Have you ever looked at a clown and thought, “How does one become a clown?”
For Madi White, that journey began when she went to the circus for the first time as a child.
“I think the first time I really fell in love, [as] for many clowns, is the first time you go to the circus, and then everything after that, I was just kind of chasing it,” she said. “[I] was very fortunate to be going to WSU for performance, and I … went from a BFA to a BA to take this clown class. …I had to do it.”
As soon as White put on the makeup and assumed the persona, she felt something click.
“The very first time I was a clown. I bombed so hard, I was so bad, but I loved it,” she said.
“There was just something. I think it was the first time that as a performer, I wasn't just putting on a role or pretending to be someone else, but I was able to create as myself, and that was a huge trajectory for me and the way that I create today.”
That was nearly 10 years ago. Ever since, White has spread her love for the art form by traveling and performing. After a stint on the road, she began passing on what she’s learned.
“There's a lot of really great comedic performers and a lot of really incredible creators in Wichita, but there wasn't a clown community,” she said. “So I just kind of wanted to share all of the information and everything that I was gaining outside of Wichita and bring it back.”
White has taught at WSU and has held seminars around town. Earlier this year, she put on a showcase at Harvester Arts, called Clown Jam, so her students could demonstrate what they’d been working on.
“It really does feel like there’s starting to be like a clown core here in Wichita,” she said. “We're spreading the sickness, is what it feels like.”
White understands why some people may fear clowns, but she wants to highlight the gentler side of clowning.
“I think it's the makeup. It's very ‘Uncanny Valley,’ and has a lot to do with American horror as well,” she said. “We've done a really good job of making clowns scary. … But I think there's a whole other world of clowning out there that's very soft and therapeutic.
“The beautiful thing about a clown is that it could be absolutely anything,” she said. “What you'll usually get in a clown performance is a fool who comes out and isn't afraid to be seen and, in turn, makes you feel incredibly seen. … It's a shared human experience where we come to a clown show to watch a clown fail. But they try anyway, which I think is the reason why we love them so much.”
For those interested in clowning as an art form, White has some advice about how you can get your big red shoes through the door.
“Take as many clowning classes as you can. And if you don't like the first one you take, take another one, because there's a lot of different clown philosophies and a lot of different clown teachers.”
White’s passion helps fulfill a childhood dream and keeps an age-old art form alive for a new generation.
“One of my biggest regrets in life is not running away with the circus sooner. But I think in my own way, I'm just doing it in a different, I guess, smaller, smaller escape. I'm joining other little circuses as I go along.”
The next Clown Jam will take place February 7th at Harvester Arts.
