PANTOMIME: The Silent Theater

This short history of the ancient art of pantomime would not be out of place in adult collections. The practitioners and their techniques are described in words and pictures from the time of Livius Andronicus to today's Marcel Marceau. All of the arts that require more physical than vocal expression, as well as those that require an expert rendering of both, are presented. The business and costume of clowns and how these developed are followed by a discussion of the Peiping Opera. There is an excellent outline of the many phases through which the English pantomime evolved to its innovators are discussed at length followed by a rundown on the way pantomime is used in television. Mrs. Hunt is an expert on this subject who has lectured widely. Together, the authors seem to have anticipated the questions that students of acting would ask, including how the characteristic ""white face"" is applied.