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Chapters: Drama Schools in Sweden, Dramatens Elevskola, Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting, Danshögskolan, Theatre Academy of Luleå. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 22. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Dramatens elevskola, i.e Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years (1787-1964) seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors. It was established in 1787 by the theatre and art loving King Gustav III and was for many years under the protection of the Swedish royal family. The school was originally founded in 1787. Previously, actors had been educated as personal students of individual actors at the theatre, but it was decided that a school was necessary for a more secure succession of the profession and to learn up children in the profession from the start from examples made by the continent. It is not mentioned much during its first years, but it is clear to have been active from the end of the year 1787. In 1788, it is called The Children's Theatre, and is noted to have performed a play for the king and the royal court. The school were apparently founded by order from the opera direction, and the students were from between the age 9-14. One the first students known were Lars Hjortsberg, who also performed at this occation and became one of the stars of Swedish theatre history. The school was organised in 1793 by Anne Marie Milan Desguillons and her spouse, two actors from the French Theatre in Bollhuset in Stockholm. The school was often called children's theatre, and the students was often used in small parts by the royal theatre and in student performances. The instructors were often acto...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=7485365 ... Read more

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Having Fun
Start with simple pantomimes for individual and mixed group settings. Build up to more exacting pantomimes and charades. Then move on to skits. It is all fun! ... Read more

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The Decroux Sourcebook is the first point of reference for any student of the ‘hidden master’ of twentieth century theatre.

This book collates a wealth of key material on Etienne Decroux, including:

• an English translation of Patrice Pezin’s ‘Imaginary Interview’, in which Decroux discusses mime’s place in the theatre.
• previously unpublished articles by Decroux from France’s Bibiothèque Nationale.
• essays from Decroux’s fellow innovators Eugenio Barba and Edward Gordon Craig, explaining the synthesis of theory and practice in his work.

Etienne Decroux’s pioneering work in physical theatre is here richly illustrated not only by a library of source material, but also with a gallery of images following his life, work and influences.

The Decroux Sourcebook is an ideal companion to Thomas Leabhart’s Etienne Decroux in the Routledge Performance Practitioners series, offering key primary and secondary resources to those conducting research at all levels.

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This excursion into the enchanted comic world of Charlie Chaplin will appeal not just to Chaplin fans but to anyone who loves comedy.Dan Kamin brings a unique insider's perspective to the subject.An internationally acclaimed comic performing artist himself, he trained Robert Downey, Jr. for his Oscar-nominated portrayal in Chaplin, and created Johnny Depp's physical comedy scenes in Benny and Joon.The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin:Artistry in Motion reveals the inner workings of Chaplin's mesmerizing art as never before.Kamin illuminates the comedian's incredibly sophisticated visual comedy in disarmingly direct prose, providing new insights into how Chaplin achieved his legendary rapport with audiences and demonstrating why comedy created nearly a century ago remains fresh today.He then presents provocative new interpretations of each of the comedian's sound films, showing how Chaplin remained true to his silent comedy roots even as he kept reinventing his art for changing times.The book is lavishly illustrated with many never-before-published images of the comedian. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Definitive!
Dan Kamin's book is a hidden treasure! I was amazed, as a regular purchaser of Chaplin books and DVD's from Amazon,that Mr. Kamin's book was not once 'recommended' to me. I came across it by way of a website devoted to Edna Purviance. It is, by far, the most complete and beautifully written book on the comedy of Charlie Chaplin (not the story of his personal life, but the actual work). Mr. Kamin writes in a very accessible, easy style which was a joy to read. If you want to understand the origins and recurring themes of Charlie Chaplin's body of work, this book is for you. This is a superb companion to the more traditional biographies by David Robinson and Jeffrey Vance and, of course, Charlie Chaplin's own autobiography. Highly, highly recommended! Thank you Mr. Kamin.

The best analysis of Chaplin's art in book form!
There have been dozens of books written about filmdom's first megastar, Charlie Chaplin, from Chaplin's own MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY to Walter Kerr's landmark study of silent film comedy, THE SILENT CLOWNS, to David Robinson's definitive biography, CHAPLIN: HIS LIFE AND ART, to Jeffrey Vance's beautiful coffee table book, CHAPLIN: GENIUS OF THE CINEMA.While these books and many others have been excellent, they tend to fall into two basic categories--biographies or film studies.Dan Kamin's new book, THE COMEDY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN: ARTISTRY IN MOTION, is something different altogether.It is a examination of Chaplin's art, focusing on what made his films so compelling to audiences of the time and what continues to make his work captivating to new generations experiencing his silent films in the modern era.This is not merely a film study.It is a study of Chaplin's performances and the way he used the motions of his body to create timeless comedy.The author is uniquely qualified to analyze and break down Chaplin's body movements, as Dan Kamin is a professional comedian and mime who developed the physical comedy sequences for the films CHAPLIN (1992) and BENNY AND JUNE (1993) and who trained both Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp for their roles.

Through Mr. Kamin's in-depth analysis of Chaplin's body movements, THE COMEDY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN: ARTISTRY IN MOTION had an effect on me that no other book on Chaplin and his films has produced--it made me look at the comedian's work in a new way.Just as the outtakes presented in the Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's breakthrough documentary UNKNOWN CHAPLIN provided a new understanding into the way Chaplin improvised and directed his films, Mr. Kamin's book provides new insight into the comedian's compelling performances.Of course, the book is much more than a detailed examination of Chaplin's movements.It also features coverage of the comedian's theatrical work and how he utilized and adapted his stage training when entering the movies, a detailed examination of the comedian's gags (including a breakdown of eight specific categories of Chaplin's signature transformation gags in which he treats one thing as another), a look at the comedian's evolving character and the changing cast of characters that surrounded him as his films became more mature, an extensive analysis of how Chaplin dealt with the problem of adapting his comedy to the new medium of sound films, and a brief overview of the challenges Mr. Kamin encountered in trying to train Robert Downey Jr. to move like the great comedian for the film CHAPLIN.Taken as a whole, I found THE COMEDY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN to be the best examination of Charlie Chaplin's art in book form.

While I can find no criticism to level against Mr. Kamin's masterful analysis of Chaplin's art, I have one small gripe when it comes to the book itself.The publisher has chosen to only publish the title in a library-bound edition, which has been priced for the library market.While the book is solidly bound to last beyond a single lifetime and the laminated hardback cover is resistant to spills that would damage books made of lesser materials, the $65 price tag may discourage many readers from picking up this beautiful, insightful book.However, since this is a reference that film lovers will want to revisit again and again, the care that went into producing the book is appropriate.I hope that fans of Charlie Chaplin will overlook the hefty cost, because those that make the investment will find their money well spent.

Lovers of film comedy should consider Dan Kamin's book an essential read.It receives my highest recommendation.

An essential Chaplin book
There has been book after book on Charles Chaplin as a filmmaker, as a major cultural figure of the twentieth century, even as a political figure - but no book before Dan Kamin's 'The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin: Artistry in Motion' has chosen as its principle subject the very aspect which accounted for Chaplin's great success - the fact that he was the greatest pantomimist ever captured on film.

Dan Kamin is a mime who travels the world brilliantly following in the tradition out of which Chaplin's comedy arose - as a search of Kamin's name on Youtube will attest. Kamin coached Robert Downey Jr. through his uncanny portrayal of Chaplin in the 1992 biopic as well as supervised Johnny Depp in his slapstick routines in 'Benny and Joon'.

In 'The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin' Kamin hones in on what made Chaplin's mime so singular and mesmerizing; he notes Chaplin's virtuoso mastery of physical movement and the manner in which he utilized his great skills to evoke deeply-felt human emotions.He is able to identify the techniques of Chaplin's art in way that only another mime can.

In addition to delineating Chaplin's art of movement, Kamin shows how Chaplin the the filmmaker framed that art to its best advantage - casting light on the manner by which Chaplin highlighted his pantomime routines even in his sound films with the skilfull use of technology - a fact which has been largely unexplored by other Chaplin authors.Kamin displays how Chaplin's skills as a filmmaker perfectly matched and accentuated his skills as a mime, and his acute sensitivity to both, and the manner in which they united to create Chaplin's timeless art, makes this book an essential addition to the library of anyone serious about Chaplin. ... Read more

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Are traditions of popular theatre still alive in politically-engaged theatre to-day? In San Francisco they are. The San Francisco Mime Troupe is a modern link in the long history of public performances that have a merry air but have a voice of political protest and social comment. Every summer since 1962 the Troupe has taken free outdoor performances to public parks in the Bay Area. In a style that is festive and a spirit that is revolutionary the Mime Troupe has relied on popular theatre forms to address timely political and social issues. Their productions maintain a contemporary political edge, while showing their origins to be the popular traditions of the commedia dell'arte, circus clowning, vaudeville, puppetry, and minstrel shows. With The Minstrel Show or Civil Rights in a Cracker Barrel (1965) they expressed support of the civil rights movement. With L'Amant Militaire (1967) they voiced support of Vietnam War protests.

To discover what makes these apparently frivolous theatrical traditions effective for contemporary political theatre, Festive Revolutions explores the historical origins of the popular forms the Mime Troupe draws on. In old Europe, where performance traditions began, political turmoil blended with festive celebration. The lineage of the Mime Troupe's Punch the Red can be traced back to the Italian puppet figure Pulcinella through its English and Russian counterparts Punch and Petrushka. In the Mime Troupe the use of stereotypes and reliance upon colorful festivity are diverse strategies for dodging censorship. Productions like Ripped Van Winkle continue today to rekindle the radicalism the Troupe inherited from the culture of the 1960s.

Festive Revolutions shows that such forms have inspired political theatre for centuries.

Claudia Orenstein is an assistant professor of theatre at Barnard College. Festive Revolutions is her first book. ... Read more

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Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, red-nose, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion. The types of their acts varies greatly. Although many find clowns to be scary, their intended purpose is to entertain people, especially young children. Peter Berger writes that "It seems plausible that folly and fools, like religion and magic, meet some deeply rooted needs in human society." For this reason, clowning is often considered an important part of training as a physical performance discipline, partly because tricky subject matter can be dealt with, but also because it requires a high level of risk and play in the performer. This has included the training offered by Jacques Lecoq. An example can be found in the Native American clown societies. In slang, "being a clown", such as messing things up or blowing an opportunity is generally considered to be a negative thing. ... Read more

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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1877 edition by N. Scheuring, Lyon. ... Read more

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A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer. Miming is to be distinguished from silent comedy, in which the artist is a seamless character in a film or sketch. The performance of pantomime originates at its earliest in Ancient Greece; the name is taken from a single masked dancer called Pantomimus, although performances were not necessarily silent. In Medieval Europe, early forms of mime such as mummer plays and later dumbshows evolved. In early nineteenth century Paris, Jean-Gaspard Deburau solidified the many attributes that we have come to know in modern times the silent figure in whiteface. Jacques Copeau, strongly influenced by Commedia Dell'Arte and Japanese Noh theatre, used masks in the training of his actors. Etienne Decroux, a pupil of his, was highly influenced by this and started exploring and developing the possibilities of mime and developed Corporeal Mime into a highly sculptural form taking outside of the realms of naturalism. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1896-1901.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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Graphic presentation of a life in the performing arts, theatre, teaching, training and mime, 1970-2010. bilingual English and French hand-written text, profusely illustrated with photographs of archival material, pamphlets, posters, performances, reviews. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The San Francisco Mime Troupe is a theatre of political satire which performs free shows in various parks in the San Francisco Bay Area and around California. The Troupe does not, however, perform silent mime, but each year creates an original musical comedy that combines aspects of Commedia dell'Arte, melodrama, and broad farce with topical political themes. The group was awarded the Regional Theatre Award at the 41st Tony Awards. The group was founded in 1959 by R. G. Davis as a medium of expression of his divergent theatrical concepts. The group debuted with Mime and Word (1959) and The 11th Hour Mime Show (1960). ... Read more

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Acclaimed modern pantomime master, Dick Richards, releases his first full-length collection of the pantomimery moves that made him famous. Once a staple as a featured performer on various cruise ships the now-unemployed Dick Richards releases his most secret and creative pantomime moves in this step-by-step award-winning collection. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Ra-Ra Zoo was an English-based circus theatre company (1984?1994), started by Sue Broadway, Stephen Kent, David Spathaky and Sue Bradley while they were all working and staying together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They opened their first full show at the Battersea Arts Centre as part of the London International Mime Festival in January 1985. They toured internationally for ten years playing in theatres notable to Africa, South America, Australia and extensively in Europe. Their show under the joint Artistic Direction of David Spathaky and Sue Broadway combined the ethos of 'alternative' comedy of the 1980 with a 1970s revival of Circus skills, variously called 'New or Neo Circus' which largely promoted human skill without the use of animals. Their background in street performing (' The Amazing Mendezies') and the influential Circus Oz (of which Sue Broadway was a founding member) gave the show an irreverent, fast paced, surrealist feel. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Pierrot is a stock character of mime and Commedia dell'Arte, a French variant of the Italian Pedrolino. His character is that of the sad clown, pining for love of Columbine, who inevitably breaks his heart and leaves him for Harlequin. He is usually depicted wearing a loose, white tunic. The noticeable feature of Pierrot's behaviour is his naïveté, he is seen as a fool, always the butt of pranks, yet nonetheless trusting. Pierrot is also portrayed as moonstruck, distant and oblivious to reality. ... Read more

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Chapters: San Francisco Mime Troupe, Broadway by the Bay, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Magic Theatre, Fratelli Bologna, the Committee, Beach Blanket Babylon, Exit Theatre, the San Francisco Improv Co-Operative, Shoestring Radio Theatre, Lamplighters Music Theatre, Thin Man Theatre, Eureka Theatre Company. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 48. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The San Francisco Mime Troupe is a theatre of political satire which performs free shows in various parks in the San Francisco Bay Area and around California. The Troupe does not, however, perform silent mime, but each year creates an original musical comedy that combines aspects of Commedia dell'Arte, melodrama, and broad farce with topical political themes. The group was awarded the Regional Theatre Award at the 41st Tony Awards. The group was founded in 1959 by R. G. Davis as a medium of expression of his divergent theatrical concepts. The group debuted with Mime and Word (1959) and The 11th Hour Mime Show (1960). However, by 1961, the group transitioned to the Commedia dell'Arte format to more thoroughly comment on perceived political repression in the United States of America, the growing American Civil Rights Movement and military and covert intervention abroad. In the mid-1960s the group started to rely less on the direct Commedia dell'Arte format and transitioned into a more rambunctious, satirical style. It also began integrating elements of Jazz into its musical composition, eventually leading to the inclusion of a jazz band within the troupe. The group gained significant notoriety for its free performances in Golden Gate Park and numerous altercations with law enforcement. In the early 70s Mr. Davis left the Troupe when it re-formed as a Collective, the members of which operate as the Artistic Di...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2570166 ... Read more