How long have you been a clown with the Troupe? I joined the Troupe in the Spring of 2014.
How did you hear about the Troupe? I met Mark Gorman, a Hearts & Noses clown, at a workshop a handful of years ago and he told me about the Troupe after I confessed that I wanted to be a hospital clown.
What inspired you to get trained and join? Shortly after finishing nursing school in ’94, I realized that I really wanted to be a hospital clown. I thought it would be most helpful in healing people and fostering their well-being. I stuffed my feelings and attended a 3-year graduate school program in Public Health/Community Health Education, thinking that it would scratch the itch. Of course, it didn’t. Year after year, I still kept feeling like I had to be clown, but then decided to become a massage therapist. You won’t believe it, but that didn’t scratch the itch either. About four years ago my mom died suddenly, and I knew I had to do it. I looked for clown classes and found a Movement Theatre studio in Washington D.C. The more I studied Movement Theatre, the more I knew I needed to join a troupe. You won’t believe this though, I decided I should go to graduate school again and study Storytelling with a focus on clowns/clowning. My thesis explored the relationship between archetypes and character development of humanitarian clowns. I plucked up the courage and contacted Hearts & Noses to collect primary research and let Cheryl know I wanted to join the Troupe.
How was clown training? What was your favorite part? The training was really fun. I bonded with one clown who unfortunately had to take a hiatus from the Troupe (Emily aka Millie). Millie and I did some fun stuff together like goofing around with different accents…it was fun and silly.
What is your clown name? That’s a really tough question…. I had a name I used for a performance before joining the Troupe but I outgrew it. I changed my name a few times since joining the Troupe and at some point may want to change it again. I have a really difficult time making up my mind. I’m considering “YoYo” or “La-di-da.” I think I’ll go with “YoYo” or maybe another name like “La-la-la.” One of the kids at Franciscan named me “Mimi.” I’ll probably stick with “YoYo” until I change my mind again.
What do you do for work? I’m a psychiatric RN and Massage Therapist. I work in an outpatient mental health clinic at the VA Hospital in West Haven, Connecticut, and I do a little bit of massage on the side.
What is your favorite part of clowning? I love being able to play! I love seeing and feeling the kids’ excitement and joy when they see our red noses. I love the heart-to-heart connection I feel with the kids and I love the feeling of freedom I feel when I wear my nose. One of my clown teachers says the nose is the smallest mask that melts away all of the other ones we wear every day and I feel that when I clown.
Where do you clown mostly? I clown at Franciscan Hospital for Children on the medical and psychiatric units. I also clown at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in their clinics.
Why do you think clowning is important for kids? I believe it’s important to allow kids to play and be as ‘normal’ as possible while in the hospital, something that is so counter-intuitive for kids. I believe it also highlights the importance of make-believe and teaches kids to cope with stressful situations by using their imagination.
How do people respond when you tell them you are a hospital clown? Everyone seems intrigued and excited. My boss thinks it’s fantastic and asks me questions all the time. Every time I take a day off he says: “are you going to clown?” I have a few friends who are actors and they think what we do is a lot scarier than being on stage.
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