Saturday, April 21, 2007

A bucket of whitewash, a pie in the face ... and a degree

Students have been clowning around for generations but rarely have they been given a university qualification for doing so.

Now the French Education Ministry is to award it official recognition by authorising the launch of a degree in how to be a clown.

The pioneering one-year, postgraduate course is being laid on by Lyons II University in central France and is expected to begin this autumn.

“There is a huge demand from people wanting to become clowns in France and we thought it was time to offer technical training and a diploma in this area,” said Marie-Thérãse Maurer, the vice-chancellor of the university.

Students will follow a syllabus that included anthropology, sociology and economics. “It is important for them to have a good knowledge of the world of entertainment in case they go on to manage a troupe,” said Mrs Maurer.

Among the subjects on offer are corporal presence, voice games and body and rhythm.

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