Michelle Matlock

Michelle Nicole Matlock is a professional American clown and former "struggling actress", best known for playing the lead romantic role as the ladybug in OVO, the twenty-fifth annual traveling production of Cirque du Soleil.

Biography Matlock was born and raised in Washington state. While visiting New York City from college in 1994 her taxicab was stuck in traffic behind a gay rights demonstration. She was juggling in Washington Square Park one day after graduating from theater school, when she was spotted by a talent scout for a clowning program being developed by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Matlock worked on-and-off as a clown for the next five years with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, the Daredevil Opera Company, the queer social justice circus troupe Inspired by Nancy Green, hired for the 1893 World's Fair as the first actress to play Aunt Jemima, the show explores stereotypes of black women, and has toured the United States extensively. She was one of the four finalists out of fifty clowns auditioned but was rejected and told they were not sure how they could use her. Once OVO was converted from the Grand Chapiteau into Arena format in 2015 however, Michelle left the tour.