Former Ringling Bros. clown will perform 1-man show at New Hazlett Theater
May 1—Mike Perry just wanted to have fun when he was growing up in Buffalo. He found a unicycle and taught himself to ride it at the age of 12. Later, a friend taught him how to juggle, and he thought that was fun too.
He couldn't have guessed that it would lead him to be accepted at age 19 into the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, which trained more than 1,400 clowns between 1968 and its closure in 1997. Perry was also among the small number of graduates offered a job with the international touring circus.
"Clowns, circus and vaudeville were still a big part of the Americana tradition," Perry said.
By the time the school closed in the late 1990s, however, the American clown as an archetype had taken on a darker aspect, due in no small part to the massive success of horror author Stephen King's "It," which featured as its villain a monster that frequently uses classic clown attire to disguise itself.
It was difficult for Perry to understand because the antagonists of King's other novels didn't have that effect on society.
"People read 'Christine' and they still drive cars," he said. "They read 'Cujo' and still wanted a dog. Why clowns? The guy who taught us, Lou Jacobs, came from the World War II era, and his face was on a 1963 postage stamp. There was Red Skelton, Carol Burnett, Soupy Sales, and that's all gone now."
Perry, who now lives in Forest Hills, will explore what has befallen clowning in a one-man show presented by Prime Stage Theatre, "Saving Face: Memoir of Circus Clown," which will take place at 7 p.m. May 6 at the New Hazlett Theater on Pittsburgh's North Side.
In addition to graduating from clown college, Perry also went on to earn a master's degree in elementary education and has taught storytelling to students at the University of Pittsburgh, Carlow University and to teachers at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
Perry said his education background helps inform his stage performances.
"Storytelling is really steeped in myths and fairy tales," he said. "There's something about fairy tales that keeps them being told, and you have to wonder why. With this show, I can take what I do as a clown and as a storyteller. And doing it live means you can incorporate body language and a persona."
Perry will present his show with the set of New Hazlett's current production, "Witness for the Prosecution" as his backdrop.
"It's a courtroom setting," he said. "So the audience can kind of be the judge and jury and decide if the concept of clowns is being persecuted or prosecuted, if you will. I'm thrilled with the opportunity."
"Saving Face: Memoir of a Circus Clown," will be at 7 p.m. May 6 at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East in Pittsburgh.
Tickets are $17 for students and $27 for adults, and are available by calling 412-320-4610, ext. 10. Reserve tickets online at TinyURL.com/4n8455rr.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
