No Stupid Questions

Clown college.

No, seriously.

It kind of depends on what kind of clown you want to be.

There are clown colleges that you can go to which will help you make connections that can lead to circus jobs. They also teach you about the different types of classic clown tropes, and will help you narrow down to the specific skill set that works for you. Here is a website that will help you find clown colleges:

https://clownswithoutborders.org/top-clown-schools-u-s/

Rodeo clowns are a different breed altogether. To become a rodeo clown, you need to be somewhat insane, have no fear of death by trampling, and then you need to hang out at rodeos to make the right connections. Finding some basic job at a rodeo would be a good start, and then you can work your way into the clown role once they recognize that you are completely bonkers and willing to stand in front of a charging bull.

Party clowns are essentially entrepreneurs. You need to develop the skills on your own, and then find someone to give you a shot at their kids birthday party. Relationships are essential—don’t be afraid to ask your clients for referrals, and make sure you are professional, personable, and entertaining at all times around them. It is a hard road, but like any freelance business, once you get the ball rolling in your area, you have the potential to carve out a decent career. It is especially important that you use your connections for a broader reputation among schools and churches because eventually the first wave of kids will grow up, and you will need to transition into the next generation.

You just first need to become a [email protected] moderator, the rest is easy.

Repetitive clowning around.

Seriously, all successful entertainment stories are based on keeping at it until success is found. Doesn't work for everyone, but there isn't a guaranteed path and it sounds like you are doing the steps you can already. You could volunteer for hospitals, although you might get rejected without some kind of way to verify you are legit.

Honestly... go to renaissance festivals and ask the performers if they need help. You'll get a (poorly) paying gig doing clowning-adjacent work that is seasonal.

I had a good friend who was a clown. I drove a car small enough to call a clown car so I drove for a lot of gigs after we met. He would "clown up" and go to public events(concerts, festivals, karaoke, any excuse really) and be silly and most importantly have fun. He networked and had a few yearly gigs. Some paid but he was in it for the clowning and the cash was just a bonus. Don't quit your day job and all.

As a person he was great company. Friends with everyone and woke up every day looking to have a good time. One yearly gig we did was a three hours away neighborhood wide garage sale. It was one of the few that paid. After a day of making balloon animals he stood in a chalk circle and I handed kids water balloons and kept the tip jar mostly empty. We made well over $100 each those days.

His backstory is a little more fucked up than the average clown I would guess. His primary networking was AA meetings and back in the 80s he was an alcoholic crackhead living in Detroit sleeping in dumpsters. The dude knew how to hustle. He told me the story of how his daughter had to come up with some cash and the chalk circle and water balloons show(?) outside bars solved her money issues overnight.

He had no formal training so don't get hung up on some expensive day camp. If you have it in you you can be a clown. Getting a degree from a clown college is just a vanity project. A real clown, at least to me, hung out with Joe C watching wrestling and smoking weed while Kid Rock and the rest of the gang partied after shows. Be larger than life and you can be whatever you want to be.

(The following is from my, possibly faulty, personal observation. Take it as you will.)

Clowns are at least 80% mime. If you can convey a message - often a funny one - with only exaggerated actions and facial expressions, I'd say you're well on your way to clowning. They almost never talk and there's a definite shared white face-paint thing going on.

The main talkers seem to be the ones that do kids' birthday parties or ones in "senior" positions in a troupe where it would be funny to imitate a bossy person. They might otherwise allow a shout or mock cry of pain, but rarely use words when they do.

The other 20% is brightly coloured, ill-fitting (usually oversized) clothing, a bigger emphasis on slapstick, and props that make noise.

I've seen mimes perform cheap magic tricks, so that's not exclusive to clowns, but I'd say that was more of a clown thing as well.

There's a whole continuum from mimes to clowns to magicians and back again now that I think about it. Teller of Penn and Teller fits somewhere around the "back again" part. And Harpo Marx was basically a clown without the face-paint.

"Baskets" is an excellent documentary series about becoming a clown (jk)

I once knew a guy who attended a proper clown school in Berlin. So... Like that I guess?

If you're wanting to do stuff like festivals, you'd probably want to find a clown school.

But doing it as a volunteer, all you really need is a suit, a face, and skills. Juggling, balloon making, card tricks, etc. Then you reach out to facilities and work out the arrangements for a performance. Hospitals can be a tad restrictive about who gets to do shows for pediatric wards, so you'll likely want to try nursing homes first and build up a local rep.

You can also try to hook up with local sideshow type troupes. Clowns aren't always welcome, but you can usually pick up some skills if you're honest about it. The fire performers won't teach you, but jugglers and magicians will usually share some basics as long as you aren't trying to shaft them with it.

Let me get this straight. You ask a question about how to become a clown, but want to avoid jokes and being laughed at?

........you SURE you want to be a clown?

There's really no longer any kind of gatekeeping preventing people from just being a clown. The proof is in the pudding, you are a clown if you can do all the things a professional clown can do. Now turning it into a career you can pay rent with is the real challenging aspect, which is true of most performing arts.

My wife is in a professional dance company that focuses on aerial dance, and has performed around professional clowns in the past. If you want to just busk you don't need anything but skills, but if you want to perform on stage or tour you will need to hook up with some kind of performing arts company or an artist co-op.

Treat it like a business even if its just for the kids. Make a plan where you outline your services, availability and perhaps an applicable work/education history. Then just start asking around, maybe start by asking other clowns in your area about where you can find a gig or where you can find a place for you to get better