17
University Daily Kansan, August 28, 1981
Spare time
Ringling Brothers send in the clowns
BY JANICE GUNN Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
If a clown wants to be in "The Greatest Show
In Earth's history he must be his amazing genius.
Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., turned into a three-ring circus yesterday as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Ballie Circus held trophies for clowns. Four-year-old Eric Kearney of Shawnee, right, watches the auditions of Clown College candidates. In the top photo, Ringling Brothers clowns demonstrate how to clown around.
on Earth, "he has to take his clowning seriously.
All Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey
circum clowns are well-trained clowns with
degrees. They are graduates of Clown College, where they "make
clowning a career," as their school slogan
claims.
Amateur clowns, ranging in age from four to 33, came to Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., yesterday to audition for a chance to attend Clown College.
The circus will be in Kansas City from Friday through Saturday for afternoon and evening
The Venice, Fla., college, which offers a nine-week program, teaches its students how to act slyly, but with skill. They take classes such as French and Spanish, study unicycles and roll globes to paint their acts.
The amateurs were told to enter ring Two, tell their names, give their reasons for wanting to be clowns and then act as if they split their pants. They were not acting this way solely for amusement. They were competing among themselves and with the 5,000 other applicants to college that lining Bingham receives each year. The circus accepts only 60 clowning students.
One contestant, Kim Hawkins, 18, said that she had tried out last year in her hometown, St. Louis, where she works as a clown in a restaurant. She made a six-hour drive yesterday for another chance to become a professional clown.
"I'll try out every year until I'm 90 years old."
Bawnski said. "If you think the wiresight is tight,
Hawkins has also done birthday parties, singing telegrams and a toga party where she jugged an olive, a wreath and a martini all at the same time.
Like Hawkins, the other clowns in the arena have a background of clowning and making people laugh.
Tammy and Tom Parish, a husband and wife clowning team in charge of the auditions, together have been making people laugh since junior high school in Neodesha.
A group of about 12 children would ride unicycles around the neighborhood, Tammy Pike.
A friend's parent used to take them to the court, and the clowns were always her favorite parties.
A 1979 graduate of Clown College, she said, "I don't think I could do more rewarding job. I always want to work."
The director of clowns, Frosty Little, said that most of the people who auditioned for the circus had stars in their eyes and failed to realize how hard Ringling Brothers' clowns worked.
"No matter what you tell them, they see starlight and cotton candy spangles," Frosty said. "They want to be in the Greatest Show on Earth."
Frosty has been in circuses in 1955 and had his own carnival show for four years. He said that it took him four or five years as an apprentice to develop his own act.
He has been with the Ringling Brothers for 14 years and said it was by far the most hardworking and demanding show he has ever done.
The circus does 13 performances a week, and in each show the clown change their costumes
"I'm looking for physically fit people who are quick to adapt to anything," he said.
"Good timing and an excellent attitude also are necessary. I broke four rihs one because of her pain."
As he motioned toward the crowd of circus actors, he said, "These people live on a train.
like to have them all 21 years old or older. It
someone who won't be crying out for
mother.
After the auditions, Frosty was pleased with the attorneys who tried out. He said it was a gd cd crown.
He said that he might use a few of them next week in Florida, when he would join the other 21 players.
"They sleep light and eat a lot of junk food. We
He planned to leave Kansas City Sunday night after the circus' last show, but he said he would fly, not take the train.
Arts calendar
Music
The Clocks, a rock band, will perform at the Lawrence Opera House tonight and tomorrow at 10:15 p.m. Tonight's admission is $2.00 for students and students and $2.50 general admission.
and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. No admission charge.
The Kansas State Fiddling and Picking
States will begin at noon Sunday,
in South Carolina.
Art
Joseph Pennell's collection of photographs depicting life in Junction City between 1894 and 1930 on display through Sept. 20 in the White Gallery at the Spencer Museum. No admission charities.
A collection of paintings by feminist artist Miriam Schaprio will be on display in the Press Gallery of the Spencer Museum of Art at 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Fiddlers, pickers to compete in South Park this Sunday
The Neon Man, a display of abstract neon sculptures by William Shipman, will be on display in the Kansas Union Gallery through Sept. 7. No admission charge.
The Kansan invites announcements of local entertainment events to be included in the weekly Arts Calendar. Announcements should be submitted to the entertainment editor by noon on the Wednesday before they are to run.
By CYNTHIA HRENCHIR
Staff Reporter
A little bit of Arkansas will be in Lawrence's South Park Sunday when the fiddles, banjos and bluegrass bands of local musicians will host the State Fiddling and Picking Championships.
"We expect 70 to 80 people to compete," said Jack Armstrong, the championship's master of ceremonies. "And a lot of people come. Last year we had an audience of 500."
The competition will begin at noon and will include traditional fidding, guitar and banjo playing and folk singing. For the first time, the competition will be introduced into the championships.
This year the name was changed from the Douglas County Championships to Kansas State College.
bit," said Armstrong. "There are other state competitions, like the Old Fiddlers' state championship. But to compete in them you have to belong to the organization."
There is no fee to enter this championship and no prior registration.
"We thought we would open the competition a
"Everyone registers at noon before the championships begin," Armstrong said. "The money for the contest was raised by individual and commercial contributions."
Judging will be done "blind." That means that judges will not see who is playing or singing until they are ready.
Most contestants will perform two songs. Fiddlers perform three selections: a waltz, a hoedown and a song of their choice.
Contestants in the folk singing competition will have a six-minute time limit.
DRINK UP
For Muscular Dvstrophy
70 Kegs
Saturday, August 29th—8:00 p.m.
Delta Upsilon Parking Lot
Tickets available at party
Party concludes the
DU 1st Annual M.D.A. Football Tournament
Games Thursday and Friday at 4 p.m.
Championship games on Saturday at 3:00 and 4:30 p.m.
23rd and Iowa
Need a solution to the career mystery?
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• Associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs offered—and nondegree board-related staffs also welcome.
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For more information, contact the administration of justice coordinator in room 4C of Lippincott Hall (oil Green Hall)
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