Mime

Mime

1. A type of wordless entertainment

   • Movement and gesture are used to communicate
   • Facial features
     • Hand gestures
     • Exaggeration
     • Body language

2. Greek mime is thought to have originated in about 581 BC

   • Was developed in Megara
   • Some basic dialogue but emphasized physical action
   • Became popular in France
     • brought to Paris in 1811 by Jean Gaspard Batiste Deburau

3. Jacqes Lecoq

   • Included more disciplines
     • Clowning
     • Masks
     • Commedia dell’arte
     • Bouffons
   • Reassess some of the physical principles of genres like tragedy and melodrama

4. Modern Mime

   • Abstract Mime
     • Usually does not feature a main character
     • No plot
     • Provokes thought
   • Literal Mime
     • Tells a story with plot and characters
     • Often funny stories
   • Some modern mime mixes these