MIME

Mime is a story told through physical body movement, facial expression, gesture and use of space.
Mime is rather like silent acting – it is sometimes called Physical Theatre.
In mime, no speech is used – but you can use sounds if they help tell the story.
Mime can explore a whole range of emotions: funny or sad, light-hearted or thought-provoking.
Mime has been with us for thousands of years starting with the ancient Greeks.
There are examples from all over the world in Japanese Noh theatre, the French white-faced clown of Jacques Lecoq, in film with characters like Charlie Chaplin, and right up the present day with artists such as Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean.
Mime is an essential skill in acting and communication.
The golden rule of mime is to be seen and not heard.

For Task 2 in theActing (solo) exams, all candidates from Initial to Grade 3 perform a piece of mime (At grade 3 you may do a devised speech or scene instead).
You need to prepare a piece of mime up to the given time limit.
Create a story with a beginning, middle and end – and give your piece a creative title.
Use clear actions, facial and eye expressions to convey your narrative.
You can use stillness as well as movement to help convey your story.
Keep it interesting, fun and believable.
Make sure you communicate your piece to your audience, the camera or to an examiner.

Practice miming some simple movements such as picking up a glass of water, opening and closing a door, or imagining your foot is glued to the floor.
Practise showing your emotions with your body, face and eyes.
Download our Ideas for Mime to get you started on your own piece.
Develop your story from these starting points.
You can use as much of the stage space as you like.
Exaggerate your movements so your intention is really clear to the audience.
You can use a musical soundtrack or a ‘soundscape’ to help create an atmosphere.