Stretching is an important element in Pantomime as the gestures are performed to full stretch. Stretching should result from relaxation not force.

2)  Take a side step to the right and point into the air as high as you can without going onto your toes. The arm should describe a circle. As you step to the right your right hand lifts and crosses in front of your left shoulder and then moves in a downward arc sweeping up to the right. (Your breath should match this as well. Inhale as you lift the arm to the shoulder and then exhale as you describe the rest of the movement.) The arm is timed to the step so that the left foot lands at the same time the arm reaches it’s full stretch in the air.

3)  Repeat to the left and pointing into the air with your left hand.

5)  Repeat to the left using your left hand to point to stage left.

6)  Do all four movements in succession with a small one second pause at the end of each point.

7)  Repeat number six adding two additional half points into the air where the hand stops at shoulder heights as if to say, "I’ve got it." Or, "I’ve got an idea!" The half points should have the same ‘feeling’ of size as the full points. (Remember the breathing pattern.)

8)  Repeat number seven only this time have the students say as loud as they can a word or short phrase at the end of each point to describe what the movement is ‘saying’. This should be improvised and come from the ‘feeling’ they get from the movement and not preplanned. (Remember that classical pantomime came from a period where it was illegal to use text on the stage for this class of players. This style of pantomime was developed to replace words that couldn’t be spoken.)

     Now the students have an idea of what pantomime is and how much energy and size they need to perform the movements. Remind them regularly as you observe, that small movements will not be visible to the audience in the back. I like to describe it as playing to the poor gallery high up in the back of a huge theatre. You are playing and reaching out to them.

     You now take them through a pantomime ‘conversation’. Pantomime is melodramatic and over acted so the students must now exaggerate their emotions to match their movements in this exercise.

     You give them the phrase and tell them the number of movements they have to ‘say’ it. They must express it in clear, exaggerated movements. They must use their legs as well by stepping toward the imaginary person and returning to their spot. You will begin to notice that some if not most students will only work from the waist up. You must keep encouraging them to use their whole bodies to express the ‘feeling’ of the phrase and not ‘think’ about the words. They freeze at the end of each phrase so that you get a tableau of the last emotion expressed. Have them hold the tableau for a few moments allowing them to learn how to sustain the emotion and focus it.

(Note. The reaction to the imaginary person’s dialogue is separate and not counted as one of the movements. The audience must understand what the imaginary person says by your reaction.)

1) An imaginary person enters from down stage right. You see them and recognize them. You say, "You come here." (Two clear movements.) Freeze.

2) The imaginary person says, "No!" You react and say, "You come here or else!" (Three movements.) Freeze.

3) Before you hear their response another imaginary person enters from down stage left interrupting you. You see this person and react to them. This is a person you secretly love and adore. Before you can stop yourself you say, "I love you!" (Three movements.) Freeze.

4) This second person says to you, "Really? So what." You react to this and then say even stronger, "But I really love you!" (Three movements.) Freeze.

5) This second person says, "I don’t care." You react to this and then watch them slowly walk over to the first person then kissing and hugging them. You react to this and then watch both of them exit together down stage right. You turn and face front and say to the audience, "I’m heartbroken!" (Four movements.) Freeze.

     Finished. Now have them repeat all five steps together as one complete scene. Or as an option you can have them start at step one each time you add a new one and build the whole conversation up as you go.

     They have now performed a scene consisting of 15 clear exaggerated melodramatic movements and 5 exaggerated reactions.

     You will now take them through a classical pantomime scene between Pierrot and Columbine. It is an excerpt from "A dream in the Park", created by Stephen La Frenie, adapted from an original piece created by Stephen La Frenie and Maureen Rooney. Copyright 1987 Stephen La Frenie.

     The students will perform it as a solo pantomime here in class #1 and then as a duet in class #2.

     Solo version in which each student will play both parts.

     Introduction - Pierrot is a hopeless romantic full of dreams and aspirations. He is poor and of the streets. He is always falling in love and/or aspiring to have a better life only to have his dreams shattered. Despite this he is always full of hope. Columbine is a street-smart person and always on the look out for someone to take her away from her poverty. (Note. Although the movements will stay the same, the female students should perform the scene as women and find the female counterpart of Pierrot and play the Columbine character as a male for the purpose of the solo version.)

     All the movements and emotions are exaggerated. You are always cheated at least three quarters out to the audience and never profile to them. You are telling this story to them.

2)  You now tell the audience what you saw by saying, "She’s beautiful". Step to the right and lean pointing to stage right like in the warm up. Now bend your left knee and lean back to the left drawing your left hand under your chin, past your face to the left with a ‘look’ of beauty on your face and sighing.

3)  You now get up your courage to talk to her and say, "You". Point to the right as before. "And me." Lean back on your left leg and point to yourself with your left hand. "Together." Lean to the right and bring both hands with the index finger pointing down together. Pierrot is excited and full of anticipation at the thought of being together. "We’ll go for a walk." Describe walking with your right index finger and right middle finger as legs and walk forward until your right arm reaches its full stretch.

4)  Now Pierrot simply acts out his proposal in mime. He is going to propose that he and Columbine go on a picnic in the park. Mime walk for a few steps. You look over to her and say, "It’s a beautiful day." One grand gesture using one arm or both to full stretch. Pierrot finds a perfect spot to sit down and says, "Here." You lean on your left leg and gesture with both hands or point with one towards the spot on the ground. You now mime putting a picnic basket on the ground and then take out a large blanket. With a huge flourish you spread it out in the air and describe it falling perfectly to the ground with your hands. You now sit as gracefully as you can on the ground. (Note. Pierrot was often portrayed as being very acrobatic and agile so encourage the students to use their abilities to the fullest while emphasizing the simplicity of grace and poise for the more reluctant students. Pierrot does not have to be acrobatic but must be at least graceful. When you are sitting you must still cheat at least three-quarters to the audience. Do not directly face stage right. ) Pierrot opens the picnic basket, takes out a sandwich and shows it to Columbine. He then takes out a bottle of wine. Shows it to the audience and then to Columbine. He opens the wine and pours two imaginary glasses of wine. (Large graceful movements. The pouring does not have to be realistic.) He then toasts to Columbine and not being able to contain his excitement any longer he gets to his feet and says to her, "There", or "Do you accept." Rise to your feet as gracefully or acrobatically as possible. Lean on your left leg and with both arms gesture to the picnic spot.

5)  Pierrot then ‘hears’ Columbine’s response. Step to the right and lean on your right leg as if listening. Her response is not favourable so you react by leaning back on your left leg or pulling your right leg back until you are standing square. Show your reaction to the audience and now tell them what you just ‘heard’. Pierrot says, "She" Step to the right and point to Columbine as before. When you reach your full extension you follow through the movement by turning upstage in a circle stepping with your left leg into Columbine’s, ‘spot’, on stage. As you turn and complete the circle you ‘become’ Columbine.

6)  Columbine is not impressed by Pierrot and reacts with disdain towards him. She is going to go through the proposal and ‘trash’ everything he said. She says, "You". Step to the left and lean on your left leg and point to stage left. "and me" Lean back on your right leg and point to yourself with your right hand. "Together?" Bring your index fingers towards each other but not touching as if you are repulsed by the idea. "We go walking?" Columbine mimes walking and describes what she hates about it. She gets tired and wipes the sweat from her forehead. She stops and looks down at the spot on the ground. "Here?" Lean on your right leg and gesture unbelieving toward the spot on the ground. You reluctantly sit down as gracefully as you can. With one or two clear movements describe one thing that goes wrong when she sits on the ground. (Example. Her dress gets dirty.) She takes the sandwich. "You expect me to eat this?" You smell the sandwich or look under the bread and react with disgust and put it on the ground. "What’s this?" Take the glass of wine and taste it. It is the worst thing you ever tasted and you spit it out. She has ‘heard’ enough and gets up cleaning off her dress. She glares at Pierrot and ‘says’, "You" Step to the left and point emphatically. "And me" Lean back on your right leg and point to yourself with your right hand. "Together!" Lean to the left and bring your index fingers together forcefully. "Never!" Cross your arms in an x shape and uncross them, (similar to an umpire’s sign for safe,) while stamping your foot at the same time.

7)  She ‘hears’ Pierrot’s response. Step to the left and make a gesture as if listening. He is obviously heartbroken. Columbine reacts according to each person’s interpretation of Columbine. (Example; She doesn’t care, is amused, is empathetic, etc.) You lean back on your right leg or slide the left foot back to standing and show the audience your reaction. Columbine tells the audience Pierrot’s response. "He" Step to the left and lean on your left leg pointing to stage left. Follow through with the movement by stepping with your right foot and turning in a circle as you did before, stepping into Pierrot’s spot. As you turn you ‘become’ Pierrot again.

8)  Pierrot is sad and disappointed. You take this reaction and show it to the audience. Pierrot is heartbroken. He turns to the audience and ‘says’ "I’m heartbroken" You make about three or four movements to say this according to your sense of melodramatics. Pierrot then starts to get carried away. He says "I’m crying". You draw a tear using your two index fingers and show it falling down your face. You do the same on the other side. Then draw a bigger tear and show it falling and splashing on the ground. Do the same on the other side. Now he gets more dramatic. Use both hands to draw lots of tears streaming from your eyes. They continue to splash on the ground making a puddle around Pierrot. Describe the puddle forming around you. Pierrot reacts to this and cries even harder. You start to draw a pool of tears getting deeper and deeper every time you show the tears pouring out of your eyes. Keep this simple. Ankles, cry, knees, cry, waist, cry, shoulders, cry, and now you begin to swim in your own tears. Cry, stroke, cry, stroke, until as is Pierrot’s nature he cries himself to sleep. You can do a classical sleep position standing on one leg with the opposite foot resting on the supporting leg above the knee. You rest your head on both your hands and sleep. If this is too difficult you can gracefully sink to the floor and fall asleep.

The End

     Review the eight sections and have the students perform the pantomime from beginning to end. They will need to be comfortable with it enough so that they can perform the duets in Class #2.