Clowns

Clowns are common if not completely necessary in todays circus's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown

Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also developed, including theatre, television, and film clowns. Peter Berger writes that "It seems plausible that folly and fools, like religion and magic, meet some deeply rooted needs in human society". For this reason, clowning is often considered an important part of training as a physical performance discipline, partly because tricky subject matter can be dealt with, but also because it requires a high level of risk and play in the performer.

The humour in clowning comes from the self deprecating actions of the performer, rather than the audience laughing with the performer as is common with other forms of comedy.

History of Clowns 

The most ancient clowns have been found in the Fifth dynasty of Egypt, around 2400 BCE. Contrary to court jests, clown have traditionally served a socio-religious and psychological role, and traditionally the role of priest and clown have been held by the same persons.

Clowning was developed from a broad tradition of historical performances, and it is difficult to point out a singular tradition or even a few different ones as being the primary precursors to clowns.  However there are a few past prominent forms of entertainment contemporarily linked to clowning as its possible antecedents.

There are different types of clowns, the whiteface clown, the auguste, character, north american character- hobo/tramp, native american, rodeo, pierrot and harlequin.  

http://www.clowningaround.co.za/clowns.htm

White Face Clown - Commonly know as the Classic Clown

Face Appearance: A full white face with precise and delicate red and white features. The european whitefaced clown even goes as far as painting his ears red. He is usually the type of clown most people have in mind when they hear the word "clown".

Costume Appearance: The whiteface usually dressed extravagantly and has a costume mostly made up of white with some colour trims. . It is common for a whiteface to wear a skull cap covered with a wig that is usually very colourful and "wild. It is said that most whitefaced clowns would look fantastic in a suit, and their costumes usually portray this by being made up of two or three piece "clown suits".

Character: Usually the "boss" clown of all clown types. The whiteface is in charge, end of story. He is usually always right and even when he is wrong, he is still right. He is also know to be the more serious type of clown and seems to run the show when other clowns are present.

Types of Whiteface Clowns: 

European Whiteface (Classic): Commonly known as the Pierott Clown, the classic european clown is highly artistic and skillful yet comedic or dramatic. He usually paints on features like his red comedy nose, eyebrows and eyelashes. His costume is always classy and he is considered the "most majestic and beautiful" of all white face clowns. (Zimbo would fall under this type of clown)

Straight Whiteface: Elegant aristocrat of clowns. If a clown troop is full of whiteface clowns then the straight clown would be in charge. This clown is usually the one that causes all the trouble... the one that throws the 'pie in face' and not the one to receive it. His costume is very similar to the classic clown but is more colourful and cheery.

Grotesque Whiteface: Though very similar to the straight whiteface, the Grotesque Whiteface is more reserved and is known to over exaggerate his costume appearance with extra large shoes, a huge clown nose and very glamorous fake eyelashes (for the female clowns).

History of the Whiteface: The oldest of all clowns, the whiteface was also known as the Court Jester from the middle ages though the jester used to use little or no makeup at all. The whiteface clown can also be dated back to the greek theatre where the white features were used to enhance the faces of the actors who were performing on stages with black backdrops.

The famous comedy troop Commedia del Arté gave their performers names such as Pierrot, Columbine, Harleqin and Clown (Yes 'Clown" was the name of a character) which created the clown types you see today.

Famous Whiteface Characters: Bob Bell's "Bozo the Clown", Francesco Caroli, Frosty Little, Joseph Grimaldi, Felix Adler, Blinko, Duane Thorpe's "Uncle Soapy", and George Fox. I guess one could also add Ronald Mc Donald to this list although he is more a advertising character than a comedy character.

Auguste Clown - The Fool or Joker Clown

Face Appearance: Fleshtones with an emphasis of the white around the mouth and eyes with a black line surrounding the white. It is also common for the auguste to overuse the reds, pinks, tans and browns for an extravagantly colourful face. This type of clown usually has a large ball shaped comedy nose.

Costume Appearance: Displaying the widest range of costumes of all clowns, this clown will wear almost anything except what the whiteface is wearing. The Auguste will stay clear of theatrical fabrics or sequins but also likes to exaggerate his clothing with oversized coats, undersized hats or very short pants and colourful suspenders much like Steve Urkel from the popular TV show Family Matters.

Character: The master of slapstick and playing the fool, this clown is forever tripping and seems to be the clumsiest of them all. Said to have got his name from the German word for "fool", the auguste is somewhat awkward and unsure of his own feet. This clown is usually the instigator when the whiteface is not present however everything seems to backfire, making him the brunt of most pranks.

The contra-auguste: 

The conta-auguste is not as important as the whiteface clown but is more important than the auguste, as he strives to be a whiteface clown. He is often very bias mediator between the two and is generally instructed by the whiteface to "fix" the behaviour of the auguste. Being the attention seeker that he is can lead him to being in a "pickle" most of the time

History of the Auguste: In the 20th Century it is said that the two major clown types merged to form the auguste clown. Albert Fratellini who was one of the famous Fratellini Brothers created a character that was made up of a mixture of one brothers 'whiteface' character and the other brothers ' tramp' character. Albert attached a red nose to his character which is widely used by most clowns today. The auguste clown was then fine-tuned by Lou Jacobs of the Ringling Brothers who became model of how auguste clowns should look and act.

Famous Auguste Characters: Albert Fratellini, Cooky, Coco, Grock, Lou Jacobs, and Leon McBryde's "Buttons"

Hobo/Tramp Clown

Face Appearance: showing black coal or soot like appearance with white around the eyes and mouth. The male version of this character has a beard that covers a fleshtoned neck and jaw area. The up or down shape of the eyebrows will determine if this is a sad tramp of a happy hobo.

Costume Appearance: Usually old and worn showing a character that has spent many nights out in the cold of traveling from place to place. The male character usually wears a dark suit or tuxedo with numerous patches and the female is known to represent that of a bag lady wearing well worn multiple layers of rags.

Character: The Tramp: No matter what this clown does, his luck is always bad resulting in him being miserable most of the time. This guy has had a hard life and his character makes one feel sorry for him. Being the loner that he is, he does not talk much, the odd word here and there to his peers is about all you will get out of him.
The Hobo: This happy-go-lucky king of travel clown knows who he is. He has had enough of his life and would rather settle for a simple life on the street. Also known as the vagabond, this clown is care-free and does not expect much and is mostly happy with what he has.

History of the Hobo/Tramp: This clown does not have much of a history but is usually associated with the old American railways. This includes the way they would wipe the soot from their faces to form the classic hobo look.


Famous Hobo/Tramp Characters: Charlie Chaplin’s "little tramp", Red Skelton’s "Freddy the Freeloader", Emmett Kelly’s "Weary Willy" and Don Burda’s "Homer"

Pierrot