So you want to be a professional clown? Well before you can start entertaining audiences with humor and hijinks, you’ll likely need to impress potential employers during a clown job interview.
Interviewing for clown positions can feel intimidating and unusual compared to traditional job interviews After all, how does one properly prepare for questions about juggling, balloon animals, and pratfalls? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the most common clown interview questions provide sample answers and share expert tips for showcasing your skills. Whether you’re fresh out of clown college or a seasoned vet, these insights will help you put your best red nose forward.
Why Do You Want to Be a Clown?
This question gets to the heart of your motivations. Employers want to know what draws you to this unique career path. Share when you first felt called to clowning. Maybe you always loved making people laugh as a child. Or you had a transformative experience at the circus.
Convey your passion and natural tendencies that suit the profession. Highlight any role models who inspired you. Ultimately, you want to demonstrate this is more than just a job to you. It’s a vocation aligned with your innate talents and interests.
What Special Skills Can You Bring to This Role?
Clowning requires a diverse set of abilities – from physical comedy to balloon artistry. Use this question to highlight your strengths. For example, are you an expert juggler or mime? Maybe you have a knack for magic tricks. Or your background in dance makes you an amazing stilt walker.
Think broadly about your skill set. From music to ventriloquism to acrobatics, share your most impressive talents. Bringing unique abilities to the table can help you stand out. Just make sure whatever you mention aligns with the specific role you’re interviewing for.
How Do You Handle Unruly or Difficult Audiences?
Dealing with challenging crowds comes with the territory in clowning. Share an example of successfully turning around a tough audience. Perhaps you shifted gears into more participatory games. Or injected the situation with an element of surprise or spontaneity.
Emphasize adaptability, quick thinking, and maintaining a professional demeanor. Convey that no matter the audience’s reaction, your job is to promote laughter and joy. This demonstrates you can handle unpredictable environments.
What Safety Measures Do You Take During Performances?
Entertaining audiences comes with risks – from minor trips and falls to dangerous stunts. Be prepared to share rigorous safety protocols you follow. This may include inspecting equipment, designating adequate performance space, learning proper techniques for risky acts, and having emergency protocols in place.
Focus on your duty to keep audiences and fellow performers from harm. Outline experience using safety gear like harnesses for aerial work. Attention to safety precautions shows maturity and responsibility as a clown.
How Do You Generate New Material and Routines?
Clowning requires constant creativity and fresh approaches. Discuss your process for inventing new gags, acts, and characters. Share sources of inspiration – do you brainstorm off the latest viral memes? Turn real-life mishaps into routines?
Highlight an ability to read audiences and customize material accordingly. Provide examples of successfully debuting new material and refining it over time. Proving you can regularly generate entertaining new content will make you a strong candidate.
Share a Time You Quickly Had to Learn a New Skill for a Show
Adaptability is crucial for clowns. Interviewers may ask you to share a time you rapidly picked up a skill just before a show. Perhaps you had one week to learn to juggle after a coworker got injured. Or you filled in with a unicycle routine with minimal practice. Choose a positive example that conveys resourcefulness.
Focus on your preparation process. Discuss practicing intensely, researching proper techniques, and taking guidance from more experienced performers. Share any creative workarounds you used to pull off a successful show. This illustrates how you can tackle the unexpected and deliver.
How Do You Get Into Character Before a Show?
Clowns deeply inhabit their whimsical personas. Give interviewers insight into your process for physically and mentally preparing. Discuss ritual elements like doing your makeup just so and getting into the right headspace. Share focusing exercises you use to slip into character and leave your real-world worries behind.
Convey the preparation you undertake to fully embrace your clown identity. From donning the costume to working yourself into the right wacky mindset, these habits show you truly become the clown. This level of commitment is essential for delivering authentic, engaging performances.
What Education or Training Do You Have in Clowning?
Employers look for formal education like clowning certificates or degrees in circus performing arts. Discuss any programs or schools you’ve attended, along with influential teachers. Share outside workshops, seminars, or online classes too. These demonstrate investment in developing your craft.
Even if you lack formal education, highlight relevant experience like volunteering to entertain hospital patients. Discuss any independent research or mentoring relationships. Convey that you actively seek opportunities to expand your clowning knowledge and abilities. This passion will read as strongly as school credentials.
How Do You Ensure Your Costume and Makeup Are Show Ready?
A clown’s appearance is central to their act. Share how you meticulously prepare your look for performances. Discuss assembling quality costumes and props. Outline makeup routines, including techniques to keep it fixed and touch-up strategies.
Emphasize cleanliness, organization, and maintenance. From proper costume storage to timed rehearsals in full face, convey your habits to keep every detail picture perfect. This discipline regarding your appearance proves you understand its importance to successful clowning.
Share Your Experience Working Birthday Parties and Family Events
Many clowns earn their stripes performing at celebrations for kids. Discuss paid gigs or volunteer work at events like birthdays or school carnivals. Share successes entertaining parents along with children of varying age groups.
Highlight any experience making animal balloons or leading interactive games. Provide examples of winning over temperamental toddlers or joking with skeptical preteens. Proving you can charm both children and caretakers alike will serve you well.
How do you Promote Your Clowning Services and Book Gigs?
Like any small business, clowns must market themselves to prosper. Share how you connect with event hosts and secure bookings. Discuss platforms you leverage like social media,Listing your services with booking agencies.
Highlight any website or branding you maintain to promote your clowning services. Provide examples of networking or self-promotion at community events. Convey an entrepreneurial, self-driven spirit – an essential quality for an independent clown.
What Do You Find Most Rewarding About Clowning?
Clowning
Circus Clown interview questions
FAQ
What skills do you need to be a clown?
What are the duties of a clown?
Who was the first clown ever?
What is clown makeup called?
Are clowns a fad?
Clowns are not horrifying at all; kids love us and are fully amused by the sight of us. The horror element has become a fad, and now they have started to make clowns monsters too! Clowns are portrayed as the saddest people on the planet, and purportedly use laughter to hide behind reality.
How long does makeup last in a clown?
The makeup usually stays put for about two to three hours and then starts to peel off. Mandal (extreme right) and other pro clowns getting ready to clown around. Have you had days when you didn’t want to be a clown but had to work anyway?
Should you ask unconventional job interview questions?
While many traditional job interview questions are still necessary to determine their experience and skills, it’s good to mix things to get a complete picture of a potential employee. As a candidate, you should look into unconventional job interview questions to be prepared to think on your feet.
