TEXAS THESPIANS
  • Texas Thespians
    • Chapter Board
    • Staff
    • Our Organization
    • History
    • Hall of Fame >
      • Educator Awards
    • Contact Us
  • Events
    • State Festival >
      • 2022 Award Winners
    • Virtual Thespy and College Auditions 2022 - 2023
    • Educator Conference
    • Leadership Academy
    • Fine Arts Admin Day
    • Junior Regional Festivals
  • Opportunities
  • I Am A...
  • Resources
    • Texas Thespians Monthly
    • Flickr
    • Educator Resources
    • Job Postings
  • Advocacy
    • Local Advocacy
    • State/National Advocacy
    • Premiere Communities
    • Student Ambassadors
    • STOs >
      • Become an STO
      • STO Bios
      • STO Blog
    • Texas Theater Scholars
    • Theatre in Our Schools Month
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • DemocracyWorks Winners
    • Advocacy Resources
  • Store

The Art of Pantomime

2/21/2022

0 Comments

 
By: STO Folarin Oyeleye, Foster High School, Troupe 7961

As actors, I’m sure we’ve all had to pantomime at one point. Whether it be because we forgot to bring a prop on or because we never had it to begin with, this type of performance is quite notable. Using only gestures or similar motions the art of pantomime was born.
Pantomime was born in Commedia dell’Arte’. It was a type of entertainment in 16th century Italy that focused on using the body and music to tell stories. Soon these stories would begin to take place on stage in the 18th century. Some notable characters include: Harlequin, Scaramouche, and Pantaloon. Their stories were brought to life on London stages, all without speech, but with music. 
Harlequin was one of the most popular characters at the time. Being portrayed as a cunning merchant who wielded a magic bat, he was certainly quite loved by the public. It was then in 1732 when John Rich ( a famous Harlequin actor) built the Covent Garden Theatre. 
Even more changes would come about as we entered the 1840’s and the Theatres Act was lifted. This meant that theatres didn’t need a royal patent if they wanted to produce a play with dialogue. This even sparked some of its later popularity towards the end of the century amongst families. With 5 hour long productions opening up on boxing day, this became a form of entertainment that could capture the hearts of citizens on different levels.
Pantomime has been a big part of theatre. Stemming from times when words were not available, they innovated and found new ways to keep telling stories. It’s honestly amazing seeing how this style of performance has survived for about 500 years. It’s definitely been fun seeing where it started, and it’s really interesting to see how it’ll continue to evolve. If this blog piqued your interest feel free to do some more research of your own! I’ll even help and provide a link down below. As always, thanks for reading!

Best wishes, 
Your 2021 Texas State Thespian Officers

Source:
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-pantomime#:~:text=Pantomime%20has%20its%20roots%20in,cast%20of%20mischievous%20stock%20characters.&text=Harlequinades%20were%20mimed%20with%20music,pantomime%20for%20around%20100%20years.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    November 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017

    Categories

    All
    Festival
    TIOSM
    Your STOs

Picture
Amy Jordan, Chapter Director
15 Circle Drive
Denison Texas 75021
TEA CPE Provider #902-342
WEBMASTER@TEXASTHESPIANS.ORG
​© COPYRIGHT 2022 TEXAS THESPIANS
​. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
CONTACT US.
  • Texas Thespians
    • Chapter Board
    • Staff
    • Our Organization
    • History
    • Hall of Fame >
      • Educator Awards
    • Contact Us
  • Events
    • State Festival >
      • 2022 Award Winners
    • Virtual Thespy and College Auditions 2022 - 2023
    • Educator Conference
    • Leadership Academy
    • Fine Arts Admin Day
    • Junior Regional Festivals
  • Opportunities
  • I Am A...
  • Resources
    • Texas Thespians Monthly
    • Flickr
    • Educator Resources
    • Job Postings
  • Advocacy
    • Local Advocacy
    • State/National Advocacy
    • Premiere Communities
    • Student Ambassadors
    • STOs >
      • Become an STO
      • STO Bios
      • STO Blog
    • Texas Theater Scholars
    • Theatre in Our Schools Month
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • DemocracyWorks Winners
    • Advocacy Resources
  • Store