[Snugglesnort]

In the traditional American circus, most clowns seemed to just sort of fall into clowning. Some literally fell into it. They had other acts in the circus, that they couldn't do any more (from injury or age) and so they became clowns. Others just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and got suckered into it a'la Bill Ballintine who was the first major director of RBBC Clown College. He just hung out with the Ringling clowns painting them for a magazine article, and they slapped a face on him gave him a walk around, and he ended up touring with the circus for about three or four years. Some had parents in the trade like Ballintines son Toby, who also became a Ringling clown. Sometimes people were just there, and the job needed to be done (I suspect that is how clowns got in the circus in the first place: "gee thats a lot of tense horseback riding, we really need something to break it up... but what...?)

But how about today? In the post clown college world, where there are many trained professionals about, how does circus clowning work? How do you even know where and when to look for a circus clown job? Do you need a full act, or just an audition act? Do you need formal training or does it just help? (I know it couldn't hurt)

Any help from past or present circus clown would be appreciated.

Also I figured it would be a good second thread for the circus and stage sub-forum.