The auditorium was nearly silent as three groups of third-graders took the stage. Northwestern alumna Amanda Brown helped the children “remove” their voices. They extended their arms, crossed them, and raised them to their faces. After revealing their faces, they were ready to mime.
King Lab School students in kindergarten through third grade participated in mime exercises Thursday, the culmination of a four-session drama residency led by The Mime Company, a performance troupe that originated at NU.
The event was divided into four different sessions, one for each grade. Assisted by Brown, Communication ’01, and her partner Eliot Monaco, SESP ’02, the children performed voiceless stories.
“It was really fun,” said third-grader Alyssa Miller. “I love the motor.”
The motor was an activity the children used to create a specific illusion: The students would shake one hand for a few seconds and then touch other parts of their body, making them shake rapidly.
“(The motor) controls you, but not really,” Alyssa said. “You get to use something that’s not real.”
King Lab School, 2424 Lake St., began the drama residency earlier this month to expose elementary school students to drama. Until recently, drama was part of the curriculum for all grades. Now it’s only offered to students in grades four to eight.
“The PTA tries to replace a token of what used to be part of the curriculum,” said Anne Lefkovitz, the school’s fine arts consultant and former drama teacher. “Mime really covers important drama skills. The kids love it. They love expressing in silence.”
Brown and Monaco have performed for King Lab students in the past, but this was the first time they had instructed students.
“Because they don’t have drama classes in those grades, it’s something really special for them,” Brown said. “You can see how excited they get just using their imagination. They get so much out of it from just having to communicate and depending on each other to create their stories.”
The students have to cooperate in order to be successful in mime, Monaco said.
“They get to really be expressive in a safe way,” he said.
Elliot and Monaco became the directors of The Mime Company in Fall 2006 after the retirement of the company’s founder and director, Bud Beyer. Besides performing, members of the company teach short and long-term residencies to children and adults.
There are currently five NU alumni and three current students in the company, Monaco said. Though most prospective members are connected to NU, auditions for the company shows are open to anyone.
