The only program of its kind, the school puts actors and non-actors alike through the rigors any reality TV contestant might face, from the audition to the interviews to being on an actual show.
“We are about finding and highlighting what makes you unique, building your confidence, and examining how you package yourself, so you can get cast on the show of your choosing,” Galinsky says via his Web site. “We train students to be exciting, confident members of Reality TV casts and … readily showcase the dynamic qualities of their personalities to be able to shine, showcase, and supersede the expectations of cast mates, producers, and audiences.”
How you want to wield that knowledge—say for Lauren Conrad-good or Speidi-evil—is up to you, of course.
Clown School
“Clowns are not normal, but who wants to be?” says Zipp the Clown, founder of the Concord School of Clownology based out of Pleasant Hill, California.
Using her more than thirty-five years of experience, Zipp, as she’s called, takes her clown school pretty seriously. Students go through a four-month course that includes basics like applying makeup and making balloon animals to nailing routines and finding their inner clown.
“Whether you’re fat, thin, tall, short, as a clown you need to understand that you’re somebody else, and it’s really great to be somebody else,” Zipp says. “I’ve had lawyers, pharmacists, and teachers take the course.”
Graduates walk away with a certified diploma and an understanding that when you’re a clown, you should be prepared for a little razzing by the occasional Average Joe.
“You cannot learn clowning in a classroom, so we’re in and out,” she says. “And when they’re clowns, people will yell at them, ‘Hey clown!’ and that sort of thing, but they get used to it after a while.”
So, turning a sad clown’s frown upside down? A useful skill indeed
These types of schools prove that education can be what you make it. What better way to shake off the economic doldrums than picking up a new and off-the-beaten-path talent or career?
