Circus Information and Clown Schools
Clown School
The clown college that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus established in Sarasota, FL has been closed since the mid-1980's.
However, there is a clown school in the United States:
San Francisco Circus Center
Telephone: (415) 759-8123
http://www.circuscenter.org/index2.html
Circus Resources
Ringling Circus Museum
5401 Bay Shore Road
Sarasota, FL 34243
Telephone--(Education Dept.) (941) 359-7893
The Ringling Circus Museum is part of the Ringling Complex that includes an Art Museum, a historical home, and beautiful grounds. Contact the education department for specific programs. The archives provide reference assistance.
Circus Sarasota
P. O. Box 18636
Sarasota, FL 34276
Telephone: (941) 355-9335
Fax: (941) 355-7978
Circus Sarasota has a strong commitment to education. They provide several education programs: Circus Arts-in-the-Schools, Special education, Summer Education, and a School of Performing Arts.
The National Circus Project
67 Lion Lane
Westbury, NY 11590
Telephone: (516) 334-2123
http://www.nationalcircusproject.com/
This project was founded to reserve and promote the traditional circus arts and skills through education and entertainment. They do in-service projects for teachers and also will do programs in schools. Call for more information.
Circus Minimus
215 West 88th Street # 12
New York, NY 10024
Telephone: (212) 874-3976
Using a circus-theme, this integrated program extends the circus into all aspects of the classroom.
Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus
P. O. Box 127
DeLand, FL 32721-0127
This show provides a teaching unit.
The Big Apple Circus
505 Eighth Avenue, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10018-6505
In the past, the Big Apple Circus has provided fairly detailed lesson plans, complete with performance objectives.
Circus of the Kids
926 Waverly Road
Tallahassee, FL 32312
Circus of the Kids provides one-, two-, and three-week programs in which they teach kids circus skills. Schools using these programs are provided with a curriculum guide so teachers can use the circus theme to teach various disciplines.
Carson & Barnes Circus
P.O. Box J
Hugo, OK 74743
This large Oklahoma based Circus has an interesting web site that includes a number of videos for purchase.
Source:
Email dated 01/21/2004 from Marcy W. Murray Curatorial Assistant Circus Museum & Archives