Coming Soon…
Comments (0) On Sundays starting in May, The Mime Company will open up its laboratory for new works to the public, with performances through July 2012. Stay tuned for more!
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On stage and in the classroom
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Arts Education Partnerships
Many of you know that in addition to our stage work, The Mime Company reaches thousands of elementary, high school, and college students each year with our educational programming. Some of our memorable experiences from 2010-2011 have included programs with longtime partners–for example, our residency with the Bensenville School District, now in its third year, an ongoing after school program at New Field School in Rogers Park, and a special performance of our holiday show for students in Evanston SD65′s School Age Child Care program. We have also had opportunities this year to make new connections, including last month’s undergraduate workshop and public performance hosted by Lewis University in Romeoville .
Offering educational outreach is part of our mission because we have seen, in theaters and in classrooms, that mime is a powerful art form, giving a common language to people of different ages, personal backgrounds, and places of origin. We have also had success exploring how physically engaged, imaginative storytelling can be a tool for supporting writing, literature, foreign language study, and other classroom subjects.
The Mime Company still has availability for school programming in April and May. If you are an educator, parent, or simply an audience member who has been moved by this art form, then please consider how a Mime Company performance, workshop, or residency could be a fantastic learning experience for your school community this year.
Download our education brochure to learn more!
To talk to us about bringing a program to your school, call 773-989-7938 or email info@themimecompany.com.
After-school mime in Bensenville, IL
Comments Off We were delighted to return to Bensenville, IL, in February to conduct our third annual after-school mime week for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students in Bensenville ’s School District 2. Students were bused from Tioga, Johnson, and Mohawk elementary schools to Blackhawk Middle School where we divided into three workshops: the Sneaky Snakes, the Hush Puppies, and the Quiet Cats, our English/Spanish bilingual group. I was delighted to see many familiar faces (and how much they had grown!) and amazed to watch the returning students demonstrate games they remembered from one or even two years ago, like “The Motor,” “Masks,” and “The Magic Door.” On the final day, the students presented stories that they created for their families and friends. Then everyone gathered in the auditorium for a performance by The Mime Company.
This is just one of many experiences we create each year for students, teachers, artists and families to share in the art of mime. We were able to provide this experience for the Bensenville community thanks to the generous support of the Bensenville Arts Council, especially Bill Winters (who organized the program this year) and Ellen Evans (who initiated the program and organized it in 2009 and 2010). We are grateful for their support, and for the dedication of the amazing faculty and student volunteers who assisted throughout the residency.
An End-0f-Year Reflection
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With just one weekend left of our holiday show, I want to thank everyone who has helped make this a great year for The Mime Company. In 2010, The Mime Company has applied for 501(c)(3) status as a federally recognized tax-exempt charitable organization, created a partnership with Evanston’s Ridgeville Park District to be our rehearsal home, and revamped the website to be more in touch with our audience. We produced a new play, Orpheus and Eurydice, at City Lit’s Art of Adaptation Festival, as well as our current production, Snow Days and Plane Delays. On top of this, we’ve continued to reach thousands of students through our school-based outreach programs.
We wouldn’t have accomplished any of this without a lot of people believing in the value of this unique work and giving a lot of their time.
Please help us celebrate by checking out this fantastic review of Snow Days, posting your own review or comment to our website about how this or another of our shows has moved you, or coming to see the show if you haven’t already. If you are so inclined, you might also consider making a small tax-deductible donation to support our work, bringing a Mime Company performance, workshop, or residency to your school or event, or lending your expertise in leadership or development as a board member.
Thanks for helping us to move ahead in 2010!
Sincerely,
Eliot Monaco
Artistic Director
Openings and Reviews
Comments Off Congratulations to the entire ensemble for a wonderful opening night, and thanks to everyone who came to support some mimes during the holidays! We’ve received our first review, and here it is:
“Snow Days and Plane Delays: An Evening of Holiday Mime”
Thanks for coming, Paige! For all of you who haven’t yet bought tickets, never fear–we have five more performances for you to catch. Merry Christmas Eve for those who celebrate Christmas, and we hope to see you next week so we can wish you a Happy New Year as well!
Dec 1 show and Steadstyle Chicago!
Comments Off We had a great preview of “Snow Days and Plane Delays” at the Dawes Elementary School for District 65 on Wednesday. A couple of late buses meant that the mimes got to have an in-depth workshop with the kids where they played with imaginary motors and blenders before the show. Judging from the response, we’d say the favorite pieces from the show were “Carolers,” “The Kite,” “Xmas Lights,” and “The Mall,” which has been updated to a full-ensemble holiday shopping piece. Then we drove on over to the Walt Disney Magnet school to do a workshop and performance with students while their parents learned about initiatives for literacy. The kids there went crazy for “The Chair!”
What’s more, we’ve been featured in Steadstyle Chicago–find our listing below:
The Mime Company in Steadstyle Chicago
That’s all for now, but we’re getting geared up for what is looking like a fantastic show!
Facebook and Yelp Events!
Comments Off Hi everyone! Laura, the Production Manager for “Snow Days and Plane Delays,” here. We’ve officially got a Facebook event and Yelp event page now, for all of you who use those fine sites!
Here’s our Facebook event; please feel free to invite others.
And here’s our Yelp page–same thing goes.
We’ve got a show on December 1st at the Dawes Elementary School, so you can expect more news about that soon. For now, Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
Holiday Mime
Comments Off Reminiscing about the holiday shows of the past, I came across this video about The Mime Company’s A Holiday Evening of Mime in 2008 created by Matt Paolelli. Enjoy this taste of our work in anticipation of Snow Days and Plane Delays: An Evening of Holiday Mime, our holiday presentation for 2010!
City Lit Theater presents ‘The Art of Adaptation’
Comments Off City Lit Theater will present The Art of Adaptation, its third annual three-day juried festival of world premiere short pieces of non-dramatic literature adapted for the stage, in its theatre at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. The adaptation judged best in show will receive a $500 cash prize provided by City Lit.
Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14 at 8 PM
Sunday, August 15 at 3 PM
This year’s festival consists of world premiere adaptations of five short stories, one Greek myth, one children’s book, and one graphic novel, of works by authors as diverse as Robert Louis Stevenson, Anton Chekhov, and Donald Barthelme.
The eight adaptations to be performed in this year’s festival are:
- Low, based on the short story Misery by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Robert Tobin and directed by June Eubanks;
- The Body Snatcher, the short story by Robert Louis Stevenson, adapted by Greg Aldrich and directed by Rachel Edwards Harvith;
- The Nearness of You, based on the graphic novel Astro City #1/2 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, adapted and directed by Warwick Johnson;
- Orpheus and Eurydice, adapted from the Greek myth and directed by Eliot Monaco and Amanda Brown;
- Dandelion, a children’s book by Don Freeman, adapted by Wysteria Edwards and directed by Jack Phillips;
- The Palace at 4AM, a short story by Donald Barthelme, adapted and directed by Reina Hardy;
- False Reverence, a short story by Randall Colburn, adapted and directed by Kristi Bogart;
- Hell at Pooh Corner, a short story by Alan Coren, adapted and directed by Dan Robinson.
Each adaptation will be performed twice during the festival.
On Friday, August 13, at 8:00 PM, The Body Snatcher, Orpheus and Eurydice, False Reverence, and The Nearness of You will perform without intermission as an 120-minute program.
On Saturday, August 14, at 8:00 PM, Low, Hell at Pooh Corner, The Palace at 4AM and Dandelion, will perform without intermission as a 90-minute program.
On Sunday, August 15, at 3:00 PM, all eight adaptations will be presented, with intermission, in a marathon performance.
A panel of judges will view the Sunday performances and vote to choose the adaptation they consider best. That adaptor will then be presented with the $500 cash prize.
The judges for The Art of Adaptation include multi-Jeff winning adaptors Arnold Aprill, City Lit’s co-founder and first artistic director; Mark Richard, City Lit’s second artistic director; and Paul Edwards, whose adaptation of Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers made its world premiere as part of City Lit’s 2009-2010 Season.
Ticket prices for The Art of Adaptation are $10 on Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14 at 8:00 PM, and $15 for the marathon on Sunday, August 15. at 3:00 PM.
Tickets can be reserved by going to www.citylit.org or by calling (773) 293-3682
Mime and ‘The Art of Adaptation’
Comments Off Next weekend is City Lit Theater’s Art of Adaptation Festival, during which time you will be able to see a new piece adapted by Amanda Brown and myself and performed by The Mime Company. It is a visual retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, and if you don’t know or remember this Greek myth, there is a WEDDING, a DEATH, and a DESCENT INTO HELL. Come witness the ancient tale of how great joy gave way to untimely loss, motivating one of the most ambitious and terrifying journeys in literature, and now one of the most ambitious and terrifying new plays in Chicago!
We would be overjoyed to see you there!
WHERE: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. , Chicago
WHEN: 8 pm Friday, Aug. 13
3 pm Sunday, Aug. 15
TICKETS: 773-293-3682 or Online
P.S. Half of the festival selections are being performed Friday, half on Saturday, and Sunday is a marathon of all eight. Ours is playing Friday and Sunday only. And apparently Sunday is already filling up!
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