By Adam Scott Williams
Claire Wedemeyer holds a bag of tricks many wouldn’t suspect of an actress with a background in Shakespeare. This MICDS graduate attended the University of Richmond for two years, then spent a year at the British American Drama Academy in London. After finishing at Sarah Lawrence College in 1999, she hit the Big Apple and realized her flair for comedic roles. In 2003, Wedemeyer began 13 months and about 500 performances with the famed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. We caught up with Wedemeyer during a recent visit to St. Louis and learned how she has gone from Shakespeare to magic tricks with Chinese linking rings.
You started out as a classical actress. How did you become a clown? I noticed more of the [acting] roles I was receiving were comedy based. I started to clown for birthday parties, then studied with an agency that offered to train clowns. I rented a lot of Buster Keaton movies.
How did the Ringling Bros. job come about? When I was doing a show at Lincoln Center, I saw another show there—the New York Goofs. Two key members, who are my mentors and have been very integral in my career at this point, are Dick Monday [former dean of Ringling Bros. Clown College, which closed six years ago] and Tiffany Riley. I went to their school—Ultimate Clown School—in August 2003, then I quickly pursued getting a job with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus.
What has been your favorite performance moment? It came during a dress rehearsal. We were scurrying about to get everything ready for the opening the next night. We were doing a one-act comedy called Red Cross and everybody was laughing and trying not to. We could not stop laughing. As somebody once said to me, “Repressed laughter is about the most fun you’ll ever have.” I really believe that to be true. Another favorite moment was in clown school. I presented a very simple poem. It was a very sad poem and making it sad, it became very, very funny. When I did that piece, I really discovered that the best comedy is found in what people consider to be very serious or somber.
Where will we see you next? Kelly Miller Circus, a one-ring tent show circus based in Hugo, Okla. This tour will be in a new town every day, for the most part, and seven days a week. It primarily tours the Midwest and the East Coast. We will be in Missouri for one month in the summer.
