Richard Pochinko (1946-89) played a pioneering role in North American clown theater through the creation of an original pedagogy synthesizing modern European and indigenous Native American techniques. In Clown Through Mask, Veronica Coburn and onetime Pochinko apprentice Sue Morrison lay out the methodology of the Pochinko style of clowning and offer a bold philosophical framework for its interpretation. Morrison is today a leading teacher of Pochinko's Clown through Mask technique and this book extends significantly the literature on this underdocumented form of theater.

Acting with masks is one of the most ancient stage techniques still in use today. Masking Unmasked is a basic guide to using this ancient art to develop character and movement in four sections that correspond to mask size: Full-Face Masks, Clowning, Bag Masks, and Half-Face Masks. Each section addresses fundamental acting principles and shows how the ancient technique can be applied to the contemporary stage. It is the perfect book to use as background to traditional, non-masked acting principles. For instance, mask acting provides a great way of strengthening core acting skills. Actors in masks experience the primary goal of acting because they are required to tap into profound physical, vocal, emotional, and psychological transformations in the course of creating a character. In addition, masking promotes honest, believable, and detailed work. Illustrated profusely throughout, the hands-on exercises developed by Simon teach actors to shift cleanly between beats, execute moment-to-moment specificity, unleash creative impulses, take risks and expand character range, power and vulnerability. Masking Unmasked is a book of ancient acting techniques that are indispensable for the actor of today.

A must-have guide for actors both young and old.

Provides information on such topics as: designing costumes and makeup, preparing a routine, performing stunts, and interacting with the audience.

By its very nature the clown, as represented in art, is an interdisciplinary phenomenon. In whichever artform it appears - fiction, drama, film, photography or fine art - it carries the symbolic association of its usage in popular culture, be it ritual festivities, street theatre or circus. The clown, like its extended family of fools, jesters, picaros and tricksters, has a variety of functions all focussed around its status and image of being "other." Frequently a marginalized figure, it provides the foil for the shortcomings of dominant discourse or the absurdities of human behaviour. Clowns, Fools and Picaros represents the latest research on the clown, bringing together for the first time studies from four continents: Europe, America, Africa and Asia. It attempts to ascertain commonalities, overlaps and differences between artistic expressions of the "clownesque" from these various continents and genres, and above all, to examine the role of the clown in our cultures today. This volume is of interest for scholars of political and comic drama, film and visual art as well as scholars of comparative literature and anthropology.

It takes know-how to create a professional looking clown face. Contrary to popular belief a proper clown face is not worn as a mask. It should be designed to compliment the natural features in the face in order to enhance the clown's expressions. In this book Jim Roberts, a.k.a. Strutter the Clown, describes the different types of clown faces and how you can design a unique face of your own. He provides detailed step-by-step directions for applying makeup to create the three basic clown face types: Whiteface, Auguste, and Tramp. Included are tips on powdering, applying rubber and putty noses, how to handle eyeglasses, handling common makeup problems, and proper makeup selection and removal. Includes full-colour, close-up photos which offer step-by-step directions for applying makeup.

This book is a practical guide for clowning. It is filled with tools and techniques that will help you find your clown and become more open to your creative sources. The author examines and makes use of the powerful qualities that children possess: imagination, innocence, purity, spontaneity and lust for life. A clown is playful and optimistic. From behind world's smallest mask, the red nose, he invites people to drop their own masks and show their true selves. Being very sensitive, he is able to touch them deeply. This so-called contact clown wants to make a connection from heart to heart. Kurstjens is convinced that clowns can play a crucial role in our society: they can bring people together through their open communication. This richly illustrated book comes with 25 practical exercises, and provides useful information about essential themes in life: setting boundaries, overcoming emotional blockades, and daring to be vulnerable. It is not only meant to inspire clowns and clowning instructors, but also coaches, (communication) trainers, and everyone else who is interested in personal development. Ton Kurstjens (born in the Netherlands, 1959) started as an improvising clown in 1983. He played in Duo Het Elftal and Duo Biek and currently he conducts clowning courses for individuals and workshops for businesspeople. He also directs the clowning theatre performance Met de Neus op de Planken (literally: With your Nose on Stage) and he supports clowns and clowning groups.

Clown Girl lives in Baloneytown, a seedy neighborhood where drugs, balloon animals, and even rubber chickens contribute to the local currency. Against a backdrop of petty crime, she struggles to live her dreams, calling on cultural masters Charlie Chaplin, Kafka, and da Vinci for inspiration. In an effort to support herself and her layabout performance-artist boyfriend, Clown Girl finds herself unwittingly transformed into a "corporate clown," trapping herself in a cycle of meaningless, high-paid gigs that veer dangerously close to prostitution. Monica Drake has created a novel that riffs on the high comedy of early film stars — most notably Chaplin and W. C. Fields — to raise questions of class, gender, economics, and prejudice. Resisting easy classification, this debut novel blends the bizarre, the humorous, and the gritty with stunning skill.

Raised from infancy by duplicitous clowns who entertain by day and menace by night, Pirouette dreams of washing the paint from her face and escaping to a better life far away from her cruel adoptive circus family... because when the spotlights dim and the crowd disperses, the clown princess' big-top dreams give way to a nightmarish world of monsters with painted smiles. M.L. Miller (Gravetrancers) spins Pirouette with authentic darkness and depth of character, while Carlos Granda's (CALEXIT) sweeping, exuberant line art evokes all the exotic charm and mysterious gloom of Pirouette's shadowy big top. "A comic unlike anything you've ever read before!" -Zac Thompson (X-Men Black, The Dregs, Undone By Blood) "I loved Pirouette! It's hard to think up a more story-friendly setting than an old timey circus, and M.L. Miller and Carlos Granda truly make the most of it!" -Charles Soule (Star Wars, Daredevil)

With texts by premier comedians such as Steve Martin, Jay Leno, Woody Allen, Goldie Hawn, Lisa Kudro, Whoopi Goldberg, Gary Shandling, Martin Short and more. CLOWN PAINTINGS is a twisty illustrated book that showcases 65 full-colour, outrageously compelling clown portraits, painted by amateurs and selected by actor and director Diane Keaton. By turns hilarious and heartfelt, joyful and mortifying, Keaton found herself as mesmerised by their mute eloquence as by their bad taste, and culled these wild images from her own private collection.