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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Conn Coll chapter.

When you hear the word “clown”, do you think about a birthday party performer? Or maybe a horror movie character? The majority of people do, myself included. I was shocked to discover that clowning is so much more than silly jokes and creepy makeup, but rather, a state of being. 

This semester I took a brave step and chose to sign up for “Clowns, Comedy, and Improv” class as part of my theater major. I have never considered myself much of a comedic actor, so this course felt very outside of my comfort zone. Surprisingly, it’s become my favorite class of the semester. So far, we’ve been focusing on the “Clowns” part of “Clowns, Comedy, and Improv.” Not only is it a heck of a lot of fun (we spend the whole class laughing), but I’ve learned so much about what it means to be a clown. Spoiler alert, it is NOT what I imagined. I will be listing some of the integral aspects of clowning I’ve learned; everything that I am going to share in this article I owe to the instruction of my esteemed professor Ken Prestininzi. 

  1. The clown is childlike, but not childish: Christopher Bayes, the author of Discovering the Clown, describes the clown as your unsocialized self. The clown is like a child in the sense that they haven’t yet been taught the constraints of society. Children throw tantrums when they get upset because their emotions feel large and they are reacting appropriately. As humans get older, we are told what we can and cannot do in order to succeed in society. We are taught to control our emotions and keep them small. The clown has not been held down by any of this. The clown doesn’t know not to sing loudly in public when they’re feeling excited, or not to run around screaming when they’re scared. They show their emotions loudly using both words and physicality. 
  1. The clown has four major emotions: These emotions are happiness/play, sadness/despair, anger/rage, and anxiety/fear. The clown can show all of these emotions or combinations of them. They are not tied down to only one emotion. 
  1. The clown is optimistic: When the clown performs, they have a task they are determined to complete. There will likely be a variety of obstacles in the way, keeping the clown from completing their task. Despite these hurdles, the clown perseveres. They find different ways to solve the problem in hopes they will succeed. Sometimes they will fail, but they continue to try. This is one of the principles that makes clowns hilarious to watch. 
  1. The clown moves at the “speed of fun”:Thespeed of fun is a quick pace. Christopher Bayes describes the speed of fun as “faster than your worry and louder than your critic.” The clown should always strive to move at the speed of fun!
  1. The clown does not try to be funny: Trying to be funny kills laughter. The audience won’t laugh when you’re trying too hard. Instead, the audience laughs at the truth. 
  1. The clown is truthful: The clown is always honest and vulnerable with the audience. When they feel sad, they may share that through sobbing on the ground. When they feel excited, they may announce it to the world and dance around as a result. This allows the audience to connect with the clown and therefore find more joy in the clown’s performance. 
  1. The clown is both big and small: Not all of the clown’s emotions and reactions have to be large. Sometimes it is funniest when a clown gives a simple frown, rather than bawling. In class, we often work on starting small and getting bigger as the exercise goes on. 
  1. The clown wears a red nose: Yes, the stereotypical image of a clown with a red nose is one of the accurate archetypes. The clown does wear a red nose. In class, we are instructed to wear our red noses for every clown activity we do. The red nose helps to bring out your inner clown. 
  1. The clown is something you discover: I used to think of clowns as a character, a facade that people put on for circuses and parties. However, the clown is not a persona that you fake; it is something that lives inside you that you learn how to release. 
  1. Everyone has a clown inside of them: That’s right, even you. Your clown is just waiting to be let out. It might take a bit to discover, but don’t lose motivation. Your clown wants to be found. 

These are some of the main principles I’ve learned about clowning. Obviously these only cover a small portion of what it means to be a clown, but I think they give a strong framework. I hope that this article will make you rethink what clowning really means. I have had such a wonderful time learning about the art of clowning this semester, and I’m looking forward to continuing discovering my own clown. 

Allison Ziegler

Conn Coll '27

Allie (she/her) is a sophomore at Connecticut College studying Theater and Educational Studies. She is currently the Vice President of Conn Coll's Her Campus Chapter, as well as the marketing director for Wig & Candle, Conn's student-run theater club. She also participates in Student Activities Council and works at the Office of Admission as an Admission Ambassador. In her free time, she loves reading, crocheting, listening to music, and hanging out with friends!