"I love to laugh, and I love to make people laugh," said Katherine Horst. She gets to do that every time she puts on makeup, a costume and a red nose to transform into Cissy, the alter-ego clown she portrays as one-half of Cissy and The Man. "The Man" is her partner both on and off stage - her husband, Jason Horst.
The duo, which operates Horst Arts in Manheim - she's a fine artist specializing in collage and he's a graphic designer and web developer - has been performing as "America's favorite juggler and clown duo" for 10 years.
"We can call ourselves 'America's favorite,' because as far as I know, we are the only juggler-clown combination performing together," Jason explained with a laugh.
When Katherine and Jason met through a young adults Bible study at their church, they bonded over their love of the arts. Katherine was also impressed with Jason's juggling skills, which he honed as a member of the Lancaster Throwback Juggling Club.
After they married in 2010, they realized that Jason, who describes himself as a "linear and logical thinker," and Katherine, who says she thinks more out of the box, could bring their skill sets together into a stage show. Jason plays the straight man to Katherine's clown.
"Cissy is a whole lot like me, turned up a couple of notches," Katherine said. "I think of her as a young girl, a playful girl. She's feisty and she thinks outside the realm of imagination."
Katherine, who grew up in a theatrical family, said being a clown is fun, but it takes work. "When I put on my makeup and my nose, I'm fully in character," she stated. "Being a clown is physically hard." Katherine noted that she's always "on" when she's in character, constantly aware of her surroundings, monitoring the reactions of the people she's meeting and gauging an audience's comfort level. She also changes her voice to be Cissy.
"I am a clown that talks, while some don't," she stated. "I think it removes barriers and it's easier to engage with people when I speak to them."
While Cissy is unpredictable and silly, The Man entertains with his juggling skills and works to keep the show on script - as much as he can. "Our act is modeled after the Smothers Brothers," Jason noted, adding that they'll start off on track before Cissy gets distracted and things go comically awry. "Everyone is focused on what Cissy is going to do next."
Jason has been juggling since he was 13 years old, when he bought a book on the skill. "I worked hard at it, and I learned every trick in the book," he stated, adding that juggling was the perfect hobby for a quiet, non-sporty kid. Unlike Katherine, he said he's nothing like his character, who is bold and comfortable performing on stage, while Jason was "severely shy" as a child.
Cissy and The Man perform at festivals, churches, libraries, schools and other venues throughout the area. When they aren't on stage or at work, they enjoy spending time with their children, 7-year-old Shiloh and 4-year-old Asher.
Katherine emphasized that she and Jason are the perfect complement to each other, noting, "We bring out the best in each other. I love to make someone laugh, and he loves to help me do that."
For more information on Cissy and The Man, visit http://www.cissyandtheman.com.
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