Mime artist

Lore & Background

The performance of mime originates at its earliest in Ancient Greece; the name is taken from a single masked dancer called Pantomimus, although performances were not necessarily silent. The first recorded mime was Telestēs in the play Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus. Tragic mime was developed by Puladēs of Kilikia; comic mime was developed by Bathullos of Alexandria. Mime was an aspect of Roman theatre from its earliest times, paralleling the Atellan farce in its improvisation. Under the Roman Empire mime became the predominant Roman drama, but experienced mixed fortunes under various emperors. The mime was distinguished from other dramas by its absence of masks, and by the presence of female as well as male performers. A mime called the archimime would perform as a part of Roman funeral processions by miming the deeds of the deceased. In medieval Europe, early forms of mime such as mummer's plays and later dumbshows evolved. In early nineteenth-century Paris, Jean-Gaspard Deburau solidified the many attributes that have come to be known in modern times—the silent figure in whiteface. Jacques Copeau, strongly influenced by commedia dell'arte and Japanese Noh theatre, used masks in the training of his actors. His pupil Étienne Decroux was highly influenced by this, started exploring and developing the possibilities of mime, and developed corporeal mime into a highly sculptural form. Jacques Lecoq contributed significantly to the development of mime and physical theatre with his training methods.

Reader's Guide

Mime has been performed on stage, with Marcel Marceau and his character "Bip" being the most famous. Mime is also a popular art form in street theatre and busking. Traditionally, these sorts of performances involve the actor/actress wearing tight black and white clothing with white facial makeup. However, contemporary mimes often perform without whiteface. Similarly, while traditional mimes have been completely silent, contemporary mimes, while refraining from speaking, sometimes employ vocal sounds when they perform. Mime acts are often comical, but some can be very serious. Before the work of Étienne Decroux there was no major treatise on the art of mime, and so any recreation of mime as performed prior to the twentieth century is largely conjecture. The twentieth century brought the motion picture, and the restrictions of early film technology meant that stories had to be told with minimal dialogue, often demanding a highly stylized form of physical acting derived from the stage. Silent film comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton learned the craft of mime in the theatre, and through film they had a profound influence on mimes working in live theatre decades after their deaths. The famous French comedian, writer, and director Jacques Tati achieved his initial popularity working as a mime, and his later films had only minimal dialogue, relying instead on many subtle expertly choreographed visual gags.

Did You Know?

• The first recorded mime was Telestēs in the play Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus.
• Under the Roman Empire, mime became the predominant Roman drama, but experienced mixed fortunes under various emperors.
• In early nineteenth-century Paris, Jean-Gaspard Deburau solidified the silent figure in whiteface.