Introduction: Towards an understanding of clown
Clown as focus of Agon in modernism
Chasing and gagging clown: early modernism and the development of French mime
Meyerhold's transformation from Pierrot to Kapellmeister: The fairground booth and Columbine's scarf
Clown in Brecht's theory of acting: Mann ist Mann as anti-tragedy
Clown in Beckett's theater: Waiting for Godot, Endgame, Act without words
Clown in Giorgio Strehler's theater
Clown as proletarian messiah: Dario Fo
Clown as protagonist in the heartland of popular culture
Conclusion: The return of the film clown.