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Claire is a physical comedian, variety act artist, stilt walker, musician, actor, and educator. She has toured the country with Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey and with Kelly Miller Circus. She has produced her one woman circus, Claire the Clown Show, at Navy Pier of Chicago and Everyday Circus in City Museum of St. Louis, as well for numerous festivals around the world including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where her act was the cover story of Scotland's leading international newspaper, 'The Herald'. For two decades her work has spanned theater, cabaret, art fairs, school auditoriums, comedy clubs, independent film, and corporate events. Favorite venues have been Lincoln Center, SeaWorld, Powell Symphony Hall, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Claire returned to her hometown of St. Louis in 2012 to spearhead Circus Flora's community outreach program, Clowns on Call, bringing laughter, healing, cheer, and wonders of the circus to hospitalized children and their families. Her training includes Sarah Lawrence College (BA in performing arts), the British American Drama Academy, and Ultimate Clown School with the New York Goofs.
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Claire has been performing professionally since 2002 in theater, circus, festivals, television, libraries, schools, hospitals, and on the street. Her education began at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. She studied acting at the British American Drama Academy in London and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Summer Program, as well as in the Cherub Program at Northwestern University. Claire earned a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, with a concentration in performing arts.
Claire started her career in New York, where favorite roles were Adel in Self Torture and Strenuous Exercise, produced at Lincoln Center, and the maid (lead) in Red Cross, produced at the Sanford Meisner Theater. Among her sketch comedy and improv enterprises was work with Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, New York Comedy Club, and New York Dinner Theater. Claire was founding ensemble member of Lost Marble Television, airing two years on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.
In August of 2003 Claire graduated from the New York Goof’s Ultimate Clown School (www.nygoofs). Shortly thereafter she joined clown alley of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (www.ringling.com). After touring with the Greatest Show on Earth, Claire spent two seasons as the featured clown in the fabulous Kelly Miller Circus (www.kellymillercircus.com).
Following life on the road Claire moved to Chicago. There, Claire the Clown Show was the first solo female variety show produced at the Navy Pier Family Pavilion Stage (www.navypier.com). She performed regularly with Red Mink Productions (www.redmink.com) and Beast Women (www.beastwomenproductions.com). Claire worked at Lyric Opera of Chicago, National Pastime Theater, Lake Shore Theater, The Annoyance, Piccolo Theater in Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts, and Aloft Loft in El Circo Cheapo. She was on the staff of CircEsteem and the Chicago Youth Circus (www.circesteem.org.) Claire also entertained as a clown on pediatric floors of Chicago hospitals with CircEsteem and Team Kid Care.
During time calling the windy city home, Claire continued to travel with her work in cities around the United States as well as abroad. She spent months in Scotland, street performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (www.edfringe.com), as well as in San Antonio, performing at SeaWorld (seaworld.com) in The Frostings, presented by the New York Goofs. She also performed in Madison at MadFest (www.madjugglers.com), in Cincinnati with Circus Mojo (www.circusmojo.com), and in New York in cabarets such as The Downtown Clown Revue and Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety (www.bindelstiff.org).
Claire now lives in University City of her hometown St. Louis. In 2011 Claire joined Circus Flora (www.circusflora.org) as principal performer and coordinator of Circus Flora’s community outreach program, Clowns on Call. Within Clowns on Call Claire partners with SymphonyCares, (www.stlsymphony.org) performing in tandem with a St. Louis Symphony first violinist. Claire the Clown Show is presented regularly by the EverydayCircus (www.everydaycircus.net). She is a staff member of Circus Harmony (www.circusharmony.org), St. Louis' premiere circus school.
Claire's loves to read, write, cook, take walks, practice yoga, play ukulele, and listen to music. She loves going to farmers markets and rehabbing her home. She loves spending time with friends, neighbors, family, and most of all her husband, Lou, their daughter Zoe, and their dog, Stanley.
Claire is a physical comedian, variety act artist, stilt walker, musician, actor, and educator. She has toured the country with Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey and with Kelly Miller Circus. She has produced her one woman circus, Claire the Clown Show, at Navy Pier of Chicago and Everyday Circus in City Museum of St. Louis, as well for numerous festivals around the world including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where her act was the cover story of Scotland's leading international newspaper, 'The Herald'. For two decades her work has spanned theater, cabaret, art fairs, school auditoriums, comedy clubs, independent film, and corporate events. Favorite venues have been Lincoln Center, SeaWorld, Powell Symphony Hall, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Claire returned to her hometown of St. Louis in 2012 to spearhead Circus Flora's community outreach program, Clowns on Call, bringing laughter, healing, cheer, and wonders of the circus to hospitalized children and their families. Her training includes Sarah Lawrence College (BA in performing arts), the British American Drama Academy, and Ultimate Clown School with the New York Goofs.
LONG BIO:
Claire has been performing professionally since 2002 in theater, circus, festivals, television, libraries, schools, hospitals, and on the street. Her education began at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. She studied acting at the British American Drama Academy in London and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Summer Program, as well as in the Cherub Program at Northwestern University. Claire earned a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, with a concentration in performing arts.
Claire started her career in New York, where favorite roles were Adel in Self Torture and Strenuous Exercise, produced at Lincoln Center, and the maid (lead) in Red Cross, produced at the Sanford Meisner Theater. Among her sketch comedy and improv enterprises was work with Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, New York Comedy Club, and New York Dinner Theater. Claire was founding ensemble member of Lost Marble Television, airing two years on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.
In August of 2003 Claire graduated from the New York Goof’s Ultimate Clown School (www.nygoofs). Shortly thereafter she joined clown alley of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey (www.ringling.com). After touring with the Greatest Show on Earth, Claire spent two seasons as the featured clown in the fabulous Kelly Miller Circus (www.kellymillercircus.com).
Following life on the road Claire moved to Chicago. There, Claire the Clown Show was the first solo female variety show produced at the Navy Pier Family Pavilion Stage (www.navypier.com). She performed regularly with Red Mink Productions (www.redmink.com) and Beast Women (www.beastwomenproductions.com). Claire worked at Lyric Opera of Chicago, National Pastime Theater, Lake Shore Theater, The Annoyance, Piccolo Theater in Custer's Last Stand Festival of the Arts, and Aloft Loft in El Circo Cheapo. She was on the staff of CircEsteem and the Chicago Youth Circus (www.circesteem.org.) Claire also entertained as a clown on pediatric floors of Chicago hospitals with CircEsteem and Team Kid Care.
During time calling the windy city home, Claire continued to travel with her work in cities around the United States as well as abroad. She spent months in Scotland, street performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (www.edfringe.com), as well as in San Antonio, performing at SeaWorld (seaworld.com) in The Frostings, presented by the New York Goofs. She also performed in Madison at MadFest (www.madjugglers.com), in Cincinnati with Circus Mojo (www.circusmojo.com), and in New York in cabarets such as The Downtown Clown Revue and Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety (www.bindelstiff.org).
Claire now lives in University City of her hometown St. Louis. In 2011 Claire joined Circus Flora (www.circusflora.org) as principal performer and coordinator of Circus Flora’s community outreach program, Clowns on Call. Within Clowns on Call Claire partners with SymphonyCares, (www.stlsymphony.org) performing in tandem with a St. Louis Symphony first violinist. Claire the Clown Show is presented regularly by the EverydayCircus (www.everydaycircus.net). She is a staff member of Circus Harmony (www.circusharmony.org), St. Louis' premiere circus school.
Claire's loves to read, write, cook, take walks, practice yoga, play ukulele, and listen to music. She loves going to farmers markets and rehabbing her home. She loves spending time with friends, neighbors, family, and most of all her husband, Lou, their daughter Zoe, and their dog, Stanley.