It's OK to Clown Around in Class

Mr. Blue will teach children fine art of being a clown

By Ann Griffith
Staff writer

Mr. Blue loves being a clown. This summer he will pass on his enthusiasm and expertise through a class for children at Conejo Community Center in Thousand Oaks.

The clown from Camarillo has performed many times at the center, said center supervisor Scott Engel, who asked Blue to teach.

"A lot of kids would really like to learn what it takes," Engel said. "It's just something different. Kids in the summer are willing to try new things."

Mr. Blue - Randall J. Harold - has been teaching privately for years. He has taught at the Conejo Community Center before, in the 1980s.

"It's gonna be a blast," Harold said. "We'll try to cram as much as we can in."

The class, open to ages 6 through 10, will be offered from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Fridays at the center. It will begin with a history of clowns and an explanation of the many types of personas.

Mr. Blue is a hobo clown, a depression-era wanderer with frayed clothes and a melancholy demeanor. The character has more range than some other styles, such as the exuberant "white face" that's always happy.

Harold will work with students to develop their own clown characters based on their interests.

In the past, one student decided to be a granny clown because she liked to bake. Another, who liked sports, was a football-player clown.

"I'll find out what the personality of the child is, what they do in school," he said.

Students also will learn to fall safely and how to style and apply their own makeup.

"I'll teach them how to walk," Harold said. "Every clown has a style."

Children will even learn to juggle.

Harold got started as a clown when he was a drama student, when a parent hired him to perform at a children's birthday party. He didn't know how to be a clown and spent the weekend researching in the library.

The event went OK, and he's been performing for children ever since. He dresses up and makes balloon animals, which he will also teach to students. Recently he played a patriotic clown for a post-Memorial Day event at Conejo Creek Park. Harold also continues to act in the theater.

Historically, clowns were used at circuses for emergencies, to distract the crowd if a performer was injured. Harold is saddened by the use of clowns, which he says are supposed to cheer people up, in horror movies.

"The children need mentors and positive personalities," he said.

GOING HOME: Randall Harold gets ready to head home after a long day of being Mr. Blue the clown, below. Harold will be teaching children the art of clowning this summer at the Conejo Community Center.

Conejo Clown Class
WHEN: 3 to 4:30 p.m. Fridays, June 30 to July 21
WHERE: Conejo Community Center, 1175 Hendrix Ave., Thousand Oaks
WHO: For children ages 6 to 10. Instructor is Mr. Blue
COST: $37, plus a $15 lab fee for a clown makeup kit
INFORMATION: 495-2163 or www.crpd.org