If you are looking for the greatest job interview on Earth there is only one place to be – the Greatest Show on Earth, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

That's where local woman Moira Brady went, traveling to New York City last week to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a clown.

“You have to have a sense of humor to try to get a job in this economy,” said Brady. “What is better than trying to get a job as a clown?”

No stranger to the theater or the arts, Moira has acted, clowned, puppeted and mimed and also plays the viola when she is not serving as a permenant subsitute teacher at the Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program in Providence or waitressing at the Blue Elephant on Wickenden St. Her home, AS220, is a nonprofit community arts space in downtown Providence that offers residential and workspace to artists. It was no surprise to the other artists at AS220 (or to her family and co-workers) that Moira took the leap and “ran away” for a day to try to join the circus.

Last Monday was the first time in more than a decade that Ringling Brothers held a national casting call for clowns. At 4:30 a.m., Brady boarded a bus to head for Madison Square Garden, where Ringling’s Clown College Auditions were being held. Auditions were set to begin at 8 a.m. and run through 1 p.m., ending just prior to the pre-show of Ringling’s newest Red Tour Show, “Zing, Zang, Zoom,” which would begin at 3:15 that afternoon.

Clown College is the college of choice for those seeking a career under the big top and, arriving at the Garden in plenty of time, the 25-year-old Brady joined just under two dozen clown hopefuls, some dressed in full clown attire with bright floppy shoes, clown makeup and red noses. The half-day audition included a Clown Alley demonstration, a workshop and individual auditions before a panel of judges, all under the watchful direction of David Kiser, talent manager for Ringling Brothers.

Kiser, a former clown for Ringling Brothers, explained prior to the auditions that Ringling was in the process of hiring for next year’s new show. He knew what was in store for the clown hopefuls.

Kiser said clown personality is key, along with the ability to perform physical comedy.

“They need to be able to demonstrate facial expressions that can be seen from any seat where we perform,” he said.

Although Clown College was previously an actual college in Florida where any clown could attend for free, it is now an ongoing learning experience as new clowns under contract travel with the circus and learn on the job from the senior clowns in Clown Alley. Clown College was the inspiration of Irvin Feld, the owner of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and longtime Ringling clown, along with Bill Ballantine.

In 1968, Ringling had only a handful of clowns in its alleys, most of them over 50 years old. Feld decided to create a school to train a new generation of clowns and, in 1984, after Feld's death, Kenneth Feld, his son, took over production of Feld Entertainment and the Ringling shows. He continued to operate the school through the 1997 session and then closed Clown College because the needs of the show had changed and clowning had moved back into the mainstream of performing arts. Clowns are now trained as they travel with Ringling.

“It is not just a job with Ringling,” said lead clown Larry Clark, who has been with Ringling Brothers since 1999, “it is a way of life.”

Many of the performers are members of the same family and they travel the country on the Ringling train where their children are educated by a traveling teacher.

Brady was able to work with Clark during the morning workshops – something she found very rewarding. She also found it rather intimidating.

“You suddenly realize that this is it,” said Brady. “You are actually in Madison Square Garden and the place is set up for the afternoon circus performance and you are working alongside the best clowns there are. It is scary, yet exciting.”

Throughout the morning, Brady and the other hopefuls were put through their paces. They mimed, they laughed, they practiced facial expressions as well as physical comedy. The pressure was on.

“We could be hiring on the spot today,” said Kiser. “We are prepared to offer contracts today.”

Brady was so nervous she almost did not get up for her individual audition. She was not alone; out of the two-dozen of clown hopefuls, many of them did not get up when it came to the individual auditions. A handful of them did get up and rode unicycles, juggled, performed magic and acts of physical comedy. Some took the auditions seriously while others appeared to just clown around in front of the national media for fun.

“I was afraid when I saw the others get up and perform,” said Brady. “I did not want to move, let alone raise my hand and try out. I felt intimated when I saw the Ringling Clowns and the other clowns trying out.”

She did find the courage and got up and improvised her audition that morning. She fell back on mime, one of her favorite mediums. She ran up into the seats of the Garden in clown fashion and reached into her own clown bag to get a bran muffin she had leftover from the morning bus ride. Returning to the circle of clowns with it, she sat down in the middle and ate her muffin with comic flair, demonstrating her ability to exaggerate facial expressions.

Those in the circle laughed appreciatively as Brady enjoyed her mid-morning snack, licking her lips and making them believe it was the best muffin on earth.

Why the muffin routine?

“I was hungry!” Brady said.

Out of the clown hopefuls, only six were selected by the panel of judges for further interview and possible contracts with Ringling. Brady was not one of the six, but she didn't feel her audition was a failure.

She overcame her fear and got up and auditioned; in her future, Brady said, there will be another audition.

“Nothing can replace the instant gratification of being a clown,” said Kiser.

On the ride back to Rhode Island, Brady had time to reflect on the day.

“I am glad I took that leap and found the courage to audition,” she said. “It was an opportunity of a lifetime and I plan on auditioning again. To be happy in life, you must live out your dreams. Seriously, I realized I have more to learn.”

When asked what she would have done differently in her auditon, Brady laughed and said, “I would have eaten the blueberry muffin instead!”

“Zing, Zang, Zoom” is coming to Providence on April 30 through May 3 and tickets are now on sale. For tickets and more information, visit ringling.com or ticketmaster.com.