SANTA ANA : Clown Has Funny Face, Big Heart

When Scott Linker portrayed Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a presentation for hearing-impaired children a few years ago, he became so interested in the world of silence that he learned sign language so he could use it in the skits he performs as a clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Now, when the clown best known for his lop-sided grin and oversized uniform travels around the country with the circus, he also manages to take his virtually non-verbal act to schools for hearing-impaired children in the area.

“It means a lot to deaf people to see an entertainer, someone they look up to, using sign language,” Linker said. “Every time I perform at a deaf school, I have my love of clowning affirmed.”

More than 100 students, enrolled for the summer session at Taft Hearing Impaired School in Santa Ana, watched Linker on Monday as he performed his 30-minute act, which delicately weaves the techniques of pantomime with sign language.

“The kids really enjoy this type of thing because many of them don’t get a chance to go to the circus due to finances and other problems,” Taft Principal Steven Longacre said. “They treasure being able to communicate with someone on all levels, and with Scott, that happens.”

Before the performance, Linker made a point of visiting each of the classrooms in the school to give the children a chance to meet him personally.

“Many of the kids are often frightened by adults in uniforms,” Longacre explained. “We have kids as young as 18 months, so we have to try to prepare them in advance. It makes them much more comfortable during the performance.”

Longacre observed that two of the students that seemed to enjoy the show the most were new transfer pupils from Mexico.

“Since they have a hearing loss and are new in the country, they not only aren’t familiar with their own language but with this language either,” Longacre pointed out. “But that didn’t matter--their faces were filled with laughter because of the universal language that Scott uses.”