Serious Play: Modern Clown Performance
by Louise Peacock (Author)
Slapstick comedy is the primary mode of performance for clowns, and in Serious Play, drama scholar Louise Peacock explores the evolution over the past fifty years of this unique brand of physical comedy. Though an analysis of clowning in a range of settings—theaters, circuses, hospitals, refugee camps, and churches—Peacock 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.
About the Author
Louise Peacock is a lecturer in drama at the University of Hull.
Product Details
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Intellect Ltd (July 15, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1841502413
ISBN-13: 978-1841502410
Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.5 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)