• Are all mimes scary?
• Do all mimes invade personal space and behave rudely?
• Do all mimes have to wear a white face?
• How old is the art of MIME?

Q: Are all mimes scary?

Mimes should NOT be scary! Mime is an art and like any art form it can be of a high standard or of a low standard. When an art is undermined by the artist, it becomes warped...even scary. People may not realize that, although mime appears to be simple, there is much to learn, years of training and perfecting, trial & error. A good mime is considerate, kind and always thinking about what they are communicating to their viewers. Impacting behavior, never imposing.

Brenda with Master of Mime Marcel Marceau USA 2002

Q: Do mimes always invade personal space and behave rudely?

Mimes should never IMPOSE on you, rather they should IMPACT you. And mimes should never be rude to another person. Unfortunately, the typical person who practices mime on the street corner is only looking for attention and a reaction. Instead of being considerate and impacting their viewers, they impose on them. This is just poor training and lack of consideration on part of the mime. Forgive them.

Q: Do all mimes have to wear a “white face”?

Mime can use the element of a “white face”. The mime artist paints their face with a white paint and then embellishes the most prominent and the most pliable parts of the face with black markings. For the professional mime artist, this is a very strategic and personal process, creating the distinguished mask that will allow the face to not only stand out better, but for expressions to be better seen. However, mime can also be done with a “Plain Face” where the mime artist has no whiteface on.

Q: How old is the art of mime?

Mime is as old as man himself. Mime at its basis is simply movement that recreates life. People naturally try to express themselves with their bodies, to a limited extent. Mime is accessible to any person who has the capability of movement and is proportionate to each person’s ability. Mime has been in every culture, every country and continues to grow and expand in its possibilities. From the ancient Greeks to the Royal Courts, from the street corner entertainers to Masters Charlie Chaplin, Eitenne Decroux, Red Skelton, Marcel Marceau, Robert Shields & Lorene Yarnell, and Todd & Marilyn Farley, mime is matchless in its own form and history.