Mime

and
Pantomime
 Mime
• Mime – the silent art of using body
movements to create an illusion of reality

• Comes from the Greek word mimeses

meaning “to imitate an activity”

• Teaches the theatre performer to

communicate physically as well as vocally
 Pantomime
• The use of mime techniques, acting
without words to tell a story

• Comes from the Latin word pantomimus

meaning “all gestures used in support of a
theme”

• Example: I love you

• A mime uses NO sets or props

• The only means of communication is

through his own body

• Therefore an expressive body and

face is a mime’s best asset
• A mime must project (show) whatever he/she
is feeling or thinking using only the body

• Things a mime does to make an image

clearer to the audience:
1. Magnify actions (makes them larger
than life)
2. Complete one gesture before
beginning another (separates actions)
3. Wind up for each action
• Sound – mimes may make the sound of
an object, but NEVER of people

• Touch – mimes do not touch the other

actors on stage, everything is an illusion

• Gesturing – a mime must never repeat a

gesture unless he/she does it in a different
way
• A mime works towards gaining control of
each separate part of the body

• A good mime can tell a story using just his

eyes alone
This is Jackie Gleason, a famous mime. What
story do his eyes tell?
What do these pictures seem to have in
common?