Bouffon (English originally from French: "farceur", "comique", " jester") is a modern French theater term that was re-coined in the early 1960s by

Jacques Lecoq Jacques Lecoq (15 December 1921 – 19 January 1999) was a French stage actor and acting movement coach. He was best known for his teaching methods in physical theatre, movement, and mime which he taught at the school he founded in Paris known a ...

at his

L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq is a school of physical theatre located on Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Founded in 1956 by Jacques Lecoq, the school offers a professional and intensive two-ye ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

to describe a specific style of performance work that has a main focus in the art of mockery. The word gave rise to the English word

buffoon A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

Etymology and early history

The word bouffon comes from a

Latin verb In terms of linguistics and grammar, conjugation has two basic meanings. One meaning is the creation of derived forms of a verb from basic forms, or principal parts. It may be affected by person, number, gender, tense, mood, aspect, voice, or ot ...

: la, buffare, to puff (i.e., to fill the cheeks with air); the word "Buffo" was used in the

Theatre of ancient Rome The architectural form of theatre in Rome has been linked to later, more well-known examples from the 1st century BC to the 3rd Century AD. The theatre of ancient Rome referred to as a period of time in which theatrical practice and performance t ...

by those who appeared on the stage with their cheeks blown up; when they received blows that they would make a great noise causing the audience to laugh. The usage of the word bouffon comes from French and has entered English theatrical language through the work of

and his pedagogic inquiry into performance approaches of

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

, leading him to create dynamic classroom exercises that explored elements of burlesque, commedia dell'arte, farce,

gallows humor Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

, slapstick, etc. that collectively influenced the development of modern bouffon performance work.

Philippe Gaulier Philippe Gaulier (born in Paris, 4 March 1943) is a French master clown, pedagogue, and professor of theatre. He is the founder of École Philippe Gaulier, a prestigious French theatre school in Étampes, outside Paris. He studied under Jacques Lec ...

a contemporary of LeCoq explains bouffon in his book ''The Tormentor''.

In popular culture

In the American TV series ''

Baskets A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...

'', the main character is a dropout from the famous Bouffon school in Paris. There are scenes depicting him in class at the school with lectures in French. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen was inspired by Bouffon comedy after learning about the concept in his 20s from Philippe Gaulier, a famous clown teacher."For Actor-Activist Sacha Baron Cohen, Being Called A 'Bouffon' Is A Good Thing"
NPR. Retrieved 24 March 2021

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 1960s neologisms Ancient Roman theatre Entertainment occupations French words and phrases Jesters Stage terminology Theatre in France

Etymology and early history

In popular culture

See also

References