HYPE Fall show caps off mime collaboration

The collaborative work of the five members of HYPE, Tufts' mime group, culminated in their performance in last night's annual CheapHYPE! show, which also featured Tufts' improv comedy troupe, Cheap Sox.

The rehearsal process for HYPE involves a lot of collaboration. The idea for each skit is usually conceived by one or two mimes, and then one mime becomes the rehearsal director for that skit. Even though there is only one rehearsal director, the mimes help each other with technique for each skit.

This emphasis on collaboration is unique to miming and separates it from both theatre and dance, in which the director basically imparts his/her vision to the actors. In miming, conversely, the rehearsal director sets the basic movements (entrances, exits, etc.), but the mimes develop their own characters and constantly make suggestions, mime Lily Ladewig explained

HYPE provides its members, of which there are currently five (though they will have auditions in the spring), the opportunity to say a lot without actually speaking. A stylized crossover between theatre and dance, miming helps actors to work on using their body, and not just their voices, to communicate.

"You have to learn how to be clear [in miming] with your physicality and to express yourself without speaking, while not becoming clich?©d," Miller commented.

Bonewitz said being a mime has taught him that as an actor, "your reactions to other character's lines are as important as the lines themselves."

Each semester, the mimes brainstorm ideas for skits, which include not only a storyline but also a song to go with it. Then, on the day they refer to as "long day," they hear out all of the ideas and choose five skits in the fall, and ten in the spring.

The creative storytelling method demands the mime to communicate his/her actions and emotions only through body movements. A mime show is rather compelling to watch as an audience member and rather exhilarating to perform for the mime. "I've done a lot of theatre," Mime Sarah Kauderer said, "but the high you get when doing a HYPE show is better than any play I've ever been in."

HYPE shows usually draw larger crowds than any drama or dance performances because of their singular style, according to mime Moira Murphy-Cairns _ the group's unofficial leader. She brings to the group her perspective as a dancer, and considers miming a "great combination of dance and acting because you get the emotions of acting with the simplicity of dance."

While miming has the potential to blend the two art forms, it also has the potential to confuse its audience. Jenn Jarecki, HYPE's stage manager, also includes watching the skits to make sure they make sense.