Mime

The city of Paris buzzed like a busy beehive. It often did, which was part of what attracted so many visitors. That, and the statuesque figure of the Eiffel Tower piercing the sky. Tourists from around the world struck out to see the imposing tower. To take pictures of it, selfies with it in these new days, or to visit the three floors inside. It was a structure that the one known as Mime was very familiar with. He often stood beneath the shadows of the Eiffel Tower as he performed the same act that he was named after. Groups gathered around to watch and laugh at his exaggerated gestures. The act was his livelihood, and he survived on the coins that the groups left for him.

He began a display that was a new addition to his routine. It involved pretending to court one of the ladies watching him. His dark eyes roamed over the few spectators to land on a woman with her friends. She wore a broad smile, and from her stance he felt he could safely assume that she would be perceptive to playing along with him. It was a balancing act. Performing while being aware of the crowd to know who wouldn't shy away at his attempts to involve them into the act.

The woman's friends giggled, pointed, and cheered for her as he presented her with a fake rose. They went through the motions of having a picnic, and at the end the woman even allowed him to place a black painted kiss to the back of her hand. She scurried back to her friends, and they all gushed about the performance before taking off. Mime watched them leave from the corner of his eyes as he continued his routine.

There was a man inside the costume. As he often wrote in the pages of his diary, Je ai une voix. I have a voice.

Personality

Je ai une voix.

Mime believes that he has two personalities. There is the personality of the mime, and the personality of Mime. As it might be imagined, the mime is a gregarious individual. He is a performer. Furthermore, he relies on the money he makes from his routines, so he does his best to make those routines lively and entertaining. He enjoys encouraging people to participate in his performances, and does not mind people laughing at his acts. It comes with the profession.

Without the makeup, Mime is much shyer. His aphonia and unwillingness to carry a communication device around keeps him from being able to interact with people for the most part, and therefore he seldom actively seeks them out. His days are much too busy anyway. So long as weather allows he is out performing every day save for on Sundays. He is a devout Catholic, and attends mass on Sundays. No one in the congregation connects the silent man with the bowed head to the mime they often see out by the Eiffel Tower.

Physical Features

The Timeline of Mime

1982 Mime was born Matthieu LaRue in Paris, France on September 1st, 1982. He was an average young boy of brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. His interests revolved around dinosaurs, automobiles, and geography. There was nothing Matthieu enjoyed more than impressing his grandfather by naming as many countries as he could off the top of his head. He did well at school, and exceptionally well in his history classes.

1999 At the age of seventeen, an age when Matthieu was full of dreams for his future, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Unfortunately for him, his cancer was discovered when the disease had spread fairly far. It was advised that his thyroid gland be removed to prevent further problems. He underwent the surgery, and was certified cancer free. Yet his problems did not end there, for the surgery also resulted in aphonia, or the inability to produce voice. Matthieu had lost his voice.

2000 Rather than going off to University, Matthieu went to voice therapy. He worked tirelessly with his therapist to try and regain his voice, but it was to no avail. The money for therapy grew short, and Matthieu was left with lessons on sign language and body language to continue to communicate as best he could.

2004 to 2008 Matthieu was still struggling to cope with his loss of voice. His family had learned sign language as well, but he was a man grown by now. He wanted to leave his house to make a future of his own despite his challenges. He enrolled in University as he had always planned to, and obtained a degree in history. However, with his aphonia it was difficult to obtain a job in his chosen major. His family might know sign language, but it was rare that he met others who did.

2010 For two years he had lived on his own. He worked at a local fast food restaurant preparing meals for others. It was a job that seldom required him to speak. He only needed to hear the orders and prepare the food. The work did not make him happy. On his way back to his tiny apartment one evening, Matthieu came across a mime. It struck him that this was what he was meant to do with his life. A mime could not speak. He could not speak. It was perfect.

Present Day Matthieu has assumed the nickname of Mime. His family will still refer to him as Matthieu, but few others do. His days involve performing for tourists who wish to see the Eiffel Tower. Mime is often out at dawn and returns to his apartment at night in an attempt to make as much money as he can. He feels he has a story to tell, and tries to tell his story through his theatrics. If only anyone would listen.

Not a Word - Tips and Tricks!

So you would like to be a mime? Or perhaps you are interested in just trying it out? In the words of Etienne Decroux, known as the father of modern mime, "Mimes must have the bodies of gymnasts, minds of actors, and hearts of poets." Putting on a show without words is not as easy a task as it may sound. Ever play a game of charades where no one can guess what you are portraying? Here, Mime offers some friendly tips on how to put on an amusing and entertaining performance.

Practice! It should come as no surprise that practice is crucial in learning how to mime. As with anything, it can take time, but a truly great performance is one that has been done again and again. Mime suggests practicing before a full-length mirror. This allows you to see the motions you are portraying so that you may fine-tune your efforts. Though Mime dislikes most technology, another useful tool is a video camera. Recording yourself miming can also help you make corrections. Just remember that when the time comes to perform in front of an audience, you won't have these tools in front of you.

Know Your Body! Miming is all about body language. It doesn't only come from the hands, but from the head down to the toes. Facial expressions are just as important to what you are miming as are hand movements. You want the audience to feel the same emotion you are trying to portray. While many motions are often exaggerated, subtle movements can also lend believability to the mime act.

Try It Out! When learning a new piece that you are trying to mime, practicing the real act can be very beneficial. When you climb a rope, you use different parts of your body to do so. Try climbing a real rope to mentally note which parts of your body that you are using. If you want to mime pressing your hands against a wall, practice with a real wall first. You use your hands, yes, but you also use your elbows and shoulders. If you are pushing the wall with more force your expression might change to reflect such. Mime likes to keep a notebook to record his reactions. It is a useful tool when he wants to go back to something.

Create A Character! There is nothing wrong with miming out generic things, but creating a character for your mime helps to bring out more personality. For example, Mime styles himself as a gentleman mime. He is courteous and polite, and his motions are often a bit more delicate than a normal mime would possess. Having a character for your mime can also help when choosing an appropriate costume if you want to step outside what is usually seen.

Study Others! While you do not want to steal from other mimes, getting inspirations from them can certainly help. Take time to study how others put on their shows. You can use their performances to formulate ideas for your own.

Being a mime is not a glorious career. There is a stigma around mimes being foolish, and many modern-day mimes forgo make-up and costume to avoid these stigmas. However, mime is a form of art. It is putting on a show for the entertainment of others. Putting a smile on the faces of others can be its own reward.

Another Chapter

The lights of the Eiffel Tower came to life as the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. Mime gave his last bow farewell before turning to his few props and a bag he used to carry them in. There was little to pack, but he did so slowly to avoid clutter in the bag. He bent to examine a few of his fake flowers to make sure they were in good form when he heard a voice from behind him call. "Excuse me!"

His hands froze on the flowers, and he delayed all of a heartbeat before turning to regard the owner of the voice. To his surprise it was the same woman from earlier - the one that he had acted out the date with. A nod of greeting was given to her, and she spoke up once more. "I was wondering if I might get a picture with you?"

Again, Mime was surprised, but as before he was able to keep the emotion from registering on his painted face. A few more nods were given, and he motioned with wide gestures for the woman to come join him. She did, and he turned to check out the Eiffel Tower. A hand lifted to indicate that she should wait a moment, and while she did so he took stock of where to find the best place to take a picture. The perfect location was found, and he took up the woman's hand to lead her to it. He could feel the warmth of her hand through his gloves.

The woman giggled as she was led, and then wrapped an arm about his waist. Mime wrapped an arm around her in return, and smiled wide for the camera. The lights flashed a few times as the woman's friend took several pictures. "Got it!"

"Thanks!" The woman released him with a smile. "Your show was so much fun." She bent to quickly kiss him on the cheek, and then hurried off with her friend. Mime watched her leave, and then turned back to his bag. A silent sigh was given, and the rest of his props were tossed inside without his usual care. The bag was hoisted over one shoulder, and he took off at a brisk pace.

The waning light kept his face hidden from others, and he ducked his head to further keep them from seeing his make-up. The costume he wore was more difficult to hide, but most people seemed to take the hint that he did not wish to be bothered. He paused at the bus stop, and then boarded once the bus arrived. Mime found himself a seat for the ride, ignoring the slight twitch from his muscles after standing so long. He watched the journey from the window, but when the bus stopped near the street that his apartment was on, he remained seated. He rode a few more blocks to reach his parents' house, and then stepped off to knock a few time on the door. It was answered by his mother.

"Matthieu! This is a surprise! Come in, come in." She opened the door wider to allow her son in, and Mime took the invitation. He sat himself down on the sofa. Dark eyes lifted up to his mother, who had come to stand in front of him, and suddenly he felt moisture welling up in them. His sobs were silent as ever, but his shoulders trembled slightly as the tears loosened and fell.

"My darling Matthieu, what's wrong?" His mother came to sit beside him, drawing him into her. Mime was a grown man, he was past this, and yet he still allowed his mother to hold him. He cried into her sweater, feeling guilty that his make-up was likely coming off against the fabric, but unwilling to pull away. After some time he pulled back so that he could sign to her. I am tired of being lonely.

"You know you can always move back here. Come and live with dad and me again." Mime rolled his eyes at the suggestion, and his mother quickly nodded her head. "I know, I know. You don't want to live with your parents. Stay there, dear. I'll be right back."

His mother turned into the kitchen, and Mime kicked off his shoes to draw his feet beneath him. The tears had stopped coming, and he reflected what brought him here. He didn't know the name of the woman, who she was, or really anything about her, but the brief one-sided conversation with her reminded Mime that he would never get to know people as others did. He could not ask the questions to learn their names or learn anything about them. Often times his aphonia made him feel cut off from the rest of the world.

As he brooded on this his mother returned. She set a cup down, and dipped a wash cloth into a small bowl. Sitting with him again, she used the wash cloth to brush warm water over his face, and began wiping away the make-up he had smeared with his tears. His mother offered no words of condolences. She used to until he had asked her to stop, and fortunately she had taken his request to heart. Mime allowed her to wipe at the make-up, sitting patiently as it was cleaned from his face. When finished, she passed the mug to him, and he took a small sip of warmed milk.

"Do you want to stay the night here?" She asked. Mime nodded his head. He spent so many nights by himself. For one night, for this night at least, he could give in. He could be Matthieu for the night.

Relationships

Recent Images