Send in the Clowns : Humanitarian Clowning in Crisis Zones

Send in the Clowns presents interviews with twenty-four pioneering humanitarian and activist clowns and thought leaders working in hospitals, refugee camps, orphanages and war zones, and at the sites of street protests and locations of social unrest across the world. This book is built around interviews with some of the world’s leading practitioners of clowning for change, justice, and health outside of the entertainment mainstream, featuring artists and organizations including Patch Adams (US), the Dream Doctors Project (Israel), Clown Me In (Lebanon), and Doutores da Alegria (Brazil). Situating the topic in relation to indigenous and ritual clowning, investigating the various functions of the clown in early societies, and centering the discourse around interviews with key practitioners, the book explores a wide range of clown applications across the globe. This includes the special significance of the clown archetype in socially, politically, and culturally challenging situations, the successes and challenges of the art activists who are at the forefront of this movement, and the modern humanitarian clown’s relationship to original forms of clowning that can be traced back through history. This is a vital resource for anyone studying, teaching, or practicing clown work in applied contexts, from health care to conflict resolution. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page CONTENTS Acknowledgments Preface The Clown as Healer: A Brief History of the Humanitarian Clown PART I: The Medical Clowns 1. Patch Adams: Gesundheit! Institute 2. Michael Christensen: Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit 3. Karen McCarty, Deborah Kaufmann, Dina Paul-Parks, Jon Luongo: Healthy Humor 4. Caroline Simonds: Le Rire Médecin 5. Tsour Shriqui: The Dream Doctors Project 6. David “Dush” Barashi: The Dream Doctors Project 7. Giora Seeliger: Red Noses International 8. Wellington Nogueira: Doutores da Alegria 9. Raquel Gendry: Narices Rojas 10. Sheetal Agarwal: Clownselors 11. Jean-Louis Lokossou: Association of Africa Clowns Photo Gallery PART II: Clowns at the Edge 12. Naomi Shafer: Clowns Without Borders USA 13. Moshe Cohen: Clowns Without Borders USA 14. Ash Perrin: The Flying Seagull Project 15. Jan Tomasz Rogola: Doctor Clown 16. Sabine Choucair: Clown Me In 17. Hiroyuki Shirai: Angels of Saturday 18. Jed Selter: Caring Clowns International 19. Marietou Thiam: Sencirk PART III: Truth to Power 20. Robyn Hambrook: Nomadic Rebel Clown Academy 21. Hilary Ramsden: Nomadic Rebel Clown Academy 22. Jennifer Miller: Circus Amok 23. Arturo Gaskins: Circo Nacional de Puerto Rico 24. Jay Jordan: Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army Reflection Appendix of Terms Index