BLOG: Why Mime is the Best Theatre

These two clips from mime Marcel Marceau are hugely inspiring to me, and directly influenced the creation of CHALK.

In both clips, what we watch is the same. It’s a guy. Just a guy, by himself. That’s basically it. One video focuses on the guy’s hand – the other is of his whole body. That’s all – no props, no set, no other people, no nothing.

But then, what we see in each clip is totally different.

In the first clip – I see a whole evolution of life. Transforming from a fish to a bird to a butterfly – which is then set free and takes to the air. The second clip begins with a street scene, which then becomes a smoky bar. In the bar, Bip (Marcel Marceau’s clown) meets another person with whom he dances, before kicking them to the curb and disappearing back into the night himself.

But, there was no person. There was no bar. There was no fish or bird or butterfly. Just a guy. But, on the other hand, there sort of was though.

Because that’s what we saw.

This is why I love clown, and why I think mime is the best theater. Because anything is possible.

In an empty stage, with nothing but you and the audience’s imagination you can go to a Paris cafe, or tame a lion, portray the ages of man, or personify the conflict between good and evil.

In ancient Greek tragedies – when there would be scenes of incredible gore or violence, or magic that needed to be portrayed, they sent a “messenger” out in front of the audience to describe it for us. I think part of the reason for that is that the human imagination is an infinite resource. Why are over-produced action movies often boring? Or what makes a horror movie terrifying when the monster is mostly off-screen? It’s because the imagination fills in the gaps. That’s it’s job. The imagination is a creative machine and stories are its playground.

What’s even better about imagination is that Everybody’s Is Different!

The street I imagined Bip walking on probably looks different than yours. What color was the butterfly when you saw it?

This is the other thing about clown & mime – you’re a part of it. Without you and your own well of creativity there’s nothing. There’s only watching a guy. But for everything else to come to life, to see, we have to work together.

In Mime and Clown the Audience and Performer are a Team.

If one party isn’t doing their job the whole thing falls apart. Both the performer and the audience have a responsibility. The job of the performer is to tell the story enough clearly enough for the audience to understand what’s happening, and the job of the audience is to give the story the details of life. This is what makes Marcel Marceau a master at his craft. He is excellent at physically creating story moments. Did you catch him lighting his cigarette? Or the walking into the door? You always know what he’s doing and then we take care of the rest. Just like a coloring book – the artist creates the picture but you have to fill in it to make it complete.