Peggy Williams, circus clown

Peggy Williams circus clown
Peggy Williams circus clown

Peggy Williams, while a speech pathology major at theUniversity of Wisconsin  where her focus was on working in  deaf education, thought clowning might sharpen her nonverbal communication skills. She became interested in Clown College and became the  first female graduate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circuses Clown College  in 1970.

Peggy Williams circus clown
Peggy Williams circus clown

Following completion of the program of study, she went on the road with The Greatest Show on Earth, distinguishing herself during her nine years of travel with the circus. In 1973, she was asked to join the  teaching staff at Clown College  where she assisted students in nurturing the relationship between performers and the public.

She worked on special assignments at the Circus’s corporate headquarters in Washington, DC where she initiated a series ofnew educational programs  often revolving around a clowning theme. In 1981, Peggy became the assistant performance director for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ Blue Unit. Peggy became the  Performance Director  of the circus’s tour of Japan. She has spoken at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institute and NASA. Additionally, she has directed a circus camp for disadvantaged youth in Belfast, Ireland

You can contact Peggy Williams at her Facebook page.


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Professional clown for over 25 years - happily married, with 5 children and 1 grandson