Know about mime, the silent art of storytelling as discussed and presented by members of the Northwestern University Mime Company
Know about mime, the silent art of storytelling as discussed and presented by members of the Northwestern University Mime Company
Mime being performed—and discussed—by members of the Northwestern University Mime Company.
Courtesy of Northwestern University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Transcript
AMANDA BROWN: The purpose of putting on the white face is, obviously, to make a mask. And obviously we do that so that our bodies carry the story much more than anything else. But also because when we take away our own personal identity we get a chance to be someone else.
The eyebrows are actually a symbol. They're a symbol for an expression. And the expression is something along the lines of-- [FACIAL EXPRESSION]-- which is this feeling of astonishment or innocence of seeing the world, seeing something amazing for the first time. And then in a moment you're going to start to draw dots or tears.
Men are going to draw long streaming tears. And women draw teardrops on their cheeks. And that's another symbol. It's a symbol for pretty much the opposite feeling. It's a symbol for age, and loss, and experience in seeing something for the last time.
So, the idea is that the mime tells the story from both points of view, simultaneously. The point of view of seeing something incredible and astonishing for the first time. And seeing it also with age, and wisdom, and experience for the last time.
JULIE MILLIGAN: Sometimes, we think of what we're actually saying to each other, like in a piece with multiple people. So, sometimes we're actually talk through the pieces as we do them when we rehearse. Some of the things can be really physically demanding.
Sometimes, we do fantasy mimes where we become objects. And so sometimes it's hard to figure out how do you embody an object. And so that can be challenging and scary sometimes, but it's really fun when you get the hang of it.
In our mime company, we create our own stories and we figure out the story that we want to tell. And then you learn how-- you figure out how to tell that story through movement and through gesture. And finding those little gestures that people will recognize, and that people will laugh at, and have a response to. Because they recognize it as a part of this vocabulary of gesture movement that we all have.
I guess what's really cool is it's not always silent, because the audience is laughing. Then as the actor you're listening to all the responses of the audiences having.
I guess the hardest part for me is sometimes during funny pieces, it's like really hard for me not to laugh. But you just try to stay in character.
The eyebrows are actually a symbol. They're a symbol for an expression. And the expression is something along the lines of-- [FACIAL EXPRESSION]-- which is this feeling of astonishment or innocence of seeing the world, seeing something amazing for the first time. And then in a moment you're going to start to draw dots or tears.
Men are going to draw long streaming tears. And women draw teardrops on their cheeks. And that's another symbol. It's a symbol for pretty much the opposite feeling. It's a symbol for age, and loss, and experience in seeing something for the last time.
So, the idea is that the mime tells the story from both points of view, simultaneously. The point of view of seeing something incredible and astonishing for the first time. And seeing it also with age, and wisdom, and experience for the last time.
JULIE MILLIGAN: Sometimes, we think of what we're actually saying to each other, like in a piece with multiple people. So, sometimes we're actually talk through the pieces as we do them when we rehearse. Some of the things can be really physically demanding.
Sometimes, we do fantasy mimes where we become objects. And so sometimes it's hard to figure out how do you embody an object. And so that can be challenging and scary sometimes, but it's really fun when you get the hang of it.
In our mime company, we create our own stories and we figure out the story that we want to tell. And then you learn how-- you figure out how to tell that story through movement and through gesture. And finding those little gestures that people will recognize, and that people will laugh at, and have a response to. Because they recognize it as a part of this vocabulary of gesture movement that we all have.
I guess what's really cool is it's not always silent, because the audience is laughing. Then as the actor you're listening to all the responses of the audiences having.
I guess the hardest part for me is sometimes during funny pieces, it's like really hard for me not to laugh. But you just try to stay in character.