by Olivia Facini

(2023)

I liked writing my first half-hour comedy pilot so much that I’m writing a second!

Down to Clown crackles with the witty repartee of frustrated artists, the visual comedy of larger-than-life entertainers in cramped quarters, and the outsized, plot-thickening problems of drama queens who found their way into a tent instead of a theater.

As they tour the mid-central Midwest, the members of a failing family circus experience the unique flavor of bewilderment, anger, lust, pride, and desperation known only to those weirdos who live, work, sleep, fight, and do their laundry with other weirdos. A talking mime, a bearded baby, and an acrobat on crutches number among the current attractions on view, if anyone (please, God, anyone) will buy a ticket.

Run time: 30 minutes