Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College
Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Clown College (Venice, Florida) trained around 1,400 clowns in the Ringling style from 1968 to 1997.
Irvin Feld of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey opened the school because the number of clowns were dwindling. Kenneth Feld, Irving Feld's son, closed the school because there were enough graduates to fill their Ringling's need.
Thirty students were allowed into each year's class.
The school was free eight-week course. Students would work together 8 1/2 hours a day, and prepare for the "Big Show," basically and audition for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Alumni
Instructors
- Bill Irwin
- Jim Donlon
Directors
- Danny Chapman
- Bill Ballantine
- Ron Severini