Everyone loves a cappella; the idea is just so enticing, whether it be women singing with soul and attitude or a bunch of men standing around in suits belting out U2 songs. But as entertaining as popular music is, won't the Spring Fling extravaganza suffice for a while?
The HYPE! miming troupe provides a unique, interactive experience, and while some of their skits are set to pop-ish music, their astonishing creativity and perspective will alter the initial and, perhaps, intended effect of that music permanently. The experience is utterly incomparable and unlike anything else Tufts has to offer. After all that good, clean fun on Saturday, something off the beaten path might be just what the doctor ordered, and HYPE! is prepared to fill that prescription this Sunday night when they bring 12 skits to Cohen Auditorium in a spring show entitled, "Silence is Awesome."
The HYPE! troupe was founded in 1998 by members of the Cheap Sox performance group. After a faculty member initially instructed the founding members, it has been preserved through the years and slowly transformed as each new group contributes its ideas, yielding a unique "HYPE! mime."
"The most traditional we get is with the costume: short-sleeved black shirts, black pants and white faces. Otherwise we bend the rules to fit us," explains sophomore mime Laur Fisher.
The 11 members hail from other theater-related groups, and most are actors or directors as well. The troupe is completely self-sufficient; they pick their music, choreograph their own skits, and even employ a lighting designer.
The music highly influences the direction of the skits. The mimes' ability to listen to music and draw out unusual, yet related, skit ideas is truly special. The various characters, movements and objects that each mime brings to the performances are the essence of the art form. It is not just about entertainment; it is about expression.
Contrary to popular opinion, HYPE! is far from a group of street performers, and their shows will almost certainly destroy any preconceptions about the art of miming.
"We don't just do 'I'm in a box!' or face miming with a perpetually surprised expression," says junior mime Brendan Shea.
Unlike other types of theater performance, miming is free of the constraints associated with props, costumes and, most importantly, words. Instead, the mimes create their own objects, characters and actions, resulting in what many consider a purer art form. According to junior Molly O'Neill, "It is theater in its essence; you just use your body as a tool to convey an emotional dialogue."
While auditioning members for the troupe, the mimes mostly look for body control, character and originality through improvisation. While most pre-mimes have little to no experience, these abilities are key in connecting to the audience without speech.
"The fact that we can't speak makes it that much more powerful. It's not someone else's creation. People's reactions are much more powerful, because they must interact and pay close attention," says senior mime Katie Semine.
The effect of their performance is astonishing. Unlike conventional theater performances where the audience members' roles in the show are little more than detached viewers, HYPE!'s audiences are completely emotionally involved in the process.
"When discussing the show afterwards, the people always remember the actual objects," remarks O'Neill, indicating that spectators relive the show as though they were experiencing the skits alongside the performers.
HYPE! performances range from comedy to horror to tragedy, and by the end of the emotional rollercoaster, this reviewer could not wait for another unexpected revelation. The "I get it!" feeling that comes with understanding a completely silent representation of human life is more gratifying than anything provided by other theatrical performances.
The HYPE! mime troupe does not just present pieces of music previously overplayed on the radio. Their presentations create something new from something old, involving the audience in a moving, intellectually gratifying experience through an underappreciated art form.
