BIO
Claire has ten years of professional performance experience in theater, circus, television, festivals, and on the street. She is a classically trained actor of the British American Drama Academy in London and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Summer Program, and earned a BA from Sarah Lawrence College with a concentration in the performing arts.
In 2003 Claire became a proud graduate of the New York Goof’s Ultimate Clown School, which proved catalyst to life in the circus. She spent three years as a clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and the fabulous Kelly Miller Circus. Before going on the road Claire lived in New York where favorite roles included Adel in Self Torture and Strenuous Exercise produced at Lincoln Center, and the maid (lead) in Red Cross at the Sanford Meisner Theater. In her sketch comedy and improv endeavors in New York she performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and was a founding ensemble member of Lost Marble Television, airing two years in Manhattan.
Claire has called Chicago home for three years and since has performed and regularly with Red Mink Productions (www.redmink.com) in museums, county clubs, and for corporate events. In Chicago Claire has also worked at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Pagliacci, the National Pastime Theater in The Magician, Lake Shore Theater in Midnight Vaudeville, Piccolo Theater in Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts, the Aloft Loft in El Circo Cheapo, and at The Annoyance. She is a staff member at CircEsteem and the Chicago Youth Circus (www.circesteem.org) where she teaches circus arts and performs at schools, parks, and other venues in and around Chicago. For the last three years Claire has been performing regularly as a clown on pediatric floors of hospitals with CircEsteem and TeamKidCare (www.teamkidcare.org), an organization dedicated to assisting families with chronically ill children.
Claire is a native of St. Louis, a traveler, a team player, and an optimist. She loves to play the ukulele, sing, juggle, walk on her hands, sew, balance objects on her head, make newspaper hats, make crepe paper flowers, read, write, her family and friends, dance floors and lasagna.