Mime has similar origins to both drama and the dance. When the storyteller was at a loss for words, gestures took over. Because of its character as an instinctive part of the makeup of a human being, mime must, of course, have existed in some form as long as recognizable men and women have walked the earth. Mime probably can be traced back to campfires of primitive people. We are aware of the mime and mimicry of many African tribes and of the Australian aborigines.
Aristotle, during the Greek Golden Age, wrote that "imitation is natural to man from childhood...and it is also natural for all to delight in works of imitation." The importance of mime in the Greek plays is accented by the limitation of the plays and much of the action had to be non-spoken.
In Rome, Livius Andronicus, having lost his voice, had the chorister speak the lines, as he mimed to the flute and the clash of the cymbals. As was the case with the other arts, pantomime also shared a decline in popularity when the Romans increased the vulgarity and indecency in the themes and actions.
During the Dark Ages mime flourished in other parts of the world. Mime, just like drama commonly had religious origins. In India mime is said to predate drama and is thought to have existed as an equal to drama. Like drama, it is believed that Brahma invented mime. The first great teacher of mime in India was Bharata Muni and mime has been given the name Bharatanatya, which, it still goes by today.
"Meng" was the name of mime in China and dates it back approximately 100 B.C. Chinese mime was beginning to develop into a tradition of total theatre by the time of the early Middle Ages in Europe, where the mimics were once more on the road from which the Greek mimes had emerged.
Mime was a part of the miracle, mystery and morality plays developed in the twelfth century in France, Germany, Britain and throughout Europe. During this same period the Japanese nohwas became popular.
During the seventeenth century two very different Peirrot-clown protagonists emerged. The two were Jean Gaspard Debaru and Joseph Grimaldi. Debaru, who had a very popular following, was said to have displayed understanding with the display of sensitive feelings through his rather muted performances. Joseph Grimaldi had to broaden his technique to become successful and it was he that was the forerunner of the clown in the theatre and circus. The term "Joeys" for a clown is in memory to him.
In the twentieth century the mime, which was vogue for Pierrot, had died down in Paris after World War I, but the art of mime still fascinated people in the theatre. Mime training was still included for actor training by some of the directors of the period. One of these is Jacques Copeau. One of his students that really admired the pure mime instruction was Etienne Decroux. Today Decroux is considered a great teacher and theoretician of mime and he still has a school in Paris.
In Copeau's theatre there was also a mime artist by the name of Jean-Louis Barrault, who has been remembered primarily for the film of Carne-Les Enfants du Paradis. He was also a director of the Odeon in Paris.
Marcel Marceau actually worked with both Decroux and Barrault and today is the living genius of mime. He has obtained this level and has become legendary during his lifetime. It is through his work on television and theatre halls that mime has become appreciated today. He too has had students that have brought attention to the art form. The mime team of Shields and Yarnell were former students of Marceau and they have added a touch of their own technique to the art form.
In talking about mime during the twentieth century, we must also mention the importance of mime to the first films. The first films consisted of movement and no dialogue actually being spoken. A house organ usually played during the movie presentation to help the audience establish a mood for the presentation. Many of the performers naturally had to have great skill to be able to create the message in the mind of the audience. One of the great silent film stars of the period was Charlie Chaplin.
Today mime is alive and is an established art form. Performers find places for their presentations everywhere. You may find a mime artist performing in the streets of New York or San Francisco or in the theatre of your home town. It is an art form with styles, techniques, and originality and it requires the study and practice of any art form.