A Real Clown or Not? how to tell if you're a real clown, as told by a real clown

Written by Tom Raymond


No true clown wants to scare a child. However, some children can and do grow up with a Fear Of Clowns--repparttar clinical name for this is coulraphobia. The question is, how can professional clowns prevent children from being scared?

Before even discussing make-up, let's look at some basics. Remember when dealing with children, all adults are "giant-sized" from their perspective. When interacting with children, clowns (or other children's entertainers) need to come to their level physically. Get down on one knee, or sit onrepparttar 147702 floor. Remember what it felt like to be that age.

In a related note, never force a frightened child to come byrepparttar 147703 clown. Parents will very often try to push an obviously frightened child to go byrepparttar 147704 clown, often for a photograph. Something I try to do in this situation is to act frightened myself, greatly exaggerating my "fear" while explaining

Magic, Clown Magic, and Magic in Clowning - What's the Difference?

Written by Tom Raymond


In this article, I'd like to make a few short comments aboutrepparttar performance of magic in clowning — where it's appropriate, and where it's not. For instance, it would be out of character for a bumbling clown to suddenly put on a serious demeanor, and withrepparttar 147701 aid of a beautiful assistant, saw a woman in half, or levitate her, or cause her to mysteriously vanish & reappear. Any of these would be totally out of character for virtually any clown.

However, it would be perfectly in character for a clown to attempt to berepparttar 147702 suave magician, and be revealed forrepparttar 147703 charlatan he is, either by his own bungling or that of his assistant (likely an auguste or tramp clown). Sincerepparttar 147704 clown is, by definition, a bungler, this would be fine, and totally in character. In fact, once having been exposed/failed, it would be fine forrepparttar 147705 clown to successfully completerepparttar 147706 magic (withrepparttar 147707 help ofrepparttar 147708 audience, a volunteer fromrepparttar 147709 audience, or perhaps with a clown assistant).

There is another way forrepparttar 147710 clown to perform magically, however. Something that we forget too often is thatrepparttar 147711 clown is, himself, a magical character, a 'toon come to life. Whereasrepparttar 147712 clown cannot perform magic in character (most ofrepparttar 147713 time; if it's in character for your clown to successfully perform magically, do so! No one complains that a clown juggler can successfully juggle, or that a clown balloon artist can twist latex into wonderful shapes without them popping), magic can (and perhaps should) happen torepparttar 147714 clown, without his even being aware of it. For instance, it is perfectly in character for a clown assistant to a magician to be handed three rings, only to have them magically link in his hands – withrepparttar 147715 clown having a befuddled expression as to how this could have happened!

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