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For Jane Abendschein and Dana Abendschein, Ph.D., time off from work is just an excuse to help clowns-in-training learn to apply makeup at the kitchen sink. Or to moonlight as their own favorite alter egos: Belle and Liberty, white-faced clowns decked in blazing blue, cherry red and white costumes who help bring joy to families hit hard by life's struggles.
The administrative assistant and the medical researcher at the School of Medicine have joined forces for 10 years to visit inmates at nearby prisons, to brighten hosptial patients' days and to teach the artistry and history of clowning. Dana has done it for even longer, sometimes traveling overseas for clown activities. "We go wherever the need for diversion and laughter -- the medicines we provide -- are needed most," said Dana, an associate professor of medicine and of cell biology and physiology.
Ask why they perform "in clown" and you'll hear about helping others forget loneliness, illness or despair. The tension-filled atmosphere of a maximum security prison soon dissolves when the pair start their skits, for example. "You can almost hear [the tension] shatter," Dana said, "and after they laugh, they'll just say, 'Thank you.'"
The Abendscheins had the same effect recently, visiting the playroom at St. Louis Children's Hospital. As Belle and Liberty, they moved quietly among children resting at pint-sized tables or in wheel chairs, letting them adjust to their bright outfits while telling jokes.
Once the crowd had warmed up, Belle gave out smiley face stickers and Liberty "jumped" into a swimming pool made out of a plastic foam cup. Soon many kids were smiling and wiggling their "tail feathers" to music, or yelling "Boo" to change a wooden rabbit in Dana's hands from black to white -- and "Oob" to change it back again.
Even Wesley Williams, a 4-year-old with spina bifida, was won over. "I had to drag him over here," his mom, Shannon Brewer, said about her son, who was recovering from bladder surgery. "And now that he's here, he's smiled a couple of times," she said -- and she smiled.
Adults often get into the spirit of the Abendscheins' visits as much as children. And sometimes, the couple inspires others to volunteer their time. A former rodeo clown imprisoned at Shawnee Correctional Center in Vienna, Ill., started clowning again after the Abendscheins made several prison visits. The inmate recently told Dana about a family day appearance at the center. He told him: "Can you imagine, a convicted murderer making those kids laugh? It was so wonderful."
Clowning provides a nice outlet for the couple, too. Jane Abendschein assists the chairman of the Department of Surgery with research and patient responsibilities, while her husband studies how to reduce the damage that occurs when patients have surgery to lower the risk of heart attacks. He also teaches first- and second-year medical students about the circulatory system and oversees the research training of cardiology fellows. Slipping into clown gear unleashes another side of their personalities.
"Belle can have an attitude," Jane said, grinning from ear to ear as Dana gave her a sidelong glance and called Belle a ding-a-ling.
"Yeah," she quipped back, "but Liberty's cracked (like the Liberty Bell)."
Dana Abendschein learned that he enjoyed making people laugh as a youngster test driving new magic tricks. During college, magic props were too much to haul around, so he turned to clowning instead. His wife joined the act after they married and moved to St. Louis. Their props now fill a van and a collapsible puppet theater on a trailer used during parades.
They also run a local clown troupe, "Fools for Christ," and perform and instruct Christians about clowning at workshops throughout the Midwest. In mid-February, for example, they taught at the Show-Me Clowns for Jesus School at the Lake of the Ozarks, along with their 19-year-old son, Bryan, who also has the clowning bug.
Although the couple said their faith is critical for performing, they avoid being overtly religious. "[As clowns], we are loving and joyful -- and hopefully people pick up on that," Dana said. "Our faces are painted, but what's coming out [to the audience] is what's inside."
Not that they take their clown appearances lightly. In fact, they try to rival the appearance of circus clowns. The audience in the playroom at Children's Hospital suggested the Abendscheins pass the believability test with flying colors.
For visits with prison inmates, though, they might instead appear as sad-eyed beggar clowns in worn, mismatched clothing. Dana becomes Hapless and Jane portrays Forlorna. "That is an extremely hard character for me to do," she said. "You have to bring yourself down lower than anybody you're with at the time to enable people around you to feel better by boosting their spirits."
But the two agreed that these characters serve a purpose similar to the others. "You just feel people's empathy going out to you," Dana said, "and you know by the way they're reacting that you're lifting them up. That has a power that's hard to describe."
