
- 186 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Slapstick comedy is the primary mode of performance for clowns, and in Serious Play, drama scholar Louise Peacock explores the evolution Ā over the past fifty years of this unique brand of physical comedy. Though an analysis of clowning in a range of settingsātheaters, circuses, hospitals, refugee camps, and churchesāPeacock offers a framework for the evaluation of clowning, and she examines the therapeutic potential of the comedic performance. This is the first book to consider clowning venues and styles in light of play theory, including comparisons of traditional clown comedy and contemporary circuses like Cirque du Soleil. A distinctive study, Serious Play also provides authoritative definitions of clowns and clown performance styles that establishes a critical vocabulary for clowning performance.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction ā Play: Serious and Frivolous
- Chapter 1. Clowns and Clown Play
- Chapter 2. The Development of the Circus Clown: Frame and Content
- Chapter 3. Clowns on Stage
- Chapter 4. Clowns who Act: Actors who Clown
- Chapter 5. The Truth Tellers: Clowns in Religion and Politics
- Chapter 6. Clown Healers
- Conclusion: The Centrality of Play in Clowning
- Clown Index
- References
- Index