Copeau, Decroux & Corporeal Mime

In the world of physical theater, one very important category of performance is corporeal mime. Springing from the teachings and philosophy of legendary French director Jacques Copeau (1879-1949), corporeal mime as a discipline was pioneered by one of his students, Étienne Decroux (1898-1991). Corporeal mime seeks to locate the entire paradigm of drama inside the human body: instead of simply substituting superficial gestures for speech (as in traditional pantomime), the corporeal mime must translate the conventional principles of acting as articulated by Stanislavski - inner motivation, pause and tempo, struggle and resistance, emotion and catharsis - into physical movement.

Copeau, founder of the celebrated Théâtre du Vieux Colombier in Paris, wanted to revolutionize theater. On the contemporary French stage - from the popular boulevard theaters to the venerated Comédie Française - Copeau saw a vicious commercialism and an exaggerated focus on realism that led to trite production values and ham acting. He wanted to return to a simpler style of performance and a renewed focus on text - to remind the world that theater was a true, creative art-form (and not just a vehicle of popular entertainment). Copeau stuck adamantly by these high-minded principles - nonetheless, the troupe of the Vieux Colombier (which included revered actor-director Louis Jouvet - as well as Copeau’s nephew, world-famous director Michel Saint-Denis) enjoyed great popular success for a number of years both in Paris and internationally. Copeau’s work had a huge effect on extremist performance theorists such as Antonin Artaud, as well as the great mid-century Absurdist writers; and his influence can still be felt today in the work of artists like ground-breaking British director Peter Brook. In fact, writer Albert Camus once declared, “in the history of the French theater, there are two periods: before Copeau and after Copeau.”

During the First World War, Copeau was forced to close the Vieux Colombier - but he kept himself busy by planning future productions, as well as forging collaborations with other forward-thinking theater artists. One of these was Émile Jacques-Dalcroze (1865-1950) - the Swiss musician responsible for developing rhythmic gymnastics (or Eurhythmics). Dalcroze’s technique involved experiencing music through movement, thus “turning the body into a well-tuned musical instrument.” Copeau was heavily influenced by his observations of Dalcroze’s classes, and he immediately made plans for an actor training program based on Dalcroze’s methods.

The school Copeau envisioned - the École du Vieux Colombier - opened its doors in 1921. Two years later, the young Étienne Decroux enrolled - and it was here that he would begin to formulate his own revolutionary approach to performance. In addition to the methods of Copeau and Dalcroze, Decroux would assimilate a number of other influences - most notably, the clowning traditions of the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, as well as the fluid, figural forms of classical Greek sculpture and of French sculptor Auguste Rodin. He maintained a lifelong collaboration with legendary actor-director Jean-Louis Barrault, and his students at his own School of Mime (opened in 1941) included iconic mime artist Marcel Marceau.

Like Copeau, Decroux wanted to overturn what he saw as stale, lifeless theatrical traditions in favor of a rawer, more primitive type of performance that would re-infuse the theater with true creative energy. He sought to free the theater from the constraints of realism, going so far as to suggest that sets, costumes, and even speech - which he referred to as “alien arts” - be banned entirely from the stage for a period of thirty years, giving actors time to “take charge of their own houses” - in other words, to realize the full expressive potential of their own bodies. Decroux saw physical movement as the most articulate means of communication, and his work endeavored to rise above intellectual considerations, touching his audience on a physical, visceral level.

Decroux developed a codified system of movement which allows actors to express abstract and universal emotions and concepts physically. Whereas pantomime focuses on the use of the face and hands, Decroux’ corporeal mime highlights the expressive powers of the body as a whole, emphasizing the development of the trunk or torso. Decroux’ objective was to create ‘imaginative bodies,’ giving his actors access to a wider range of physical metaphors and increasing their expressive flexibility in general. His methods have proved to have far-reaching uses, even today - physical theater is an increasingly popular mode of performance, and even “traditional” actors often include corporeal miming techniques in their training.

Further information on the discipline of corporeal mime can be found at http://www.mime.info, which provides a comprehensive listing of miming companies, performances, and training programs worldwide. We have listed a few of the better-known international programs below.

Atelier de Belleville École de Mime
Year-round training using the methods of Étienne Decroux.
http://www.le-mime.com
10ter Rue Bisson
75020 Paris
France
Phone/Fax: (+33) 014-016-1907
E-mail: info@le-mime.com

AToM (Actors Training based on Mime)
Three-year training program using the methods of Étienne Decroux and Rudolf Laban.
http://www.laban-decroux.org
16 Square Dunois
75013 Paris
France
Phone: (+33) 015-361-0202
E-mail: atomlinks@laban-decroux.org

Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater
Three-year MFA course and one-year professional certificate incorporating training methods from the Commedia dell’Arte, mask work, corporeal mime, and various other forms of physical theater training.
http://www.dellarte.com
P.O. Box 816 (131 H Street)
Blue Lake, CA 95525
Phone: (707) 668-5663
E-mail: info@dellarte.com

Escuela Internacional de Mimo Corporal Dramatico de Barcelona
(Barcelona International School of Dramatic Corporeal Mime)
Offers a range of full-time and short courses using the methods of Étienne Decroux.
http://www.escuelademimo.com/eng
Calle Llull 48
Atico 2
08005 Barcelona
Spain
Phone: (+34) 605-262-306
E-mail: info@escuelademimo.com

Hippocampe École de Mime Corporel
Range of training options using the methods of Étienne Decroux.
http://www.hippocampe.asso.fr
2 Passage de la Fonderie
75011 Paris
France
Phone: (+33) 014-338-7975
E-mail: info@hippocampe.asso.fr

School for Mime Theatre
Annual summer workshop using the methods of Marcel Marceau and Étienne Decroux.
http://www.schoolformimetheatre.org
Workshop: Kenyon College
Gambier, OH 43022
Contact: Theatrical Mime Theater (Rick Wamer, Artistic Director)
5737 E. 29^th Street
Tucson, AZ 85711-5904
Phone: (520) 990-7425
E-mail: ricgeocap@msn.com
r_wamer@schoolformimetheatre.org
njohnson27@cox.net

Scuola di Mimo Corporeo (School of Corporeal Mime) / I.C.R.A. Project
(International Centre for Research of the Actor/Centro Internazionale di Ricerca sull’Attore)
Offers a range of full-time and short courses using the methods of Étienne Decroux, Jacques LeCoq, and Feldenkrais Method^®.
http://www.icraproject.it/eng
Via Cesare Pavese 5
80129 Naples
Italy
Phone/Fax: (+39) 081-578-2213
E-mail: info@icraproject.it

Théâtre de l’Ange Fou / International School of Corporeal Mime
Offers a range of full-time and short courses using the methods of Étienne Decroux, under the tutelage of Steven Wasson and Corinne Soum -- the last assistants of Decroux himself.
http://www.angefou.co.uk
Belgravia Workshops
157-163 Marlborough Road
Unit 207
London N19 4NF
United Kingdom
Phone/Fax: (+44) 207-263-9339
E-mail: infoschool@angefou.co.uk

Théâtre du Mouvement
Offers a range of full-time and short courses using the methods of Étienne Decroux, along with elements of Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method®, classic and contemporary dance, and rigorous sports training. All classes taught in French.
http://www.theatredumouvement.com
40 Rue du Tapis Vert
93260 Les Lilas
France
Phone: (+33) 014-810-8447
Fax: (+33) 014-840-8768
E-mail: tmouvement@wanadoo.fr

Further reading:

Barrault, Jean-Louis
Reflections on the Theatre

Copeau, Jacques
Texts on Theatre

Decroux, Étienne
Words on Mime

Evans, Mark
Jacques Copeau

Kipnis, Claude
The Mime Book

Kurtz, Maurice
Jacques Copeau: Biography of a Theater

Leabhart, Thomas
Etienne Decroux

Leabhart, Thomas
Modern and Postmodern Mime

Leabhart, Thomas
The Decroux Sourcebook

Lust, Annette Bercut
From the Greek Mimes to Marcel Marceau and Beyond

Mawer, Irene
The Art of Mime: Its History and Technique in Education and the Theatre

Montanaro, Tony with Karen Hull
Mime Spoken Here: The Performer’s Portable Workshop

Niedzialkowski, Stefan, with Jonathan Winslow
Beyond the Word: The World of Mime
(with foreword by Marcel Marceau)