The origin and essence of the Western mime are examined in the first part of the book. Traceable to the masked roleplaying of Greek theater, many of the sacred functions of mime in early rituals were carried into later secular performances. The second part looks at pantomime, from the shamans to modern theatrical performers such as Deburau and Marceau.

Kathryn Wylie is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Kathryn Wylie
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 264
Bibliographic Info: 23 photos, notes, references, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014 [1994]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9375-3
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1

Part 1: Satyric Mimes
1. Sacred Mimes and Buffoons 11
2. The Greek Mimes 34
3. The Satyric Masks of the Commedia dell’Arte 57
4. The Masks of Jacques Lecoq 74

Part II: Heroic Mimes
5. The Shaman 97
6. The No Actor 116
7. The Greco-Roman Pantomimes 138
8. Romantic and Modern Pantomimes: Deburau and Marceau 159
9. Etienne Decroux and Corporeal Mime 176

Notes 203
Sources 223
Annotated Bibliography 233
Index 249

“thoughtfully constructed bibliography…. Recommended”—Choice.