Bay Meadows

If you have visited us for one of our Monday Momday events, chances are high that you may have seen an amazing performance by Boswick the Clown. Since helping us launch Momdays over 2 years ago, Boswick has been wowing kids and parents alike. Which is no surprise since he’s a master of the craft.

In fact, Boswick has spent his entire adult career life as a clown! His self-professed “dream job” allows him to spend his time delivering smiles to kids and adults every day– and who doesn’t need a little more smiling in their life?!

Last month while he was here getting ready for one his shows, we had the time to catch up “behind the curtains.” Here’s what he had to say…

 

What do you enjoy most about returning to Bay Meadows to perform at Momdays?

I love that families come out together to enjoy the beautiful park and playground. I have such respect for Bay Meadows having skilled children’s entertainers come out to entertain families. What I love about performing at Momdays is you get a community of people coming together, making friends and watching their little ones run around and enjoy the live entertainment.

I’m at my best doing children’s stage shows, where I can fully be a clown. I’m in a great park, I have a little base that always shows up, and lots of new children each time. When you’re a clown, the world is a stage, so I can draw attention to the silliest things and get huge laughs. Plus it’s all padded so I can take some good falls on the playground!

When you’re not clowning around like Boswick, how do you like to spend your free time?

I have two sons. I’ve been really lucky in my life to have a job where I mostly work on weekends, so I’ve spent a lot of time volunteering in their schools. I maybe missed two field trips out of the zillions the boys took.

I teach one day a week at San Francisco School of the Arts. I’m a teacher in residence. I teach circus skills and clowning. It’s a blast!  I take a lot of classes throughout the year. Being a performer requires you to be challenged all the time. I’m currently taking a movement acting class. Depending on scheduling, I also take acting classes, mime, and stage movement.

We heard you’ve spent time in Ringling Brothers Circus. What inspired you to be a clown?

 When I was four years old, I went to see Bozo the Clown on channel 36 in San Jose. I remember not liking being away from my mom and being put in a section with a hundred kids for TV.

But something stuck and Bozo gave me a lifetime of curiosity about clowns. I just love clowns. I’m eternally fascinated with them.  I went to Emerson College and got my degree in Acting. While there, I took mime and clowning. I loved it and wondered where it had been my whole life. Everything clicked. I knew for a long time I wanted to perform, but clowning made complete sense so I gave up acting for clowning.

After that I auditioned for Ringling Brothers Clown College. Out of the 5000 people they look at, they chose 50. At Clown College, for the first time I knew why I was put on the earth: to make people laugh and to always be in trouble.

 What are some of your favorite things to do as part of your act?

With children you can get belly laughs through repetition. I’m always experimenting to find out how far I can go. One of the things I do is hit myself in the head with a juggling club. Each show, I have no idea if one time will get a laugh and the second time will be dumb. I hit myself probably 20 or 30 times, and each time it surprises me. I get mad at an inanimate object and move on until it hits me again. I really like staying completely in the moment. If I know I’m going to get hit, it’s just not funny so I have to be surprised as well. It’s really something to see children laughing so hard they can hardly catch their breath.

 Why perform for children?

I’m very passionate and protective of children. I think what I do helps with their development. Children thrive on live entertainment.

There is a lot of art for children in this world. People recognize that visual art and music is vital to children thriving. There is something very special about live entertainment. It feeds our soul. The mistake people make is thinking that what’s entertaining for adults also feeds their children. We take children to see a ballet or play that is “kid friendly.” What I try to do is make a show for children that is “adult friendly.” I want to focus on what makes children laugh and bring the adults along for the ride.

We welcome everyone in the community to visit our events at Bay Meadows. To learn more about what’s on the schedule, click here. Also, with children’s birthday parties and special occasions always on the horizon, feel free to reach out to any of our entertainers for bookings — children’s parties are their forte!