SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Lloyd Brant and Rosie Cole have performed as clowns at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival for 40 years.
The two make up the duo Theatre of Fools, and their signature act involves magic, comedy and plenty of clucks. They not only love what they do, they love one another.
"We met at mime school," said Lloyd.
"I was going to make a joke, but he told the truth," said Rosie.
Seriously, these two aren't clowning around. They really met at mime school and started performing together, fell in love, got married, and raised a family with one another.
They admit it can be difficult to describe exactly what they do. They're based out of Minneapolis and take their unique brand of 'absurd theatrics' to festivals all over the nation, oftentimes with kids in tow when they were younger.
"We were the cool parents," Lloyd said. "Until they went to high school,"
Their son, Gabriel Cole-Brant, didn't exactly know what to tell people when they asked what his parents did. Even when he had been around the festivals all his life.
"I was born out here," said Gabriel. "When I was a kid, it just seemed normal."
He ended up getting a degree in economics and going into politics.
"I was saying that I ran away from the circus to go into politics," he smiled.
But as his unicycle would tell you, everything comes full circle. Gabriel, now 29, is going into his second year performing at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Last year, he won best new act.
"It really is a wonderful thing, totally a blessing," he said.
Gabriel, a.k.a., Gabs the Fool, performs his solo show at the Cirque Du Celeste stage, while his parents perform The Wacky Chickens, who perform on the Witchwood stage. Then, Gabriel and Lloyd end the day with a Father & Son Act.
"I'm completely fulfilled," said Lloyd. "It's such a pleasure to be working with him side by side on stage."
The clowns will be performing one more weekend during the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.