ABSTRACT
In Chapter 4, Slava Polunin's suggestion, that the role of the clown is to challenge invisible cultural boundaries, is amplified by a conversation the author recorded two years later with clowns Mike Funt and David Bridel. Tracking and reflecting on the development of their careers as both performers and teachers—Funt discussing, in particular, his experience working as a clown in crisis zones and Bridel discussing the founding of The Clown School in LA—both emphasised the importance of a pared down, primarily gestural vocabulary. It is the clown's interest in clearly conveying emotion, Funt and Bridel suggest, that allows unspoken truths to be communicated across barriers of language, culture, and individual experience.
