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Clown College
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College (originally located in Venice, Florida, then relocated to Baraboo, Wisconsin and finally Sarasota, Florida) trained around 1,400 clowns in the "Ringling style" from its 1968 founding until its 1997 closure. History Clown College was the brainchild of Irvin Feld, the owner of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and longtime Ringling clown and front man Bill Ballantine. In 1968, Ringling had only a handful of clowns, most of them over fifty years of age. It was clear that these performers wouldn't be able to go on forever. But there was a dearth of suitable replacements at that time. So Feld decided to create a school to train a new generation in this ancient art form. Feld also saw the potential public relations opportunity in having a place that could become the Mecca of clowning in America. In addition, he wanted to use the school as another way of keeping his show more attractive to audiences than his competition, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irvin Feld
Irvin Feld (April 19, 1918 – September 6, 1984) was a business entrepreneur who built a chain of record stores, promoted rock groups, produced concerts involving some of the biggest names in popular music. He was also the head of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and founder of Feld Entertainment. He was a music promoter who is credited with discovering Paul Anka. Biography Feld was born on April 19, 1918 in Hagerstown, Maryland to Russian-Jewish immigrants. Following high school, in 1938 he and his brother opened a drugstore on Seventh Street NW in Washington DC. Records proved big-sellers at the store. He later opened Super Music City record stores, and eventually branched out into producing both his own records and his own live concerts. After ten years as one of several national promoters for the Ringling Circus, Feld, along with his brother Israel Feld and Houston Judge Roy Hofheinz, bought the circus on November 11, 1967, for $8 million. In 1968, he began the Rin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarasota Opera House
The Sarasota Opera House (originally the Edwards Theatre) is an historic theatre, now opera house, located at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The building was the vision of A.B. Edwards, the first mayor of Sarasota. It opened on April 10, 1926, with a three-story entrance containing eight shops on the ground floor, 12 offices on the second floor, and 12 furnished apartments on the third. The theatre's auditorium contained an orchestral pipe organ. As noted on the Sarasota Opera's website, the ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' hailed Edwards for "having admitted Sarasota into a fairyland of costly decoration, rich furnishings and never to be forgotten artistry." The building was designed by Roy A. Benjamin in the Mediterranean Revival Style Architecture and constructed by the GA Miller Construction Company. The theatre is the home of the Sarasota Opera Association, Inc., which owns the building. The Association is the parent body that runs the Sarasota Opera. The house con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clown Alley
The clown alley in a circus is a wiktionary:backstage, backstage area, usually very near the animal pens, where clowns change into their costumes and apply makeup. Generally, the clowns' personal Theatrical property, props, costumes, and other items are stored in this area as well. Clown alley was usually very close to the Big Top tents, along the side like an alley, so the clowns could get in and out quickly. If the circus show had some problem with a performance, the Ringmaster (circus), ringmaster could yell out "Clowns Allez" meaning “Clowns Go!” Today, most clowns do not use tents for dressing and make up, as travel trailer or motor homes are used. The term has also come to mean any professional grouping of clowns, in general, regardless of whether or not they are affiliated with a circus or carnival. In Clowns of America International, "clown alley" is the name given to individual chapters, which function similarly to a union. A Clown Alley Local will co-ordinate social ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Irwin
William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He has made a number of appearances on film and television, and he won a Tony Award for his role in ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' on Broadway. He is also known as Mr. Noodle on the ''Sesame Street'' segment '' Elmo's World'', has appeared in the ''Sesame Street'' film short ''Does Air Move Things?'', regularly appeared as a therapist on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', and had a recurring role as "The Dick & Jane Killer" on ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. From 2017 to 2019, he appeared as Cary Loudermilk on the FX television series ''Legion''. Early life Irwin was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Elizabeth (née Mills), a teacher, and Horace G. Irwin, an aerospace engineer. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1974 and atte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of animated short films, produced by Warner Bros. Though an early iteration of the character first appeared in the WB cartoon ''Porky's Hare Hunt'' (1938) and a few subsequent shorts, the definitive characterization of Bugs Bunny is widely credited to have debuted in Tex Avery's Oscar-nominated film ''A Wild Hare'' (1940). Bob Givens is credited for Bugs' initial character design, though Robert McKimson is credited for what became Bugs' definitive design just a few years later. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray and white rabbit or hare who is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality. He is also characterized by a Brooklyn accent, his portrayal as a trickster, and his catch phrase "Eh...What's up, doc?". Due ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wile E
Wile may refer to: People * John Wile (born 1947), English football player and manager * Matt Wile (born 1992), American football player Arts, entertainment, and media * WILE (AM), a radio station (1270 AM) licensed to Cambridge, Ohio, United States * WILE-FM, a radio station (97.7 FM) licensed to Byesville, Ohio, United States * Wile E. Coyote, a character of Looney Tunes Other uses * M. Wile and Company Factory Building, in Buffalo, NY, USA * Wile Cup, a croquet trophy initiated at the University of British Columbia See also * * While (other) While is an English word indicating duration or simultaneity. While may also refer to: * Chris While (born 1956), British singer-songwriter * Kellie While (born 1976), British singer-songwriter * While loop In most computer programming langua ... * Wiles (other) {{Disambiguation, callsign ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared over the act's run (with only three active at any given time): Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz) and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg) were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run and the pivotal "third stooge" was played by (in order of appearance) Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz), Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz), Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser, and "Curly Joe" DeRita. The act began in the early 1920s as part of a vaudeville comedy act billed as "Ted Healy and His Stooges", consisting originally of Ted Healy and Moe Howard. Over time, they were joined by Moe's brother, Shemp Howard, and then Larry Fine. The four appeared in one feature film, '' Soup to Nuts'', before Shemp left to pursue a solo career. He was replace ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression that earned him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton's "extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929" when he "worked without interruption" as having made him "the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies". In 1996, ''Entertainment Weekly'' recognized Keaton as the seventh-greatest film director, and in 1999 the American Film Institute ranked him as the 21st-greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema. Working with independent producer Joseph M. Schenck and filmmaker Edward F. Cline, Keaton made a series of successful two-reel comedies in the early 1920s, including ''One Week'' (1920), '' The Playhouse'' (1921), '' Cops'' (1922), and ''The Electric House'' (1922). He then moved to feature-leng ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the film industry's most important figures. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy. Chaplin's childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship. His father was absent and his mother struggled financially — he was sent to a workhouse twice before age nine. When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum. Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls and later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19, he was signed to the Fred Karno company, which took him to the United States. He was scouted for the film industry and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. He soon de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mime Artist
A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a theatrical medium or as a performance art. In earlier times, in English, such a performer would typically be referred to as a mummer. Miming is distinguished from silent comedy, in which the artist is a character in a film or skit without sound. Jacques Copeau, strongly influenced by Commedia dell'arte and Japanese Noh theatre, used masks in the training of his actors. His pupil Étienne Decroux was highly influenced by this, started exploring and developing the possibilities of mime, and developed corporeal mime into a highly sculptural form, taking it outside the realms of naturalism. Jacques Lecoq contributed significantly to the development of mime and physical theatre with his training methods. As a result of this, the practice of mime has been includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stilt Walking
Stilts are poles, posts or pillars that allow a person or structure to stand at a height above the ground. In flood plains, and on beaches or unstable ground, buildings are often constructed on stilts to protect them from damage by water, waves or shifting soil or sand. Stilts for walking have platforms for the feet and may be strapped to the user's legs. Stilts have been used for many hundreds of years.''Les Echasseurs Namurois''. (visited 2008-03-11) Types 
Hand-held [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juggling
Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object or many objects at the same time, most often using one or two hands but also possible with feet. Jugglers often refer to the objects they juggle as ''props''. The most common props are balls, clubs, or rings. Some jugglers use more dramatic objects such as knives, fire torches or chainsaws. The term ''juggling'' can also commonly refer to other prop-based manipulation skills, such as diabolo, plate spinning, devil sticks, poi, cigar boxes, contact juggling, hooping, yo-yo, and hat manipulation. Etymology The words ''juggling'' and ''juggler'' derive from the Middle English ''jogelen'' ("to entertain by performing tricks"), which in turn is from the Old French '' jangler''. There is also the Late Latin form ''joculare'' of Latin ''jocu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
