The Dramatic Body: An Introduction to Physical Characterization

Susan Free teaches movement in the drama program at the University of
Toronto.

In this book of mime exercises for theatre students, Danish theatre
performer/director/pedagogue Torben Jetsmark draws on his experiences
with some of the great European mime artists of this century. The work
he describes is, nevertheless, very accessible to North Americans.
Anyone who has seen the performances of Marcel Marceau will recognize
the building blocks of a mime’s performance described by Jetsmark.

After a brief introduction and suggestions for a physical warm-up,
Jetsmark describes a series of exercises in which students can discover
the “body as sculpture”—for instance, exploring the expressive
potential of an “open” body and a “closed” body. By the end of
the book the exercises are more concrete—as in “moving a box” and
“climbing stairs.” Theatre teachers with some background in mime can
easily use Jetsmark’s book to guide them through teaching practical
mime work. They will appreciate the logical organization and clarity of
the text, as well as the simple illustrations. No doubt the skilful
translation and editing by University of Winnipeg professor Per Brask
also plays a part in the book’s effectiveness.