The American Mime Theatre is the Performing Company and School of American Mime, an acting medium expressing itself through movement. it is neither a pantomime company nor a dance company. It performs its own original plays culled from its repertory, with new works continuously in development. It was founded in 1952 by Paul J. Curtis (August 29, 1927– April 28, 2012).[1] Some of the notable performers in the company's past include Anita Morris,[2] Lily Tomlin (albeit for exactly three weeks),[3] James Noble and his wife Carolyn Coates,[4][5] as well as Marion Knox, Deda Kavanaugh, Charles Barney, Arthur Yorinks, Marc Maislen, Daniel Richter and Jean Barbour.[6] After a period of inactivity, AMT relaunched in 2023 with Yorinks as artistic director and Lynn M. Stirrup as executive director.[7]
Reviews
editIn 1984, The New York Times wrote: "As one of the few who toiled in the vineyards over the decades when mime was considered chiefly a European import, Mr. Curtis deserves credit where credit is due. The program that the American Mime Theater is offering... demonstrated an independent view of mime that owes little to conventions associated with the form ... it allows for a free-form approach that roams between the realistic and the stylized."[8]
References
edit- ^ "American Mime Theatre". Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ Collins, Glenn (1994-03-04). "Anita Morris, 50, Actress in Theater And Movies, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ^ Rader, Dotson. The Crack-Up Queen; A Lifetime of Funny. Waco Tribune-Herald. pp. 6, 7. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "Little Theatre Sponsors Lecture by James Noble". The Daily Times. July 31, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Heimlich, Jane (January 18, 1973). "At Home — Cincinnati: A Noble Family of the Theater Settles Into Ft. Adams for a Six-Week Run". The Cincinnati Post. p. 17. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Schulman, Jennie (April 4, 1975). "Capsule Reviews: The American Mime Theatre". Back Stage. p. 48. ProQuest 963154009.
'Dreams,' with Paul Curtis as the dreamer and Rick Wessler as his alter ego is probably the most vividly imaginative. [...] The skilled mimes in addition to Curtis and Wessler included Marion Knox, Deda Kavanaugh, Charles Barney, Arthur Yorinks, Marc Maislen, Daniel Richter and Jean Barbour.
- ^ "AMERICAN MIME THEATRE is RELAUNCHED TAKING ITS UNIQUE PLACE IN THE THEATER COMMUNITY". PR Newswire (Press release). April 27, 2023. ProQuest 2806464413.
Now, after a year of internal development, Artistic Director Arthur Yorinks and Executive Director Lynn M. Stirrup are spearheading efforts to rebuild AMT's Performing Company and School, and to initiate special projects such as the monthly series AMT Talks!
- ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (October 21, 1984) "Mime: American Company'" The New York Times