THEATREMUSIC

TRADITIONAL ARTISTIC PERCEPTION (AP) ® CLASSICAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (CE) Artsource CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT (H/C) The Center’s Study Guide to the EXPERIMENTAL AESTHETIC VALUING (AV) MULTI-MEDIA CONNECT, RELATE & APPLY (CRA)

ENDURING FREEDOM & THE POWER THE HUMAN TRANSFORMATION VALUES OPPRESSION OF NATURE FAMILY

Title of Work: About the Artwork: Life Cycle Life Cycle follows the relationship of two characters, Creators: one female and one male, from infancy through child- The Chameleons hood, adolescence, courtship, marriage, parenthood, Keith Berger b. 1952 Sharon Diskin b. 1963 middle-age, old age, death and finally, rebirth. On a Background Information: bare stage and without costumes or props, The When Keith Berger and Sharon Diskin were children, Chameleons use and mime techniques to they did not dream about being mimes when they grew project a spectrum of human emotions and enact the up! Both were drawn to the , studied , and rituals of friendship, love and separation. Performed to appeared in dramatic productions. When Keith was 15, the music of Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major,” he saw a mime concert by world-famous artist Marcel Life Cycle is a work in which we see ourselves and our Marceau. Marceau’s ability to create characters without experiences reflected in ways that are playful, dramatic, words had tremendous impact on him and opened up a poignant and unforgettable. new world of expression and artistry. He sought formal Creative Process of the Artist or Culture: training at The American Mime Theatre in New York Life Cycle was one of the first mime pieces on which City and became one of the very first street mimes. Keith The Chameleons collaborated. It began with a desire has performed his one-man show at Lincoln Center, the to do a story within a classic structure about John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and for universal relationships. They first started improvising a Royal Command Performance before Princess Grace of ways to create changes of age solely with physical Monaco. Sharon began her mime work with the Oberlin adjustments. As each vignette took form, they would Mime Players under the direction of Keith Berger. She, outline and record the segments of action. Pachelbel’s too, had seen Marceau as a teenager and was struck by the “Canon” was then chosen as fact that he worked on a bare stage without costumes. a score because it was circular. However, it was not until her participation in Keith’s When it was completed, the mime workshop that she discovered the true power and mime was a cycle, begin- depth of feeling possible in the art form. The Chameleons ning and ending in a state of began working as a team in 1985 and have since toured to innocent birth. the delight of audiences throughout North America and Europe. Their performance style is characterized by strong Photo coutesy of The Chameleons emotions and natural characters involved in real-life . They are masters of the traditional mime illusions and “Through silence we capture the essence of a moment, and acclaimed for their original mime repertoire. Artistic in that moment we are transported.” California collaborators as well as husband and wife, The Chameleons’ Keith Berger performances demonstrate that silence, indeed, is golden. & Sharon Diskin

Discussion Questions: Sample Experiences: After the video has been viewed: LEVEL I • Did you need words to understand the meanings • Eye Improvisations: practice focus and concentration of the vignettes (sketches) which comprise Life Cycle? skills by asking the class to imagine they are watching • What scenes do you remember most vividly? Why? the following things using only their eyes to convey • What scene was the funniest? Happiest? Saddest? each idea: a tennis match, an airplane flying high, a bus • How did The Chameleons make physical that is late and then finally arrives, a spider crawling adjustments in their movements, postures, walks, near their toes, etc. gestures and facial expressions to project the various • Mirrors: in pairs, practice moving in a mirror image ages of their characters? of your partner. Alternate turns leading and following. • What objects were pantomimed within the story? • Walk This Way: guide the class to walk to a variety • In which scenarios was a rose used? What did it of words - backward, forward, on toes, on heels, reveal about the characters’ relationship? through slush, on hot sand, on a sticky floor, as if they • How did the music make you feel as you watched are injured, afraid, happy, etc. the mime? * • Imaginary Objects: Create an imaginary object, such • What happens at the end of the story? as a ball and explore its shape, feel its weight, show its • Did you ‘see’ yourself in any of the characters and size and pantomime tossing it in the air and catching identify with their experiences? it. Change the texture and temperature of the ball, as • Why is the artwork entitled Life Cycle? well. Using these techniques, pass the “ball” from per- son to person. Multidisciplinary Options: LEVEL II • Create which explore ethical issues. • Tug of War: divide the class into six-person teams Values such as honesty, fairness and moral responsi- and play this game with an imaginary rope. bility can be examined in conflict situations • Pantomime Activities: have students shine their involving peer pressure, cheating, gang violence, shoes, go fishing, write a letter, bake a cake, set the drugs, etc. Improvise each scene to the turning point table, deal cards, get dressed, go roller skating, rake in the action and then freeze it in a tableau (frozen leaves, sew a button on a shirt, etc. picture). Note the characters’ body language and • Instant Replays: create scenes in slow motion using positions at the climax of the conflict. Resume the concentration and muscle control. pantomime, resolving it in an ethical manner. * • Clay Motion: Have students move as if they were Freeze the scene’s conclusion in a final tableau. made of clay. When words are called out, they will Audio-Visual Materials: shape themselves into forms that depict each word. • Artsource® video excerpt: Life Cycle, courtesy of Possible words include sticky, sports, cat, etc. LEVEL III The Chameleons. • The Silent Language: use mime to say “I’m sorry,” • Photos: courtesy of The Chameleons. “I forgot,” “Is something burning?,” “My foot’s asleep,” Additional References: “I’m scared,” “Surprise!,” etc. • Kipnis, Claude. The Mime Book. Harper & Row, * • Playwriting and Pantomime: create a mime scenario Publishers, New York, NY: 1990. about a day in the life of a specific character and write • The American Mime Theatre, 61 Fourth Avenue, a synopsis of the action to use as a pantomime script. New York, NY 10003. • Berger and Diskin’s Show and Tell Mime (30 2 minute video). www.chameleonsmime.com. * Indicates sample lessons

THEATRE BALL TOSSING TRANSFORMATION

LEVEL I Sample Lesson

INTRODUCTION:

Mime requires concentration, control of movement and physical and emotional reaction to events. A fundamental mime skill to develop is the ability to create imaginary objects and work with them so that their essence can be successfully conveyed to an audience. This skill is called pantomime.

OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes)

Students will be able to:

• Create a variety of imaginary balls and explore their sizes, weights and textures in a ball tossing exercise. (Creative Expression)

• Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Aesthetic Valuing)

MATERIALS:

• A volleyball.

PROGRESSION:

• Have the class form a circle and then toss a volleyball around until everyone has had a turn catching and throwing it.

• Put the volleyball away and then ask the class to visualize an imaginary volleyball suspended in the air before them.

•Use the following directions to give each student practice in miming an imaginary ball. • Put your hands on the ball before you. • Explore the shape of the ball. How large is it? • Feel the weight of the ball. Make it light. • Make the ball heavy -- so heavy you can barely lift it above your head. • Put that ball down. Pick up another ball you can hold in one hand. • Toss the ball into the air. • Follow the ascent and descent of the ball with your eyes and head. • Emphasize the catch so that we can ‘see’ the weight of the ball by the way it affects your hand. • Toss the ball to another person. • Roll the ball to another person. • Bounce the ball to another person. • Change the texture of the ball. Toss balls that are alternately wet, sticky, hot, fragile, etc. • Gather all of the balls and put them away until the next session. 3 EXTENSIONS:

• Experiment with different kinds of balls: billiard balls, balloons, beachballs, marbles, footballs, super- bouncy balls, giant balls, etc.

• Practice miming other simple objects such as a glass, a mug, a plate, silverware, paper and a pen, a book, a pair of scissors, a toothbrush and toothpaste, etc. Work first with the real object, then with the imaginary one.

VOCABULARY: mime, concentration, control of movement, physical reaction to events (as these terms relate to mime), pantomime

ASSESSMENT: (Aesthetic Valuing)

DESCRIBE: Describe the way it felt to throw a real ball, then describe the way it felt to throw an imaginary ball.

DISCUSS: Discuss the specific things you needed to think about when you mimed the ball throwing. (weight, size, distance, focus, etc.)

ANALYZE: Analyze the things you would need to do to show the differences between the miming of a baseball, beachball, small super-bouncy balls, and a ping-pong ball. What would you need to do with your body?

CONNECT: Think of other activities that you could portray in mime and scenarios where they could occur.

Keith Berger & Sharon Diskin Photo courtesy of the Chameleons 4 THEATRE INSTANT REPLAYS TRANSFORMATION

LEVEL II Sample Lesson

INTRODUCTION:

Many television sports broadcasts use “instant replays” so that the viewer can observe action and plays in slow motion showing every detail of the physical movement. In mime, no special equipment is needed to create instant replays. Mimes make their own replays by controlling their bodies so that there are no stops in the action and no sudden or sharp movements. This slow motion movement is a constant slow rhythm that never changes or varies.

OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes)

Students will be able to:

• Move, run and perform simple activities in slow motion. (Artistic Perception)

• Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Aesthetic Valuing)

MATERIALS: None Sharon Diskin and Keith Berger Photo courtesy of the Chameleons PROGRESSION:

• Talk about the use of instant replays on television. Is everyone familiar with the technique? Does move- ment put into slow motion look awkward or graceful? Does watching something in slow motion allow the viewer to discover things they would not normally see?

•Ask the class to find a place on the floor with plenty of room to move. Then, using their whole bodies, have them find ways of moving in slow motion. Don’t worry about doing anything specific, just concentrate on making slow movements that are uniform and constant.

• Now practice a simple movement in slow motion. Try sitting down, standing up, and then stretching.

• Try walking in slow motion. Progress from walking first in a regular tempo, then in a very fast tempo, and finally in a slow motion tempo.

• Next, practice running in slow motion. Pay careful attention to the way you move from one leg to the other. Shift your weight gradually to keep the effect of sustained slow motion.

5 • Select a simple activity to perform in slow motion. Simple props may be used or pantomimed. SUGGESTIONS: • Sweep the floor. • Take a photo. • Comb your hair. • Play the flute. • Wash your face. • Pick a bouquet. • Hammer nails. • Make your bed. • Get dressed. • Blow up a balloon. • Fry an egg. • Brush your teeth. • Fly a kite. • Blow some bubbles. • Catch a ‘fly’ ball. • ‘Shoot’ a basket.

• One by one, have each student perform their action in ‘real’ time and then replay it in slow motion.

EXTENSIONS:

• Express an emotion in slow motion, communicating it through body language. Suggested emotions: anger, happiness, sadness, shyness, surprise, etc.

• Create slow motion scenes with another person, timing your slow motion movement to keep pace with your partner’s.

VOCABULARY: instant replay, slow motion, pantomime

ASSESSMENT: (Aesthetic Valuing)

DESCRIBE: Describe what you did to move in slow motion.

DISCUSS: Discuss the specific differences between moving in normal speed (tempo) and in slow motion.

ANALYZE: Discuss the differences in what you observe when the action is in slow motion, rather than at normal speed (tempo).

CONNECT: Discuss the possibilities of moving in accelerated time (ultra fast tempo) and how this would alter the impressions, mood and meaning of an activity or scene.

6

THEATRE PLAYWRITING AND PANTOMIME THE HUMAN FAMILY

LEVEL III Sample Lesson

INTRODUCTION:

Combine of playwriting and pantomime to create scenarios which follow the daily activities of specific characters entitled, “A Day in the Life.” Direct students to write a detailed progression of the actions and emotions to give them a structure with which to rehearse, revise and evaluate their work.

OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes)

Students will be able to:

• Create a mime scenario about a day in the life of a selected character and write a synopsis of the action to use as a pantomime script for an original mime piece. (Creative Expression)

• Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Aesthetic Valuing)

MATERIALS: Paper, pencils, pens.

PROGRESSION:

• Watch the videotape of The Chameleons’ Life Cycle. Talk about how each stage or age of the characters seems to flow from one to the next. Observe how the individual scenes combine to form a whole story.

• Make a list of the emotions projected in Life Cycle. How do the artists use facial expression and gesture to convey the many moods and feelings? Do the characters seem natural and real?

• Tell your students that they are going to create a mime scenario not of a character’s entire life, but of one day of his/her life. Have them choose an occupation on which to base a character from the list below or from an idea of their own. Remind them that in the art of mime, words are never mouthed nor indicated.

Character suggestions: • computer programmer • athlete • doctor • fireman • librarian • carpenter • automobile mechanic • nurse • plumber • teacher • secretary • artist • jeweler • tailor • musician • farmer • photographer • florist • hairdresser • model • waiter • • maid • cook • lawyer • magician • mailman • gardener 7 • Next have them develop a pantomime revealing the activities of their chosen characters from the moment they wake up in the morning until they go to bed that night. How do choices they make about their characters’ personalities determine the way they do things, everything from the way they wake up, to what they wear, eat, etc.?

• Then have them write out the scenarios they have improvised with descriptions of the situations and feelings their characters experience. From a playwriting perspective, a pantomime plot must be simple and easy to follow. Start by outlining the actions in the beginning, middle, climax and conclusion. Next, flesh out the outline by choosing an emotional progression to convey the effects you wish. Remember that the elements of humor and surprise can add texture to a story.

• Lastly, write a synopsis of the pantomime to use as a script with which to rehearse.

• Share the scenes with the class.

EXTENSIONS:

• Pair characters from the various scenes and have them interact in pantomime improvisations.

• Perform pantomimes based on personality types, such as: grouch, dreamer, slob, perfectionist, wall- flower, ‘brain,’ etc.

• Create a day in your own life as a mime scenario.

VOCABULARY: playwriting, pantomime, mime, scenario, character, plot

ASSESSMENT: (Aesthetic Valuing)

DESCRIBE: Describe your favorite scene in Berger & Diskin’s Life Cycle with as much detail as possible.

DISCUSS: Discuss the character you selected to portray through mime and the specific activities you chose for that character to perform.

ANALYZE: Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your mime scene and how you used humor or surprise. Discuss ways to refine these parts so they will have even more impact.

CONNECT: Discuss how a pantomime is different from a play and how both draw upon real life situations and characters. Sharon Diskin and Keith Berger Photo: Robert Castle

8 ABOUT THE ART OF MIME Mime is one of the earliest forms of self-expression. There is evidence that earliest man used mime to express, in dramatic form, his religions, his symbols, his myths, his traditions and his rites of passage through the life cycle. The first use of mime as part of organized theatre was in the Orient, where mimed action has been a part of the national of Japan and China since their beginnings. The Greeks were probably the first to use mime as an art form in and of itself, though strongly connected to . It is known, for example, that the Greeks presented farcical mime shows in their fall and spring theatre festivals. The Romans continued the use of mime after the fall of Greece and subsequently broadened these mime pieces into exaggerated, often obscene, but extremely popular silent shows.

During the Middle Ages mime had two outlets. The first was the traveling , who was a master of mime, song and improvisation and was the probable forerunner of today’s comic mime solo performer. The second was the more subtle form found in the church dramas, especially miracle plays.

The Renaissance brought about a rebirth of mime as a significant dramatic form. In Italy, mime was an important part of the traveling Commedia dell’Arte in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Similarly, in other countries, by 1800 mime had become a familiar medium for dramatic . The Noh theatre in Japan, the successors to the Commedia in Italy, and the melodramas in and America provided stages for mime performances.

The most important mime artist to emerge in the nineteenth century was Frenchman Jean-Gaspard Debureau. Debureau transformed what had once been a crude, slapstick artform into real theatre. He created stories with realistic scenes, fully-developed characters, and plots about everyday life. He also created the popular character of , the lovesick, pale mime dressed in flowing white costume and black skull cap.

When Debureau died, his son Charles took his place in the theatre and began the formal teaching of mime as a codified technique. Mime was so well received that Debureau’s students performed one-act pantomimes at the Paris .

After World War I, at the Vieux Columbier School, Jacques Copeau continued the teaching of traditional French mime to many students. Among them was Etienne Decroux, who went on to create a modern system of mime technique with theories, exercises, and specific illusions. One of Decroux’s students - the world-famous mime, - inspired an international enthusiasm for the art.

Marceau’s style of mime is based on exacting physical technique and the ‘sculpting’ of space. He portrayed the essence of a situation with simple, cleanly drawn movements. He is still renowned for his lovable character, Mr. Bip, who, with his recognizable top hat and flower, is Everyman, thrown into a multitude of situations and circumstances. Many of Marceau’s mime scenarios such as “Walking Against the Wind” and “The Box,” have become classics. It should be noted that Marcel Marceau was born on March 22, 1923 and died on September 22, 2007.

In 1952, Paul J. Curtis founded The American Mime Theatre in New York City. American mime, noted for its strong percussive physicality and its naturalistic playing, represents an exciting alternative to the tra- ditional schools of mime.

Today, mime performances all over the world continue to delight hundreds of thousands of people in this theatre tradition which spans more than 2,500 years. (Kipnis, 1990) 9

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Introduction

ARTSOURCE®: THE MUSIC CENTER’S STUDY GUIDE TO THE PERFORMING ARTS

Artsource® highlights works of art and artists of stature from diverse cultures. It represents early to contemporary art forms in the disciplines of dance, music and theatre and complements the programs and performances of the Music Center’s resident companies and artist roster.

The arts are ancient, enduring and universal forms of communication. Artists present their perceptions, reflections, and points of view which influence, and are influenced by, the culture and period of time in which they exist. Artsource ® Contributors

Project Director Melinda Williams

Project Coordinator Susan Cambigue-Tracey

Writers: Dance Susan Cambigue-Tracey Diana Cummins, Carole Valleskey, Madeleine Dahm, Deborah Greenfield, Barbara Leonard, Melinda Williams

Music Rosemarie Cook-Glover Ed Barguiarena, Susan Cambigue-Tracey, Barbara Leonard, Connie Hood, Annette Simons, Marilyn Wulliger, Diana Zaslove, John Zeretzke

Theatre Barbara Leonard Kathryn Johnson

Technical Production donated by Paul Tracey

Layout and Logo* Design Maureen Erbe Design *Received the LULU AWARD for excellence in graphic design and advertising, sponsored by the Los Angeles Advertising Women (LAAW) Additional Artwork & Artsource® Logo Graphic H. P. Law & Partners

The Music Center of Los Angeles County wishes to thank the artists featured in this publication for their outstanding artistry and their generosity in allowing us to share their creative spirit in the classroom. Sincere appreciation is also extended to the members of the Center’s Board of Directors and Education Council for their guidance in developing these resource materials, Music Center volunteers for their help in organizing, proofing and editing Artsource® units; the professionals who provided field review; and the dedicated teachers who tested the Artsource® units in their classrooms.

Mark Slavkin Vice President for Education Melinda Williams Director of Education