PANTOMIME

What is pantomime?Pantomime is acting without talking.

The word pantomime comes from the Greek word pantominios which means “all” “imitator” or imitate all.

Why study pantomime?The study of pantomime helps the performer develop a very powerful tool, the human body.

Is pantomime important?The language of action is universal. A smile means the same thing everywhere in the world. Pantomime is not limited by language barriers. Because actors are seen before being heard or understood, the art of acting without speech is the first phase of acting training. On stage especially, actions speak louder than words.

What is the history

of pantomime?Pantomime is the oldest means of dramatic expression. Early man imitated the significant events in their lives after those events took place. Successful hunts, victorious battles and responses to earth quenching rains were typical of the events acted out within a circle of viewers. The first actors began to pantomime, dance and chant their hopes for future events. In ancient Rome, pantomime performances were interspersed between longer plays. Elizabethan period pantomimes were called “dumb shows” and were very popular with audiences. The popularity of silent movies was partly due to the skill of Charlie Chaplin, a great pantomimist. In the 1950’s, a French mime artist, Marcel Marceau, made the art of classic mime popular world wide. Marceau calls pantomime “the language of the heart.”


Principles of Pantomime

  1. The chest is the key to bodily movement. Positive emotions such as love, honor, pride, courage and sympathy expand the body and tend toward a high chest and head, free movement, broad gestures, and animated features. Negative emotions such as hate, greed, fear, and suffering contract the body and tend toward a shrunken chest, tense movements, restricted gestures, and drawn facial features.
  1. Make all gestures with the upstage arm whenever possible. Avoid any tendency to cover the face while expressing an emotion.
  1. Always keep the audience in mind and direct the actions to them.
  1. All movement should be clearly motivated.
  1. Use the posture and movements that are expected of the character you are representing. Acquainting ourselves with other postures is like using other dialects. It helps us to improve our own posture.
  1. To create the illusion of an object in pantomime we must use it. Creating an object in pantomime requires several steps. Using all four steps below helps us to cleanly, believably create objects that the audience can “see.”

*Visualize the object. See it in your mind.

*Approach the object. Move toward it.

*Take the object. Make contact with the object. Tell the audience its location, size, shape, weight, etc.

*Release the object. Take your hand away from the object – let go.

  1. Concentrate!!
  1. Practice! Practice! Practice!!!

Begin your pantomime performance by standing down center, facing the audience. State your title clearly and distinctly and follow by bowing only your head. Perform you pantomime, keeping in mind the above guidelines. End your pantomime by returning to down center and bow your head again.

DOs and DON’Ts

DO exaggerate facial expression.

DO show the shape, size, weight, etc. 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 to the pantomime.

DO include conflict or a problem in your pantomime.

DON’T mouth words.

DON’T make any noise or props

DON’T include any body contact.

DON’T include any violence, weapons, or inappropriateness in your pantomime.

Names ______

Theatre Arts I Period ______Date ______Title ______

DUET PANTOMIME PLANNING SHEET

Performance criteria:

  1. The audience should be able to tell who you are, where you are, and what you are doing.
  2. Your scene should be complete, having a beginning, a middle, and an end. There must be a conflict that is resolved -- after the rising action -- happily or unhappily.
  3. The two parts should be equal in importance and size.
  4. Every movement should be motivated and clear to the audience.
  5. Use concentration, sensory recall and emotional recall to make your performance believable.
  6. Plan and rehearse the action in your scene so that you react to each other, work well together and give and take the scene.
  1. Who will you be?

Describe character 1 played by ______

Describe character 2 played by ______

II.Where will your scene take place? ______

Draw a bird’s eye view diagram of your “set” below. Place doors, furniture, trees, cars, etc.

  1. List, by character, the emotions you will portray, the objects you will establish and the sensory reactions you will display.

EmotionsObjectsSenses

Character 1

Character 2

  1. Outline the action in your scene:

Opening (exposition – How will you tell the audience who, where, what, etc.?)

Conflict or problem

Rising action – Plan at least 3 ways the problem gets worse, more complicated or extends.

Conclusion or Resolution

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