Art Work – Joel Jeske – Clown

Joel Jeske knew he wanted to be a clown when he was 12 years old. Now he can make crowds laugh with just the quirk of an eyebrow.

- By Hayley Kim

As a professional clown, Jeske has worked with Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, and Big Apple Circus. He is also an actor, writer, and teacher.

He performs on theater stages and is the associate artistic director of the theater company Parallel Exit in New York City. He has been nominated for three Drama Desk awards, and Variety has called him a masterful performer.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A CLOWN?

When I was 12, I read about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. I was determined to go. Once I got onstage with my first high school play, it was a natural fit. I loved making people laugh. I studied communications in college, specializing in theater and television, and I moved to Chicago after graduation.

I auditioned for everything to get in front of an audience and start creating laughter. I finally got accepted into Clown College in 1996. I have been told Clown College was harder to get into than Harvard. Thousands of people applied my year, and the school accepted 35. After graduation, I was one of 12 clowns who were offered a contract to tour with Ringling Bros. When you run away with the circus, you really run away with the circus.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A CLOWN?

A clown is the audience represented onstage. They are the outsider involved with the story, who turns to the audience and says exactly what everyone is thinking. They are human times 10-a collection of foibles and mistakes that allows the audience to see themselves in the clown's misadventures. Clowns fall into two distinct categories: the white face and the red nose. The white face represents the brain. Their comedy is based on intellect. The red nose represents the heart. Their comedy is based on emotion.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CLOWN?