Pantomime

Theatre Arts
What is Pantomime?
 Acting without talking
 Comes from the Greek word “pantominios,” which
means “all” “imitator” (imitate all)
  PANTOMIME
 *Imitates actions from real
 life
 *Can be part of

 normal performances
 * Appears realistic

 * Conveys a specific action

 *No props; has imaginary

 objects
 *Must have a beginning,

 middle, and end—thru story

Why Study Pantomime?
 It is the first phase of acting
 Body
 Voice
 Mind

 The language of action is universal

 ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!
Importance to Acting
 the audience will notice your body movement on stage
before you speak
 it is the basis to acting, you must do more than speak
words on stage
 characters are portrayed and identified by movement,
facial expression, gestures
History of Pantomime
 Oldest means of dramatic expression
 Successful hunts
 Victorious battles

 First actors used to express their hopes for the future,

along with:
 Dance
 Chants
History of Pantomime
 Silent movies
 Charlie Chaplin (early 1900’s)
 Marcel Marceau (1950’s)
 “the language of the heart”
Key Elements of Pantomime
 Simplicity-Simplicity of the story will help the
audience understand what is happening. Don’t
cloud the story with too many details.
 Accuracy-Makes the presentation believable
and the actions are correct.
 Consistency-Keep all the items in pantomime
the same size, shape, weight and in the same
place.
 Exaggeration-Make the action in pantomime
bigger than life, helping the audience see your
action with more clarity.
Facial movement and emotion
 Surprise: wide eyes,
brows lift, mouth in a
O

 Happy: eyes squint,

brows lift, mouth
curves up
 Sad: narrow eyes with
lids dropped, outer brow
turns down, mouth turns
down

 Anger: eyes narrow,

brows furrowed, mouth
twisted down, lips curl
out and down into a
sneer, jaw drops and
sets firmly
Actions and Personality
 strong-willing confident personality
 stands tall, broad gestures, definite movements, actions
away from the body
 shy personality
 drawn in, small gestures, slower movements, actions down
and towards body
Principles of Pantomime
 Chest is the key
 Positive emotions = high, expanded, free, broad, animated
gestures
 Negative emotions = tense, contracted, restricted gestures

 Use upstage arm

 Avoid covering your face while expressing emotion

 Direct your story to your audience

 All movement should be clearly motivated

 Use posture/movements expected of your character

 Concentrate!

 Practice!
Principles of Pantomime
 Creating an object in pantomime
 Visualize the object. See it in your mind.
 Approach the object. Move toward it.
 Take the object. Make contact with it.
 Tell the audience its location, size, shape, weight.
 Release the object. Let go.
DOs and DON’Ts
 DO
 DO exaggerate facial expression
 DO show the shape, size, weight of objects
 DO focus fully on the task
 DO show the audience who you are, where you are and what is
happening
 DO plan a beginning, middle and end
 DO include conflict or a problem
 DON’T
 DON’T mouth words
 DON’T make any noise
 DON’T use props
 DON’T include body contact
 DON’T include violence, weapons, etc.
Gesture and Facial Expressions Practice
 Relief (“Phew!”)
 Impatience (“You’re late!”)

 Calling someone over (“Come here!”)

 “No, thank you.”

 Excitement (“I can’t wait!”)

 Begging (“Pretty please?!?”)

 Approval (“That’s great!”)

Object Practice-Metamorphosis
 Talk on the phone
 Open a can of soda

 Type on the computer

 Pick up a pencil

 Pick up a bowling ball

Individual Pantomimes
 Keep it Simple! Examples:
 Walk along the street and get bubble gum stuck to the
bottom of your shoe.
 Try to open your locker. It is jammed.
 Wash your face and get soap in your eyes. Look for a
towel.
 Put on a pair of shoes that are too tight.
 You have been robbed and your hands are tied behind
your back. Try to call the police on the telephone.
 You can’t find the right key to open the lock on the door.
 Drink a large glass of water and then discover you have
swallowed a bug.
 Eat a piece of candy and then realize you ate a piece of cat
food by mistake.
Let’s Make Soup!
ACTIVITY: Have everyone sit in the circle and you have an imaginary
pot that you're going to pass around the circle.  Tell the kids when
they get the pot they can put any ingredient in the soup they want. 
They have to be sure to keep the shape of the pot, and the heaviness,
etc.  When they are done putting their ingredient in the pot, they pass
the pot to the next person and the class guesses what the item was. 
They can get creative with their ingredients.  It usually starts off with
vegetables, etc., but inevitably the kids will start putting other things
in there... shoes, snot, hair, etc.  When the pot gets back to you, you
then tell them they have to TRY the soup.  So you pass the pot around
again, this time with a spoon, and they have to work on their
expressions as they taste the nasty soup.  It's super fun and the kids
love it.
Project Options
Mime Scene
You and a partner will mime a scene. The scene must have a
conflict and story line without using any words or props. Please
use exaggerated movements and facial expressions. You must
write out a story board and have at least 15 steps

Solo Mime
Without talking or props, mime an activity (example: making a
sandwich or putting on make-up). It must include a conflict that
arises within your activity. Write out each step of your activity.
There must be at least 15 steps.

Comedy Pantomime Scene (Solo or Group)

You or you and your partner will create a funny pantomime scene
that takes place when a problem arises in the scene. Please use
exaggerated movements and facial expressions. You must have
at least 15 steps