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Mime is the art of demonstrating an action with an object that doesn’t exist. It’s a very disciplined and precise act. The actor must pay real attention to detail for it to be effective. If you want the audience to ‘believe’ you’re using an object, make sure that it doesn’t just simply ‘vanish’ after you’ve finished with it. If you’re miming drinking at a party and then need your hands for something else, put the imaginary glass down first.

The set can also be mimed and again, the same principles apply. If a table is mimed the actors need to be fully aware of where that ‘table’ is onstage. They mustn’t move through it or the illusion is broken. They should all be able to place things on it so we see that it is a consistent size and height.

Messy mime can look amateurish. If you do use mime in a piece of theatre, ensure that you practise making your movements precise so that the audience can clearly see what it is you are doing.

Exercise

Mime making a cup of tea. Think of every stage you would go through, from picking up and filling the kettle, through adding milk and stirring the tea to finally drinking it. Really pay attention to detail and be as precise in your movements as possible. Write down the steps you took to make the cup of tea. Did you forget anything?

Using gesture

A gesture is a defined movement which clearly communicates meaning. Shaking a fist communicates anger, a curled finger beckoning means ‘come here’ and blowing a kiss is an affectionate gesture. Gestures are usually made with the arms and hands, but not always. Kicking a chair away could be seen as a gesture of defiance. Victorian melodrama used over the top and exaggerated gestures but a contemporary play might use more subtle gestures.

Used with effective body language and facial expression, gesture can be powerful in communicating emotion.