Section 3: What is a Caring Clown? 

A Brief History of Clowning

Clowns, also known as jesters, fools and tricksters, have existed and been involved with the healing process for thousands of years.  These characters have injected comic relief into serious and/or tragic situations to help people regain balance and perspective.

Clowns have been used in religious and/or traditional ceremonies to allow the congregation or audience to forget their daily hassles and petty concerns in order to promote a much deeper, more meaningful religious experience

Jesters, also known as court fools, have been noted as far back as Egyptian Pharaohs and the Roman Empire.  Sometimes, the jester was the only one in the King’s court who was allowed to poke fun at the king and to express his true opinion without fear of being beheaded.  His cleverness, insight and biting wit helped the king remain in touch with his human-ness.

During the Middle Ages, jesters joined with the medicine doctors who traveled from town to town and even to palaces to sell all sorts of miracle cures.  They were employed to joke and tumble, opening the people’s hearts in order to help the medicine doctors open people’s pocket books and perhaps to set in motions what we now term the “placebo” or “self-healing” effect.

Jumping ahead a number of years, the first show to feature clowns as the central characters was the Commedia Dell’Arte (Comedy of Arts) in the 1500’s.  Two types of fool-jesters emerged from the Commedia Dell’Arte.  The first, a harlequin, was a trickster.  The harlequin was always playing tricks on the second, a bumbler, also known as a zanni, who was forever falling for these tricks.  It is from this Italian comedy that fool-jesters evolved into what we know today as the Whiteface and Auguste clowns.

In a modern day circus, clowns often appear between high wire and ferocious animal acts.  The audience sits there, eyes opened wide and glued to the high wire, back arched, neck strained, stomach muscles tight, fists clenched, and breath held in anticipation.  As the tight rope walker makes it to the other side, in rush the clowns providing giggles and laughter as they perform their silly antics.  People relax their backs and necks as they shift their position and focus on watching the clowns on the ground in the ring.   The audience often claps their hands and squints their eyes in delight as they smile.  Their stomach muscles and hands relax as they laugh and unwind.  Then, just as quickly as the clowns rushed in, they rush out of the ring and the next high-tension act, the lion tamer and his lions begins.

Joseph Grimaldi was one of the most well known and well-loved clowns of all times.  Grimaldi was so talented that clowns are lovingly called “Joeys” to this day.  Grimaldi was also so famous that his visit to the doctor has become clown folklore.  The famous Grimaldi had been feeling ill for quite some time and began to feel down hearted as well.  He decided to go to his doctor to be checked out.  The doctor, who did not recognize Grimaldi out of costume, told him to relax and go to a theater.  He also advised that it would be best for the ill man to watch that white-faced Grimaldi fellow who would certainly make him laugh and feel better.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of clowning, two good books are Patty Wooten’s Compassionate Laughter: Jest for Your Health, and George Speaight’s The Book of Clowns.

Caring Clowns

Clowns have been perceived throughout centuries as entertainers.  Often when people think of entertainers, they think of famous individuals or groups who have special skills or talents such as acting skills or vocal talents.  However, in Webster’s Dictionary, the word entertain means "to hold the attention of.”  Nothing is said about specific skills or talents.  Clowns, although typically skilled and talented, do not need to be so in order to entertain as a clown.  A clown is often seen as a figure who stands out from the crowd - whether this be a circus clown, a comedian, or a class clown.  Often the public sees a clown dressed in brightly colored clothing with make-up that exaggerates his or her facial features.  The clown is a fantasy figure who can be strange, weird or exciting.  Individual clowns, however, have very different personalities.  There are speaking and non-speaking clowns, clever or silly clowns, happy and sad clowns, just to name a few.

Clowns that visit facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes were named  “Caring Clowns” by Richard Snowberg (1992).  Caring clowns engage in therapeutic clowning with an emphasis on the relationship with their audience.  They typically have a special audience of people who are experiencing some sort of pain.  This may be a physical condition brought about by illness or injury or old age, or it may be a psychological or emotional pain.  Caring clowns also visit people who have experienced a loss or are feeling lonely.  Their audiences range from hospitalized patients of all ages, to senior citizens in nursing homes, to homeless families in shelters, to children at camps for kids with cancer.  Often times these clowns are found defusing someone's anxiety or depression or clowning with people with specific physical, emotional, social or spiritual needs.

Shobhana Schwebke, editor of the Hospital Clown Newsletter, mentioned that caring clowns are still considered a new aspect of clowning that is still evolving.  She thinks that while the term “Caring Clown” fits, all clowns should be caring.  She also stated that while the term “Hospital Clown” is appropriate for clowns who work in hospitals, it does not cover clowns who also go to nursing homes or to disaster sites and that there must be another name out there that includes this type of clown. 

Caring clowns are not necessarily loud and funny.  While humor plays a role, it often is a quiet one.  Caring clowns abide by the same high standards and guidelines as circus or other professional clowns.  There is a “Clown Code of Ethics” which must be followed (see Appendix B).  It is important for these clowns to be neatly dressed and made up, non-threatening and on their best behavior because caring clowns are often ‘up close and personal’ with their audience.  In his book, The Caring Clowns, Snowberg also mentions that caring clowns have immense power and can often act as a key to open emotional doors that are impossible for other family, friends, or health care professionals to access.

While circus clowns are often loud, boisterous and bold, caring clowns, in contrast, are much calmer and quieter.  Effective caring clowns are sensitive and possess good listening skills.  Caring clowns need to be skilled at reading non-verbal body language in order to read the cues that will help determine their patient's reactions to the clown's presence as well as the cues that indicate the time to exit. 

The overarching goals of the caring clown are to provide a person with momentary relief from personal burdens and to stimulate his or her will to live.  In order to do this, caring clowns attempt to distract patients from their problems, to help them to forget their pain, whether physical or emotional, to inspire joy, and to offer the patient an opportunity to participate in, or to just watch, some silliness.

A caring clown asks nothing of his or her audience, not laughter, a smile or a thank you.  Caring clowns have a desire to serve and often derive a deep satisfaction of their own from visiting someone in need.  Caring clowns attempt to work in harmony with the patient and health care providers.  The purpose of a caring clown visit is to bring warmth and cheer, provide relief from the monotony, show that someone cares, and to decrease the stress experienced by the patient and members of the patient’s family and staff.

Similar to a circus clown, the caring clown shapes or molds his or her appearance and actions to his or her audience’s needs or wishes.  However, while success is measured by the applause, laughter and groans produced by the audience at the circus, caring clowns are more interested in helping people to temporarily put aside or forget their problems and pains than in generating laughter and applause.  Often a smile, a tear or a timid thank-you is enough to let the caring clown know that he or she has succeeded.  Sometimes, caring clowns will not know the effect they have had on a person unless a caretaker or nurse informs them of the outcome of their visit.   This effect can be beyond measure.