Mime and Pantomime in the 20th Century

Name: Mime and Pantomime in the 20th Century
Rating: 3.9 (7 reviews)

An authoritative look at the universal origins & techniques of mime and pantomime with exclusive interviews of artists.

Created byLou Campbell, Jonathan Lowery

Last updated 3/2023

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Discover the vast array of things called Mime and Pantomime
Explore video and techniques by legendary performers through proprietary video
Learn the fascinating history of performances in the mid 20th Century
Complete the course and discover much more in various performance modes.
See proprietary video of legendary physical theatre performances as part of this educational series, designed to improve the cultural understanding of this art.

Course content

6 sections • 61 lectures • 5h 20m total length

Introduction4:35
An brief overview of this course by Dr Louis Campbell. This discussion introduces mime, and an overview of the materials, and a brief personal history by Dr Campbell.
The Two Major Course Divisions1:05

Historical Overview: What you will find in this section1:03
Origins & Definitions of Mime2:17
Charlie Chaplain1:55
Jaques Copeau & Charles Dullin1:05
Etienne Decroux2:37
Jean-Louis Barrault6:49
In 2007, Dr. Lou received the National Endowment for Humanities Professor Award. His acknowledgement of this was in the presentation of a broad authoritative sweep of the techniques, philosophies and personalities that defines the art form. A video of this award speech is an excellent overview and introduction to this course.
Jean-Louis Barrault - Example & Extended example6:49
Jaques LeCoq4:48
Marcel Marceau3:19
Charles Weidman1:21
Geoffrey Buckley1:35
Ladislav Fialka0:43
Buckley & Fialka Example by The Joshua Squad3:03
Explore mime and pantomime through two Puerto Rico taped examples, contrasting laundromat action with the Hero and Pierrette scene where gestures, drawing, and a flower express love without words.
Ctibor Turba1:05
Adrian Pecknold1:40
Peter Franklin-White0:46
Ballet Pantomime
Lottie Goslar2:28
Highlight Lotte Goslar's improvisational mime and clown parodies with ensemble work, engaging audiences through playful pantomime, line dance, and intermission performances at mime festivals.
Hovey Burgess1:16
Avner Eisenberg2:16
Mamako1:42
Mamako: The Pond4:17
Mamako: The Sea4:48
Mamako: Rush Hour in Tokyo11:40
This lecture uses mime to reveal modern Japan and Tokyo's crowded life, highlighting air pollution, population pressures, and a pusher forcing passengers onto trains arriving every three minutes.
Shozo Sato0:48
Robert Shields and Lorene Yarnell + Dr Campbell's Encounter Mime1:29
Mummenshanz1:30
Mummenshanz: Clay Masks3:38
Mummenshanz: Extended - Mask Play Examples with The Joshua Squad1:22
Explore a derivative of the Mummenschanz mask play, the larval mime piece Into the Light by the Joshua Squad, merging full-body masks with music and mime.
Dimitri0:39
Dimitri: Extended2:03
Dimitri: Le Porteur Part 153:13
Legendary clown who resided in Ascona Switzerland. The first of four videos.
Dimitri: Le Porteur Part 244:34
Dimitri clown with varied techniques and methods of communication
Carlo Mazzone-Clementi Commedia mask specialist of Italian tradition1:02
Jewel Walker0:40
Explore Jewel Walker's influence on mime and movement, tracing his Decroux training and roles as professor and director at Carnegie Mellon, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and the University of Delaware.
Tomas and Julie Pushkas0:29
James Donlon0:20
Conclusion0:42

Introduction to Style Mime: Marceau, Decroux, LeCoq0:29
Etienne Decroux Intervew Details0:53
Etienne Decroux - Interview for 1974 Mime Festival9:20
Etienne Decroux - Original French Audio11:22
Lecoq Interview Details0:14
Jaques LeCoq - Forum Interview at 1974 Mime Festival46:28
Explore Jacques Lecoq’s Paris mime pedagogy, guiding a two-year journey from life-based training to professional theatre, where students craft masks and costumes and explore space and gesture.

Starting with Gesture0:08
The 5 Components of the Gesture0:40
Explore the five components of gesture: focus, reach, take, accent, and release, as a foundational grammar that clarifies how each element contributes to expressive movement in mime and pantomime.
Components of the Gesture: 1. Focus0:27
Components of the Gesture: 2. Reach0:30
Reach is the second component of gesture, meaning to approach, focus, or command attention by looking at the object and then reaching for it or toward a person.
Components of the Gesture: 3. Take0:32
Explore the take component of gesture, establishing objects and people in space through reaching and signaling. See how a cup or a friend is established in space with a wave.
Components of the Gesture: 4. Accent0:54
Components of the Gesture: 5. Release1:08
Identify the five gesture components: focus, reach, take, accent, and release, and learn why releasing an object completes the gesture and prevents an unsatisfying, incomplete performance.
The 4 Fundamental Elements of Mime0:45
The fundamental constructs of mime are movement and space. So, anatomically, the focus is on the ability to isolate one part of the body from the rest of the body, particularly in terms of its function. This isolated part can either be fixed in space or moving but for training purposes must be free from the rest of the body.
Elementary parts to practice with are the fingers, hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders, the head, neck, thoracic region, abdominals, pelvis, buttocks, hips, knees, and ankles. The more you are able to isolate, the more control you have over your body and can integrate the pieces in the area of space that your body occupies.
Isolations are engaged in relative relaxation for warmup activities. It is in proficiency of isolated movements that the ceasing of extraneous movement provides stillness that both brings focus to the move and definition of space.
The generalization acquired initially will become specific with practice. However, while focusing on one aspect of isolation, it is compelling to monitor the rest of the body to prevent tension from building.
Fundamental Elemnts of Mime: 1. Fixed Point1:43
Fundamental Elements of Mime: 2. Line1:43
Fundamental Elements of Mime: 3. Dynamic Line1:34
Fundamental Elements of Mime: 4. Space and Matter Manipulation1:58

Requirements

No previous experience needed, Just interest in learning and applying materials
Viewing excellent proprietary video of legendary performers who were at the top of their profession in the mid-20th century.
Discover cultural applications of your area as it relates to performance techniques

Description

Dr. Lou Campbell, founding director of the 1974 Institute and Festival, provides scholarly insights to each of their works and amplifies what is foundational to modern dance, acting, clown and theatre.

Starting with Etienne Decroux and Jacques LeCoq, the foundations of the art form were laid. Marceau’s technique is Style Mime. Mamako Yoneyama, a student of Marceau, radically diverges into Zen Meditation Mime. Shozo Sato provides Japanese elements of Kabuki and Noh. The Mummenschanz were students of LeCoq but emerged with highly creative performance forms called Mask Play. Yet, Carlo Mazzone-Clementi, a colleague of LeCoq brought an insightful performance of the Renaissance Commedia dell'Arte with traditional masks. William Burdick posed the issue of mask in classical ballet, while Hovey Burgess offers circus technique as a direct extension of mime and pantomime.

Those interested in mime, pantomime, modern dance, clown, eccentric arts, acting, gymnastics and opera will enjoy this course.

This material is provided as a diverse educational medium for those subscribing to the course. A follow up course will address basic mime techniques along with a thorough introduction of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics, so essential for a complete understanding of the body as a performing instrument. This medium is called Physical Theatre.

Who this course is for:

From the undisputed authority on Mime and Pantomime, definitions and techniques applicable to any aged group.
An introduction to selected performing artists whose media was considered Mime or Pantomime.
Proprietary video expositing the various techniques of artists who contributed to the field of study
Entertaining videos designed to amplify your understanding of these performers

Mime and Pantomime in the 20th Century

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Mime and Pantomine techniques and distinctions derived from the 20th Century2 lectures • 6min

History - Presentation as Professor of Humanties of the Year 200737 lectures • 3hr 2min

Exclusive Interviews6 lectures • 1hr 9min

Movement and Space3 lectures • 7min

The Fundamental Constructs of Mime12 lectures • 12min

Conclusion1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: