal of becoming a clown at the National Finals Rodeo.

He took his grade-school-age son with him on the road and home-schooled him as he went. He clowned at rodeos throughout the central and western states and Canada. Although it took him two years, he made it to the National Finals. In 1990, the top bull riders in the nation voted him to be the barrel man for the National Finals.

He was named the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Clown of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 1991. And, he repeated as the Clown of the Year in 1993 and 1997.

At first, the act was a two-man production, he said. One man did authentic gymnastics on the trampoline, and not to be outdone, the clown did them too with comical results.

Later it became a one-man show. A rodeo announcer would tell Lehmkuhler how the trampoline routine should be done, and the clown would attempt it, make a travesty of it, chattering all the while on a wireless microphone.

It kept him in good shape, he said. He was still jumping past age 50, but finally retired the trampoline act a couple years ago. "I figured it was retire it, or it would eventually retire me," he said.

He resumed teaching in North Platte after retiring from the road in 1997, when friend and teaching colleague Al Miller passed away unexpectedly. Lehmkuhler became his substitute, teaching architectural drawing and drafting courses. He is still at the high school.

During his prestigious career, Lehmkuhler was named the Coors "Man in the Can" in 1989 and again in 1992, which honored him as the best barrel man of the rodeo season, as voted by the members of the PRCA.

Throughout his career, Lehmkuhler has strived to bring a high level of professionalism and showmanship to his work. He has endured broken ribs, crushed vertebrae, a smashed cheekbone, knee, ankle, wrist and finger damage.

"That's just part of it," he said. "If you put yourself out there as the first line of protection between a cowboy and bull, you'd better be ready to do the job, regardless."

Lehmkuhler lives in North Platte with his wife Melanie. They have two children, Bailey and Dean, and two grandchildren.

Clown News November 2009