C. Claire Dorn

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 419.

B. Angela Bell

is a clown, she paints her face white and wears funny clothes to entertain people. She decided clowning was the job she wanted after seeing a clown show. ‘I said that was it. It involved no talking, and that suited me down to the ground,' she says. She soon realised that women only introduced the act and were on stage for a few minutes because it was considered a job for men. ‘That is changing now,' she says. ‘But from the beginning I decided to call myself Chris on the programmes instead of Angela so that the audience don't know if I'm a man or a woman.' Angela had to choose between family and work. ‘I liked my work too much to think of children,' she says, ‘and I have no regrets.' She says the secret of her success is that she is a very happy person, which is what you need to be a good clown.

works on a cruise liner, a floating luxury hotel which is her home for eight months of the year. She is the ship's secretary and has responsibility for all information customers may need while on board, as well as acting as secretary to the captain. ‘He is very demanding but I have no complaints from him,' she says. Losing touch with the real world for so long is no problem because the ship's officers can take advantage of the activities provided for the entertainment of passengers. ‘I've made many lasting friendships here,' she says, ‘we get customers of all ages and backgrounds.' Her previous work experience as a Personal Assistant to a manager prepared her for the demands of this job. It was better paid than her present job but she gave it up because she had always liked the idea of working on a ship. ‘The only disadvantage is that there are constant time changes when you go round the world and it makes you feel physically unwell,' she says.