The Education of a Circus Clown: Mentors, Audiences, Mistakes (Palgrave Studies in Theatre and Performance History)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.43 (989 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1137554819 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 219 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-12-08 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
He is an ex-Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus clown, produced playwright, director, and Equity actor, studying at London's National Theatre Summer Programme, UK. David Carlyon is author of the critically-acclaimed book, Dan Rice: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard Of. . He is Adjunct
The 1960s American hippie-clown boom fostered many creative impulses, including neo-vaudeville and Ringling's Clown College. Layering critical reflections of personal experience with connections to wider scholarship, Carlyon focuses on the work of clowning while interrogating what clowns actually do, rather than using them as stand-ins for conceptual ideas or as sentimental figures.. David Carlyon, through an autoethnographic examination of his own experiences in clowning, offers a close reading of the education of a professional circus clown, woven through an eye-opening, sometimes funny, occasionally poignant look at circus life. However, the origin of that impulse, clowning with a circus, has largely gone unexamined
John Towsen said Learning his craft one mistake at a time. Dave is quite the Renaissance man: writer, teacher, historian, actor, lawyer (!) and, last but not least, clown. His narrative of attending Clown College (1976) and touring with the Blue Unit (1977) stands above most circus memoirs not just because he’s a better writer —it’s a good read— but because he actually focuses on t
The Education of a Circus Clown is a terrific and important book that will enrich and enliven our historical understanding of clowning, the circus, and American culture." - Janet M. If you don't well, then you're missing something wonderful." - Murray Horwitz, Tony Award-winning playwright (Ain't Misbehavin'), creator of NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and a former Ringling clown. Entertaining and illuminating." - John Towsen, author of Clowns and the physical comedy blog All Fall Down"An important history - as all-encompassing as it is personal - and a great look into the mind of a performing artist. … It’s funny, entertaining, and informative.” (Don Stacey, Circus Report, January, 2015)"David Carlyon ran away from a lucrative legal career to join the circus. … it is full of interesting anecdotes and fun in describing the