I'm envious of your community Ian. I think such a thing also exists in some smaller way here in Portland, Or but I haven't totally uncovered it yet.

Dear Mime Tribe,

(a moment of silence)

A wonderful man named Samuel Avital is a Mime Instructor in Boulder, Colorado. In his presence, life becomes theatre and the theatre becomes alive. Samuel Avital has studied with both Etienne Decroux and Marcel Marceau in Paris and has toured in a company with Maximilen Decroux.
Here are a few quotes about Samuel beginning with one from BIP himself.


"I think that Samuel's work is important. He brings awareness to the soul of people and gives the young dedicated artists who work under his direction the need, dedication, and love for the world of silence and the beautiful art of movement"
"To my dear Samuel, Words will always be poor beside our silence, but they will open doors to our silent spirit."

Marcel Marceau, BIP. 1976


Samuel Avital - whom I have known since his first years with my company in Paris - I suspected would become one of the great mimes. He has fulfilled that promise. He was among the first to reveal to me what creative interpretation could be, surpassing the creativity of the art of mime in order to become a human being who dares to be different. This great artist has discovered an extraordinary relationship between being an artist and becoming a true teacher of his own method. Our acquaintance has brought the greatest joy and surprise to my life and art.

Maximilien Decroux, Ecole Internationale de Mimodrame de Paris , Sept. 79


"A thin, tiny sparrowlike man perches at the door, peering into the gloomy reddish glow of the room. He hesitates only a moment and then strides in.
Within the room he finds elements of new space. Everything he once held secure he has dropped at the door, for he no longer needs them.

The Man who dares -- the wild explorer of equally wild spaces, is Samuel Avital -- distinguished by no title, no diploma, no degree, no special honors, no awards of recognition -- but only the fact that he is genuinely, truly alive.

The great contribution is that others who have been touched by him, even though they were asleep and walking in shadow, also become alive by virtue of his gift.

Is he a mime? Only if Salomon, Merlin and Gandalf were mimes. He does not move through space; he creates it as if solid and real.

He finds new uses for old things, and make new things with new uses. The universe does not exist for him beyond the moment, and for those who walk with him, the universe becomes new, freshly made, and ancient beyond memory.

He forms mass, makes it appear in space, moves within and around it, stirs up realities that never were, until he thought of them; reflects absurdities that no one looked at until they appeared in his mirror of life; conjures people that no one has seen because they are the self...in short, he is master of the universe, yet can be claimed by no object within it. He knows, remembers, understands, feels, senses with all his heart.

What more is there to say about a man?

-EJ Gold


Samuel's website is at www.bodyspeak.com

My own teacher teacher was Tony Montanaro whom the world lost in 2002. His widow, Karen Hurll Montanaro, carries on his tradition. In fact, I'm heading up to the Celebration Barn next weekend for a week+-long intensive for professional mimes to refine current pieces or start new ones. Karen sent a post saying that the workshop wasn't full and that they're opening it up to folks who might want just a day's work. You can call the Barn for the details.

I very rarely teach mime. Most people around here think it's just whiteface, stripey shirts, and Silence, and don't get its richness at all. (I've pretty much stopped doing that tradition.) My last class broke up after 1 guy, 25% of the class, just upped and left, saying he could learn this stuff in a book. These days I'm pretty much just asked to teach straight acting classes or act as movement coach for some of the local theaters. I feel like I'm the only mime between here and the Atlantic.

Instructor in Los Angeles and a list of others . . .

You probably already know me, Ian, but for others reading this post, I teach workshops and offer private instruction in Los Angeles through my school, Mime Theatre Studio ( www.MimeTheatreStudio.com ), and can travel to teach workshops to pre-assembled groups. I also offer Mime and character movement coaching for theatre, film, and TV productions, as well as workshops for animators ( www.movement-coach.com ).

A great resource for finding instructors around the U.S. and elsewhere in the world is my website The World of Mime Theatre ( www.mime.info ). Look in Information & Resources > Mime Training. The site also contains a wealth of other information on the art of Theatrical Mime.

No list of mime theatre instructors can ever be complete without mentioning Paul J. Curtis, director of The American Mime Theatre in NYC (since 1952), whose unique and rigorous performance medium combines techniques of American modern dance and Stanislavki, along with traditional French pantomime. The American Mime Theatre is a serious attraction that should not be missed when you are visiting New York City.

More info at: www.americanmime.org/general.html

hi

I am currently looking for a mime class in the Boston area and I am having a hard time finding anything. Ian, what info. can you give me?

thanks!!

How many of you teach mime? Where is that area?

Have you found a good teacher you would like to recommend in your area?

Does anybody teach mime in Seattle?
Miming of any sort Nearby me?

Hello, I am in nyc and still cannot find a mime instructor or a class! I cannot do it professinaly but want to learn how to mime. Anyone? Thanx,

Ognian Hristov? Anyone know anything?

Hi to one and all:

My name is Peter Roberts and I invite you all to www.teatromimo.com There you can access the mime book written in '83 Mimo el arte del silencio. At present it is in spanish but will shortly be summited in english version.
I am also looking for collaborators world wide for the project "Getting Straight Through" which conveys a message of primary prevention on the subject of Abuse of Alcohol amongst young people. for more info seek the contact page at www.teatromimo.com

Hi there,

I'm a clown and mime, student and teacher, and have been taking classes in the San Francisco area from some fabulous teachers.

James Donlon and Leonard Pitt are both fabulous mimes and masterful teachers.
James has been teaching and performing physical theater, and neo-classic mime/clown consistently since 1970. His style of teaching embraces individuality, while imposing the rigor of physical routine to truly turn the physical human body into a machine of expression.

Leonard Pitt was a disciple of Etienne Decroux in Paris, and studied Balinese mask work as well. He brings an adapted heritage of fantastic mask workand corporeal mime to his workshops and classes. His connection with masks is truly breathtaking.

The two of them, Donlon and Pitt, opened a school in SF this year called the Flying Actor Studio - www.flyingactorstudio.com
They, and other instructors, offer weekend workshops in mime, clown, maskwork and more. The first year of the Flying Actor Studio Conservatory Program is about to begin - the faculty includes such legendary performers as Bill Irwin, Robert Shields, John Gilkey, Geoff Hoyle, Arne Zaslove and more. -
flyingactorstudio.com/flyinga...rog.html

I think it's a thrilling project, and I'll be attending this year as a student.

----

As for other mime instruction in the SF Bay area:

Iman Lizarazu is going to begin an "eccentric performers" workshop in Santa Cruz soon. - www.imanlizarazu.com

Patty Gallagher teaches excellent theatrical clowning (with a heavy mime influence) at UC Santa Cruz(for UCSC students only).

The SF Circus Center Clown Conservatory offers clown training including some mime work. The school is certainly geared toward clowning more than mime, but it is integrated in the curriculum. Keep an eye particularly on their Workshops, as they bring in world class teachers. - www.clownconservatory.org/index.php

The SF Mime Troupe offers workshops occasionally. - www.sfmt.org/workshops/index.php

Julie Goell just held a Commedia Dell'Arte workshop in Santa Cruz at the West End Studio Theater. She normally teaches at the Celebration Barn in S Paris, Maine, but does travel some. - www.juliegoell.com/workshops.php - westperformingarts.com/goell-workshops/ - www.celebrationbarn.com/


Maybe I'll think of more instructors, but that's a good number to check out for now.
Happy studies!
- Nikolas Strubbe