In the world of mime, some skits are considered classics, and every professional mime artist has to know and experience. In this post, we will present some of those classic mime skits for one person along with a brief description of how you can perform each one. These descriptions are provided only to help you understand the skit, but feel free to improvise and add your personal elements to the act.
When performing those skits, try to rememmber the Key Elements in Mime. Following these rules to make your scenes understandable and enjoyable for your audience.
Let’s start!
Classic Mime Skits for One Person
The wall
The mime enters and begins to create an invisible wall in front of himself. This is done by placing the hands, with the palms out, in front of the body (arms slightly bent), with the fingers spread out to emphasize how stiff the wall is. Open your fingers, stop, let go of your hand and move that hand away from the space that is the wall.
To get a better understanding of the way to perform this exercise, you can place your hands on a real wall and then let go of your hands. When you do this you will want your hands to move in a uniform motion (do not push your hands through the wall you have just created). By doing so you will move your hands faster and frantically to give a more solid feel to this invisible wall.
The box
As in the case of the wall, in this classic mime act, you will want to show the inner and solid part of the box. Go with your hands and arms, and push out the sides of the box to give it the shape. Do not forget to indicate the presence of a top.
Another take on this act is that the box may become a phone booth that you are trapped in. With a clenched fist, hit the walls of the box. You can add sound to a hit by stamping your right foot on the floor at the same time.
Walking on a tightrope
The last two mime skits for one person have dealt with objects, but now you need to create a character – one of a brave performere walking on a tightrope (or maybe someone who is not so brave).
When performing this act, start by climbing an imaginary ladder to reach the square from which the tightrope emerges. Place your feet on the rope to feel it a bit, just as someone dips the tip of their foot in the pool to check if the water is cold. Mime the pole that you hold in your hands and use it to maintain balance.
Remember to place your foot in a heel-to-thumb position and walk this way while you are still on the rope. Try to create different things you can do as soon as you complete one walk along the tightrope – do a mime act of juggling tricks, Balance on one leg, and stand on your head.
Rope pulling (Tug of war)
This act (which gives this website its name!) can be done alone or with a group, but as a mime skit for a single person, additional work is needed. You will need to show how you pull the rope and then how someone else pulls you back (which is of course not there, so you need to perform the exercise alone).
An excellent performance will take place if you can experience the pulling of the rope. To prepare, it is recommended to get a real rope and perform a real Tug of war with some friends. Observe the pulling actions and the response that they create with the other participants. Then, try to recreate the same reactions – this time without the rope.
Preparing for a Solo Mime Skit
In all of the basic classic skits we presented here, the most important element is that of observation. Notice over and over again, how situations occur in the real world – and what are the subtle reactions of people to it – so that when you present the sketch or act in a pantomime, it will seem clear and intuitive to the audience. If you look at the way people move, it will help you mime it better.
To be a great mime artist you need to have a constant awareness of people’s behavior. Look at every detail on how people act, so that if and when you have to emulate something, it will be waiting for you inside your mind.
Acting Mime Skits for One Person
When you present those acts of mime you create an illusion. Every scene, sketch, or segment must be perfect as if you performed the action in the real world, and you must always be aware of the space and size.
The awareness of space is required for when you are in a sketch and need to act aware of the location of the objects that exist around you in the imagined world. If, for example, you present in a mime act that emulates you in a kitchen, remember the location of each pot and each pan, the location of the cutlery, and even the location of the cabinets. There is nothing worse for a mime act than one who opens doors (and does not close them) and then walks directly through them.
Size refers to the shape and weight of objects in your pantomime world. If you’re about to act a ball to an audience, you need to know what kind of ball is that, how much does it weigh, is it round, is it hard or soft?
These are the types of questions you must ask yourself before you present a piece or a sketch. If you are not sure what you are doing yourself, how can you expect the audience to be?
Read Further: Learn How to Perform Classic Mime Routines