Clown In The Classroom

If you’ve ever attend a birthday party featuring “Upstairs the Clown”, you may recognize the face from Galileo. American Literature teacher, Mr. Michael Roman, has been working as a clown since the age of 21.

Mr. Roman’s first steps into the clown world began in college when someone in his class told him that he should be a clown. He thought,  ‘what a cool idea’, and found a clown class in the Bay Area, the Concord School for Clownology, where he learned makeup, costumes, balloon sculpture, and magic. Shorty after clown school, Mr. Roman began to do 2-3 shows a day, eventually becoming the president of “Golden Gate Clowns” and a proud member of the “Clowns of America”.

He thought up the clown name, “Upstairs the Clown”, because at the time he began clowning, he was working at Toys R Us, bringing bikes, car seats, and strollers down to the customers. The boss always asked who was upstairs and he would always say, “I’m upstairs.”

One of his most memorable moments in clowning was a particular birthday party. “I did  a party for a 93 year old as if it were a 3 year old’s party, which is, a lot slower than usual. She enjoyed it so much she asked if I could come back again next year. Although she didn’t make it [to the next year], I had the pleasure of making her last birthday party something special,” Mr. Roman said.

Currently, Mr. Roman still clowns as a side job, about once a month, and loves both his jobs, teaching and clowning, and has no plans on stopping anytime soon. He says, “being a clown is almost as powerful as being santa clause, its larger than life.”


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