Although many use the words “pantomime” and “mime” as synonyms, there are key differences between the two. For instance, it’s a common misunderstanding that a pantomime performance must be silent – but the opposite is usually the case! Learn more about why is pantomime important to acting.
Pantomime is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the UK and other English-speaking countries, especially during the Christmas and New Year seasons. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy, and dancing. It employs gender-crossing actors and combines topical humor with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable, or folk tale. A pantomime is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.
Pantomime has a long theatrical history in Western culture dating back to classical theatre. It developed partly from the 16th-century commedia dell’arte tradition of Italy and other European and British stage traditions, such as 17th-century masques and music halls.
Why is pantomime important to acting
Pantomime is an essential part of acting because it allows the actors to communicate with each other through non-verbal means. It helps the actors develop skills by understanding how people think and feel and expressing it only using extreme gestures, facial expressions, and body language – which in turn helps the actors perform better in any other type of performance.
Improving Your Pantomime Skills
If you’re interested in improving your pantomime skills, there are several things you can do. While there have been countless pantomime plays and performances throughout the centuries, all of them share a few core similarities. Here are four of the most common pantomime characteristics:
Audience participation
A pantomime is an interactive form of theatrical entertainment. Performers commonly lead a call-and-response with audiences, invite them to sing along, or point out the action onstage to unsuspecting characters. This is just one of the many reasons the style became so popular with children specifically.
Acting popular children’s stories
Pantomime is usually based on famous and loved children’s stories. Mother Goose rhymes and classic fairy tales serve as common source material for plays. The stories of Aladdin, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and the Little Mermaid have all become pantomimes. These performances feature characters unique to the stories themselves with a specific interpretation for the skit. These plays often feature actors in animal costumes – such as mimed horses or dogs – which children love.
Slapstick
Originating from the plot of the British harlequinade, During the complicated chase scene, the character of Harlequin would magically transform objects and the set by whacking them with his wooden bat, therefore coining the term “slapstick”. Pantomime is essentially a comedic art form, with an emphasis on physical comedy. Acrobatics, body movements, and exaggerated facial expressions are common throughout these acts.
Common characters
Common ‘general’ types of characters like the Clown, the Pantomime Dame, and the Principal Boy show up in many different pantomimes plays to interact with the unique source material. For example, one might use these stock characters comedically during a known source material like the one we specified.
