The Pantomime

         The earliest sense of mime is known to have started with the ancient Greeks and Romans in the fifth century. When the audience became too loud and the performers knew they would not be heard, they switched into a silent performance so the play could go on. This later became a technique that created its own genre: the Pantomime.

Roman Pantomime

       Although Pantomime became controversial and unwanted by some, European actors managed to carry on the tradition through traveling theatre acts. This also led to the diversity and allowed a wider variety of Pantomiming. 

        Barrault was a frenchman who revolutionized mime and created the mimodrama. He eventually appeared in a film called "Les Enfants du Paradis" (Children of Paradise) in the year 1945. A new form of Silent Film was carried on.

          Soon after World War II the great Marcel Marceau became very famous. His fame and his hilarious character Bip encouraged many others to follow after him and create their own unique mime personalities; Marceau was inspired by the silent film and others became inspired by him.

Marcel Marceau

     The comedy mime is brought to life through the many stock characters. The mexican Mimo Chispa was born in 1974 and adds a great value of entertainment and laughter with his performances.

       Mime sometimes tells the story of great events in history. An example is the Japanese Olympic Mime.

          Pantomimes do not always bring laughter, sometimes a serious tone is brought into Pantomime. This is shown in the tribute to 9/11.

       Modern Mimes have brought not only changes in personality of their stock character but have also brought a change in the costume and music style if underscored. Over the years the usual "stuck in a box" pantomime has evolved into very unique styles, even including puppetry and juggling acts in the Pantomime act.

 

 

  

1.]   YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com>.

       2.]   "Theatre." Santa Barbara County Education Office. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/~vms/carlton/theatre.html>.

       3.]   "MIMETIC ART & THE SWEET BLACK ANGELS." Madame Pickwick Art Blog. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://madamepickwickartblog.com/2010/06/the-mimetic-arts-chase-the-lost-arcadians/>.


       4.]   "The History of Mime." Tripod - Succeed Online - Excellent Web Hosting, Domains, E-mail and an Easy Website Builder Tool. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://members.tripod.com/~kiko_mime/history.html>.

       5.]   Contributor, An EHow. "What Is the Origin of Mimes? | EHow.com." EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles | EHow.com. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/about_5045648_origin-mimes.html>.

      6.]   "Roman Theatre, Pantomime." Ancient Rome for Kids. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://rome.mrdonn.org/theatre.html>.

Marionette

Baroque-Style

          From Pinocchio, to the ritualistic Wayang Golek marionettes of Indonesia, to baroque-style marionettes in the eighteenth century, marionettes have remained a great interest to their varied audiences throughout history.

          Marionettes are lifeless objects with which a puppeteer brings life to through their movements and skill. While watching the performance, it is the puppeteer's job to bring the audience into the story and life of the otherwise lifeless marionette. For example in the Hansel and Gretel performance by the Salzburg Marionette Theater, the marionettes "moved" along to the music of classical composers. This underscore became quite popular with the Salzburg Theater.

Hansel and Gretel

          In 1923, the Salzburg Marionette Theater was created in memory of the earlier European puppets. Marionettes became quite well known in the during the eighteenth century. The Theater brought old folk traditions back to the light with showings such as The Nutcracker, Hansel and Gretel, and The Sound of Music.

Pinocchio

      With differences in culture come differences in the style and overall look of the puppet. Pinocchio was made with the goal to attract a very young audience, and with a very colorful and emotionally expressive puppet Pinocchio caught the eye of children with the friendly look. Throughout most of Disney's Movie, Pinocchio walks along without any strings, although a more realistic take is seen in the start of the movie when Geppetto carves him and attaches strings to him. What happens in Pinocchio is essentially what all puppeteers wish for their puppets-for their puppet to have life and become alive to the audience.

Wayang Golek

        Wayang Golek is yet another style of Marionette Puppetry. This style uses rods to hold up the puppets from below, leaving an absence of strings. These marionettes performed for festivals and share history and rituals with their viewers. The making of the marionette is carried through the generations by families. Each member of the family plays a specific role. The head of the marionette is created by the head-puppeteer because it is denotes the personality of the marionette. The body is made by the children, the clothes by the wife, and before the marionette is brought to the stage a ceremony is performed so it can then be commenced as a god or demon.

Wayang Golek Shadow Marionette

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         2.)"Salzburger Marionettentheater: Home." SALZBURGER MARIONETTENTHEATER: Karten Und Info – Tickets and Info. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.marionetten.at/marionetten09/home/home-english>.

         3.)"Salzburg Marionette Theatre : Marionettentheater." Visit Salzburg, Austria : Travel Guide. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.visit-salzburg.net/sights/marionette-theatre.htm>.

         4.)"From Puppet Production in the Middle Ages to Baroque Marionettes." Czech Marionettes - Puppets, Quality Marionettes and Collectibles. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.czechmarionettes.com/from-puppet-production-in-the-middle-ages.html>.

        5.)"The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation: Mira Felner, Claudia Orenstein: ISBN 9780205360635." Best Web Buys Price Comparison Shopping. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.bestwebbuys.com/The-World-of-Theatre-Tradition-and-Innovation-ISBN-9780205360635>.