Chairs scrape across the floor as the last of the audience take their seats
for a national clown competition. As the lights dim, people's voices
fall to whispers, then are cut quiet as a spotlight splashes a bright circle
of light on the stage.
Betty Cash, a clown in Minnesota, trips over her giant feet and rushes
wildly onto stage. She gets to the spotlight, steps in and peers out into
the crowd. "Then I got this very startled look on my face," she says. Terrified,
she looks behind her, around the stage and then back at the audience. "Then
I began to cry uncontrollably."
A second clown makes his entrance onto the stage. He doesn't notice
Cash because he is concentrating on keeping his pull toy upright as he drags
it behind him. He bumps into Cash, sees the tears in her eyes and asks what's
wrong. Cash whispers in his ear and the second clown starts sobbing too.
"More clowns kept coming onto the stage with a squirt bottle, a balloon
or something," says Cash.
"Each asked what was wrong, and then after I whispered they began to cry."
Finally, the fifth clown comes onto stage. The theater is filled with the
snorts and sobs of unhappy clowns. Cash spills the beans. "We don't have
a skit!" she yells loudly at the clown. The audience roars with laughter.
Cash and her clown troupe won the skit competition. "We've always
done very well in the contests, coming in the top three," says Cash. "But
it was funny that we won on the year when we really didn't have a skit
prepared."
Other clowns had rehearsed skits for weeks. "They weren't too happy
when we won," she says. But they were quick to agree that the skit was humorous.
"The surprise ending is so important in clowning."
Rick Struve, a clown in Wisconsin, thrives on surprise endings and the
thrill of being on the stage. He still works as a police officer, but devotes
more and more of his time to what was once a hobby. "I dabbled in magic and
did some juggling," he says. Then one day Struve decided to dress up as Sodapop
the clown.
"I quickly found out that I was meant to be a clown all those years," he
says. "Just my normal self seemed to come out and it's so much fun."
He can't pin down one occasion that was especially memorable for him
-- each event brings a new surprise. "Usually, a super-cute kid makes the
show or I just get a good crowd response," he says.
Struve doesn't suffer from stage fright. In fact, the larger the crowd,
the better. Large children's festivals give him exposure and a bit of
fun. "It's quite a thrill when you can get 100 to 500 kids all doing
something like laughing or singing together."
Struve also performs at schools. It may sound like he loves every part
of his job, but this is truly his favorite. "I can bring up a principal or
a favorite teacher to the stage and do something that kids will laugh at,"
he says. "Kids love to see me make the teachers do funny things."
And so far, Struve says the teachers enjoy a bit of teasing. "The teachers
always come up to me afterwards and tell me how much they enjoyed being a
part of the show."
Bringing smiles to children's faces is fun, but Struve admits the
audience can also make the job difficult. Some kids delight in taunting and
trying to ruin a show. "There are some difficulties with shows -- like doing
birthday parties for boys that are eight years or above -- that seems to be
the nightmare age for clowns," he says.
Preparation for an event can also be tiring. "The hardest thing about clowning
is getting into and out of make-up," says Struve. "It usually takes me a full
hour to get ready and I get really tired of doing that."
Chantelle Cousineau, of the Canadian-based Cirque du Soleil, agrees. "It
takes so much energy to be a clown," she says. "They have to be up when they
are on the stage, but people also forget about all the hours they have to
put in to get prepared for each show."
Preparation time also includes brushing up on clown skills at camps and
conventions. Beginning and experienced clowns go to camp to learn make-up
and costuming tips, magic, ballooning and juggling.
They also learn about the more serious elements of the job, such as marketing
and advertising. Clown conventions provide a chance for jokers to trade information
and strut their stuff. Classes, competitions and booths with clown supplies
are always a part of conventions. "But I have to admit the friends are the
best part," says Struve, who meets up with clown friends from across the country.
"The majority of clowns tend to be very nice, fun and crazy people -- hard
not to have fun when you're hanging around with a large group of them."
Struve is also involved in teaching other clowns at conventions and camps.
"I'm a pretty decent juggler, as far as clowns go, and do a good job
at teaching others how to juggle," he says. "I'm also an enthusiastic
person who loves to share my experience and knowledge to new-comers."
Cash, who has been in the clown business for many years, also teaches clowning
across the country. "I've been doing so much instruction that my performances
have sort of fallen by the wayside," she says. Teaching and designing costumes
takes up most of her time, but Cash says she'd still rather be on the
stage. "I'd rather be performing. There's just nothing like it."
If there were enough hours in the day, Cash would be on the stage more
often, even though some performances can be especially difficult. "I always
find it so hard to go on the children's cancer ward," she says.
Cash lost her own son to cancer. "Going there just brings
it all back."
Cash goes because she wants to bring happiness to the children. "Some clowns
find other performances more difficult, this just happens to be mine," she
says.
Clowns, who are always expected to sport a grin, must on occasion reach
deep in themselves to forget their own worries. Even faced with suffering,
Cash says it isn't difficult for a clown to get into the role, no matter
where the show is held. "Bringing smiles to people's faces is always
uplifting," she says. "Once you get your nose on, you're with it again,
and you're ready to get a few laughs."