The Performer's Guide to the Collaborative Process by Sheila Kerrigan

HOW-TO

The Performer's Guide to the Collaborative Process by Sheila Kerrigan While not specifically about clowning, this book is a great resource for people who work together to create theatre or shows (like, for example, a group of clowns) Sheila Kerrigan, the author, spent a great deal of time interviewing directors, group leaders, and theatre professionals (including myself!) and she spends a good deal of the book detailing exercises that promote team-building, group-building, and collaboration. An essential book for those who wish to do more than solo work, or director’s looking for new ways to bring the most out of your actors/team. Sheila also has a website that you can check out if you are interested in her work.

Circus Alphabets by Dan X. Solo

HOW-TO

Circus Alphabets by Dan X. Solo This book features some of the most important cultural contributions that the circus has given to our culture-- the fonts! This book features 100 copyright-free typefaces that are directly from old circus posters and broadsides. You can scan them in, or use them as references for your sideshow posters, your postcards, your posters, and anything else you need. This is a classic book, published by Dover.

The Great Parade by Gerard Regnier (editor)

ARTWORK

The Great Parade by Gerard Regnier (editor) This book is an absolutely fabulous collection of fine arts work that incorporate circus and clowns into them. Featured are over 175 works from artists such as Picasso, Léger, Chagall, Toulouse-Lautrec, and many more. There are also some never before seen artworks published for the first time in this book. The book served as a catalog for an exhibition that was organized by the National Gallery of Canada in 2004. If you are looking for a coffee-table book of clown, circus, and acrobat paintings, this is the one to get.

CLOWN SCENES (Entrees Clownesque) BY TRISTAN REMY

HOW-TO

CLOWN SCENES BY TRISTAN REMY The Golden Age of Clowning was in Paris from the late 1890’s through the 1920’s. At that time, there were a dozen or more permanent circus buildings throughout Paris, and every week thousands of people flocked to the circus to see what new acts the clowns were going to perform. During this time, clowns actually spoke during their routines, and performed scenes with one another. Everybody knew the names of the clowns-- Charlie Rivel, Footit et Chocolat, Toto, Coco, and Marceline, to name a few. Tristan Remy, famous French circus historian, has taken 48 of the best clown routines and written them down in a fascinating document. And while they are primarily historical scenes, they are also blue-prints for proven comedy scenarios. These are great tools for the working clown.

Mime Spoken Here by Tony Montanaro

HOW-TO

Mime Spoken Here by Tony Montanaro Tony Montanaro was a great performer and teacher of pantomime. He started out in the early 50’s as a performer who met up and worked with Marcel Marceau, and then came back to the States to continue to teach and perform. He started an amazing school in South Paris Maine in an old barn (later known as The Celebration Barn) where he taught some of the top “New Vaudeville” artists of the last 25 years. Tony passed away in 2003, and he was a fountain of energy and expertise up until he died. Tony’s genius as a teacher and performer was his simplicity and his complete commitment to the work. He could take any subject and improvise an amazing performance around it. While this book can’t possibly subsitute for taking a class with Tony, it’s chock full of his exercises, his thoughts, and his ideas. Short of going back in time and taking a class with Tony, this book (and the accompanying videotape, if you can find it) are the closest you can get to experiencing the magic that was Tony Montanaro.

Cirque Du Soleil-The Fire Within

DVD

Cirque Du Soleil-The Fire Within directed by Andrew Atherton EMMY AWARD WINNER. A couple of years ago, a really interesting reality series was featured on Bravo. The show featured 8 young performers who wimporting htmlere in the process of making the new Cirque du Soleil show (Varekai) The show followed the performers through the highs and the lows of creating the show, and is a fascinating and not entirely flattering portrait of the making of a Cirque show. There were 13 episodes, and the DVD features extras, including a reunion of the performers a year later. This DVD is well worth viewing and owning.

WEIRD CLOWN NEWS ARTICLE

And it's from the Weekly World News, so you know it must be true!

DOCS REMOVE UNICYCLE
FROM 590-POUND CLOWN'S BUTT

By RICK PINCHER
Doctors removed a full-size unicycle from a 590- pound circus clown's butt after he plopped his double-wide behind on its narrow seat and "sank to the sawdust," driving the frame, pedals and wheel a mouth-puckering 36- inches UP into his colon! "It hurt," Ron Timmerman, a.k.a. "Bunky the Fat-Arsed Clown," said from his hospital bed in London, England. "It was like somebody hit me from behind with a harpoon or rammed a white-hot poker up me bum. "By the time I hit the ground, all I could do was roll over to one side and lay there ......


The rest of this article is available at: THIS WEBSITE (requires registration, and possibly payment)

Clown Magic by David Ginn

How-To

Clown Magic by David Ginn David Ginn is one of the premier school performers in the United States. He teaches and lectures about magic and school show creation all over the United States. This book tells, in a simple, easy-to-read style, how to do a number of easy magical tricks that don’t require a lot of skill or manipulation to perform. But it is not enough to be able to do the tricks. One must also be entertaining while doing them. This book helps performers to be entertaining and funny while performing magic. And that is a pretty amazing stunt all by itself!

Cirque du Soleil: Parade of Colors

Kids

Cirque du Soleil: Parade of Colors by Cirque du Soleil When you are a professional clown, it is sometimes easy to forget that most people think that the circus is for children only. This full color children’s book features some of the characters from Cirque du Soleil shows along with poems about color. While the poems are not particularly strong, the design of this book is, making it a great gift item to give to your friends with kids. They will definitely get a kick out of it.