Their driver’s licenses may identify them as Leonard Quan, Veronica Champion, Chaim Silverstein Fisher, Sandy Sopher and Hash Helmi.
But after graduating from the Laguna Woods Senior Clown Alley Clown College, this diverse group morphed into Roli Poli, Patty Cake, Cheesecake, Twinkles and Speedee, respectively.
The transformation didn’t come suddenly: During 12 weeks of intense classes on topics such as clown history, clown makeup, clown costumes and clown accessories, the group also honed their skills at telling jokes, doing walk-around gags and making clown magic. They mastered puppetry, face painting and a variety of skits and skills in between, along with creating the ubiquitous balloon dogs.
“The guiding challenge was to firmly develop their clown character in their hearts,” said instructor Margo Bender. “First it may come naturally and they just don’t know how to express it. The secret is giving themselves permission to be silly and enjoy.”
A clown for seven years now, Bender, aka Curly Q, chose her clown moniker after looking in the mirror.
“We were told to pick something easy to say and remember. I have extremely curly hair, so that was easy,” she said. “Everyone has a clown name; a lot of us don’t even know each other’s real names.”
Bender puts the current clown base at 40 members, ranging in age from 55 to 80. Then there’s clown Nutzy Klutzy, who is 100.
If age is no barrier, neither is physical ability: Roli Poli has been in a wheelchair for 45 years.
“He has a heart of laughs and laughter,” Bender said.
Clown Cheesecake is visually and hearing impaired.
“Things just take a little longer sometimes,” Bender said,
All aspiring clowns in the Laguna Woods must go through the college, meeting weekly for two hours and studying a 90-page manual that covers the entire curriculum.
“What’s funny is really quite serious,” Bender said.
At the end, the group was ready to perform five graduation skits and show much of what they had learned.
The Senior Clown Alley, part of the retirement community for 23 years, spreads cheer at a variety of venues, including Camp Pendleton picnics and other events for the camp’s service members, and invitations to the Orange County Firefighters Association’s family picnics come regularly. The group performs at assisted living facilities in the area and is available for bookings at church events, individual birthday parties and family fests.
Clowns are becoming increasingly rare at events, Bender said.
“People react with smiles. They are surprised to see clowns. After all, Ringling Brothers has only one clown, and Cirque du Soleil has ‘comedians.’ Clowns used to be lots of places …, ” she said, her voice trailing off.
“Our group is close with each other, which makes clowning even better. We don’t just like being a clown, but we like each other,” she said.
Wanna be a clown? The group puts out flyers in October and the college starts in January.
“All of our recruitment is by word of mouth and by flyer,” Bender said.
Meetings are the second Wednesday of every month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Clubhouse 1.
For more information, call 949-339-7841.
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