Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College (Originally located in Venice, Florida, then relocated to Sarasota, Florida) trained around 1,400 clowns in the "Ringling style" from 1968 to 1997.

Clown style

The particular "Ringling Style" of clowning taught at Clown College was rooted in the "American" type of clown performance, with an accent towards broad and slapstick type humor, as opposed to the "European" approach which was typically more stylized and elegant. Because of the "three ring" configuration of the Ringling show, and the bigger arenas that were needed to present such an attraction, audiences were larger and many patrons sat in balconies or upper decks, far above the action. In order to reach the people in every area of these larger arenas, clowns on the Ringling show had to design their make up to be seen at a distance, and use their props and clear physical movements to show the audience what was happening during a gag, no matter where in the house they were seated. The training given here was tailor made for the Ringling show, but could be transferred to other circus styles.

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