#circus lore

What is are bad things clowns shouldn't do

hullo!!!

Things you shouldn't do🤔🤔🤔

Well, for one, give their back to the audience for any time longer than what it takes to spin around, but that's just basic acting.

Something Else... whisper. Or small gestures that won't be visibile from afar. Unless it is meant to be hidden, in which case might aswell just go for fake mumbling, Every Move must be Exagerated at Any Moment.

Or try and try again to get one trick right. Rule of three; if you don't get it by the third time, smile and move on. You know what's supposed to happen, but the public doesn't. Save yourself and improvise, Move On.

However i think you might be asking more along the lines of more subtle things. Not mistakes that make a bad clown, but details that send straight to the uncanny valley, yes?

This will be harder, but I'll try to pinn down something.

First thing that cones to mind is reading the room. A good clown always keep an eye out to see how engaged is the public. Are they still laughing after this gag? No? Then I must move on. Have I focused too much on my juggling? When is the last time I met someone's eyes? Never stare too long at the same person, but Always engage. Every few second throw an eye around, smile and nod enthusiastically, act like you're a puppy looking for their favorite human's attention if you must, but keep them engaged. Hardest part of juggling is learning to do it while not looking directly at the tools specifically so that you can look at the people.

Yes, you are the show, but they are the stars.

If you need a volunteer, yes, trying to pick the shy kid hiding behind their parent is fine. But if they don't want to come? Do Not Insist. Move on. Maybe make a fake pick to distract from the kid, like, I dunno, an old man in the back just passing by who looks like he'll just laugh and shake his head? Whatever you have to do to keep the attention from someone that might actually panic under all those eyes. This goes for everyone really, not just for kids. And also, now that you've burned two of your three tries (rule of three!!!), be sure to pick someone overly enthusiastic that there is no way on earth will say no.

While you're joking around (with words OR gestures), If someone, anyone, even just one (1) person looks uncomfortable with what you're doing, redirect immediately. Maybe that guy was fine with you making fun of his mustache, but that person could start to look uncomfortable after you started miming filing your nails because they have very long ones or something? Move. On. No waiting, no testing the waters. Out. If ANYONE stops smiling you are failing. Be fluid, adapt, improvise, do a handstand if you have to but do Not linger.

Moving on.

You know (moment to google the name lol) Quentin Frowney? From steven universe? Mr. Smiley's old partner? He's a good example of using emotions aside from joy to be funny.

Little bit of general clown lore. Red clown & white clown. Right now i can't for the life of me remember which one is which, but in clown duos those are usually the predetermined roles. One to act all serious and no nonsense and make fun of the other, the other impossibly naive, gullible and clumsy. Neither really fakes anything, they just. Dial those traits of themselves up to eleven and higher until it becames absurd and offuscate the rest. Just like frowney and smiley, literally just loke that.

Unless it's for the irony and the audience is meant to see that you're faking, Do not fake an emotion because you think you need to, work around it. Just like those two.

Along that same line, a clown is supposed to be funny, yes, but they also must be having fun while doing it. Want to try to make someone laugh while on the verge of tears? Or maybe try to act boisterous and famboyant for the crowd while stage fright makes you want to curl up and hide? Pardon my french, but, Good fucking luck with THAT!

No one outside of the team can know the exact schedule of the show, someone else can improvise something, but fake it 'til you make it only works if you actually believe you CAN make it. If you can't, Do NOT keep going, yes, the show must go on, but it doesn't have to go on with YOU. A good clown knows their limits.

Starting to get lost here but I think I have something else too...

RIGHT! make mistakes. ALWAYS make mistakes. A clown must NOT be perfect. You want to make a perfect flawless number? Then put down the red nose and join the specialised jugglers/acrobats/equilibrists or something. Leave the goal of perfection OUT of clownery.

Yes, you must be aware of every move you make, those stumbles and tumbles are planned, you always meant to drop the thing twice before getting it right. Yes, the good clown has mastered perfection.

But it must not look this way.

They must act like the fool until it's just the right moment to surprise the audience. Dignity? Don't know it. A clown is going to make a fool of themself abkut 9 times out of 10, they can't afford to fear being laughed at.

What I mean to say is, if you saw someone juggling five clubs flawlessly right away, would you laugh? Or would you be amased? Too busy staring to find it funny?

And if someone came onto the stage, and hit themself on the head with thise same clubs once, twice, shopping and laughing at themself/acting comically frustrated every time, only to ace it at the third try?

The first one might be more nice to look at and more satisfying for the artist, but it's the second one that will have people laughing themselfpves to tears.

Think about it.

Allright, Summary so far. Do not give your back to the people, make sure everyone can see what you're doing, keep things going and do not fixate on One thing, Respect the Rule Of Three, Read the room, keep people engaged, involve the people but do NOT focus on any one person for more than a few second, keep everyone smiling, don't fake emotions but exagerate those already present, Have Fun and make mistakes.

Failing at any one of those pushes the clown further and further from the fun Zone and into the boring, creepy or, stars save you, Scary zone.

Of course, having a solid acrobatic knowledge and lots of experience in at least a couple circus branches is still a requirement, but a lack of these two areas makes more for a lousy clown than a Bad Clown. You lack ability? Ok, still in training then. You can't handle a crowd right? Uhhh i hope you're just still training and not about to steal me into the sewers to eat me alive or something.

Out of the circus members? Probably Frank. His blood is high-pressure all the time. Though, I haven't tried all of them. Trying to feed from E is like biting a rock

Thankfully

It probably just tastes like rat blood

Yeah, you're probably right

Me or them?

Greenie, dumbass. When have I ever agreed with you?

World politics

Don't remember that

You remember everything

SO here’s a crudely made family tree of currently alive or dead characters that I’m willing to reveal!

Importantly:

Marquee, and the blacked out names HAVE NOT BEEN REVEALED IN THE COMIC YET! If you don’t know who they are, don’t worry!

Circusclan 2025

saw some people doing this and it looked like fun!

nightmare blunt rotation