Glupi
01-17-2011, 12:03 PM
I've posted about how to DO (or improve upon) prop comedy; here's a short-ish list of different types or categories of props that I hope will be useful as clowns develop their repertoires and stock their trunks.
The Oversize/Undersized: a regular item, such as a tool, food item or article of clothing that is exaggerated or down-scaled in size. Most clowns, by dint of their shoes and sometimes pants or dresses, already own oversize props. These can be funny, but they are also SO ubiquitous as to be passe.
(that means they get used a LOT; maybe over-used by now.) Undersized props can be funny, but are generally not REALLY undersized; they are mostly standard-sized or oversize props with some prominent feature made smaller. The umbrella carried by Lou Jacobs and others is an example. It was an OVERsize umbrella handle with an UNDERsized canopy. A truly undersized prop would not generally be useful in performance unless used in a close-up routine.
The Nonsensical: is an item which is being used in a way at odds with its purpose. An example would be a broom or mop for a 'dance partner' or a shovel for a 'guitar'. These items may be gimmicked to do a trick or modified in appearance, but the humor is usually in the audience's enjoyment of the clown apparently being totally convinced that his actions are normal.
The Re-Purposed: item is something that has been gimmicked, re-decorated or otherwise modified so that it is a 'hybrid' between what it actually is and what it is intended to be in the act. An example here would be Fido the Wonder-Dog, my own PPP (Personal Performing Pooch). Fido rolls over, stays and plays dead on my command and performs a death-defying leap from a table to the floor and then THROUGH a flaming hoop of FIRE!**
The Absurd is anything that is simply not carried, worn or used by 'normal' people. Here, for instance, is the pig that I walk on my Invisible Dog leash when I do park or fair walk-around events. Yes, a pig on a leash. There's also my "sail phone", which is actually Nonsensical, Re-purposed and Absurd all in one prop. It's a toy sailboat with a telescoping antenna that I carry on my belt and use to take calls when I first meet people, or when I am standing around in one location at an event. The Absurd prop, well-used, generally gets a lot of attention from older kids and adults because they are so unprepared to see what they are seeing and usually give a double-take upon seeing such props.
There are, of course, more categories and more examples, but I thought I would share these to begin with. Have fun!
**Fido, the Wonder-Dog, the PPP in my show, is actually a half-sized kickball (playground ball) that has ears and a doggie face. When he is "encouraged" (pushed) off the edge of a sufficiently high table, he bounces up and I direct him through a hula hoop covered in flame-print fabric strips to look like "fire". Fido can also dive into a tank of water or assist me in my balancing routines.
The Oversize/Undersized: a regular item, such as a tool, food item or article of clothing that is exaggerated or down-scaled in size. Most clowns, by dint of their shoes and sometimes pants or dresses, already own oversize props. These can be funny, but they are also SO ubiquitous as to be passe.
(that means they get used a LOT; maybe over-used by now.) Undersized props can be funny, but are generally not REALLY undersized; they are mostly standard-sized or oversize props with some prominent feature made smaller. The umbrella carried by Lou Jacobs and others is an example. It was an OVERsize umbrella handle with an UNDERsized canopy. A truly undersized prop would not generally be useful in performance unless used in a close-up routine.
The Nonsensical: is an item which is being used in a way at odds with its purpose. An example would be a broom or mop for a 'dance partner' or a shovel for a 'guitar'. These items may be gimmicked to do a trick or modified in appearance, but the humor is usually in the audience's enjoyment of the clown apparently being totally convinced that his actions are normal.
The Re-Purposed: item is something that has been gimmicked, re-decorated or otherwise modified so that it is a 'hybrid' between what it actually is and what it is intended to be in the act. An example here would be Fido the Wonder-Dog, my own PPP (Personal Performing Pooch). Fido rolls over, stays and plays dead on my command and performs a death-defying leap from a table to the floor and then THROUGH a flaming hoop of FIRE!**
The Absurd is anything that is simply not carried, worn or used by 'normal' people. Here, for instance, is the pig that I walk on my Invisible Dog leash when I do park or fair walk-around events. Yes, a pig on a leash. There's also my "sail phone", which is actually Nonsensical, Re-purposed and Absurd all in one prop. It's a toy sailboat with a telescoping antenna that I carry on my belt and use to take calls when I first meet people, or when I am standing around in one location at an event. The Absurd prop, well-used, generally gets a lot of attention from older kids and adults because they are so unprepared to see what they are seeing and usually give a double-take upon seeing such props.
There are, of course, more categories and more examples, but I thought I would share these to begin with. Have fun!
**Fido, the Wonder-Dog, the PPP in my show, is actually a half-sized kickball (playground ball) that has ears and a doggie face. When he is "encouraged" (pushed) off the edge of a sufficiently high table, he bounces up and I direct him through a hula hoop covered in flame-print fabric strips to look like "fire". Fido can also dive into a tank of water or assist me in my balancing routines.