London International Mime Festival: Barely Methodical Troupe – Kin

Catch the Annual London International Mime Festival at the Peacock Theatre

If you love exploring unique shows and performances, then London’s West End is the ideal place for you. Throughout the year, the most prominent hub of English theatre showcases a variety of astonishing performances, and they are not just limited to plays or musicals. You can catch hilarious pantomimes, electrifying live concerts, bone-tickling standup comedy shows, tantalising burlesque shows, drag shows, and much more. But at the same time, the West End also strives to preserve the heritage of theatrical performances, lending its stages to showcase some of the greatest art forms practised for centuries. Mime is one such tradition that the theatreland has kept alive. And the greatest place and time to witness the mime theatre, you must visit the London International Mime Festival.

The Legacy of Mime Theatre

Mime or mime theatre (also known as theatrical mime) is a performing arts genre where the actor’s body becomes the primary vessel of expression. It is essentially non-verbal. However, it becomes secondary to physical movements even when speech is incorporated. This legendary art form has its roots in the ancient Hellenistic tradition. The Romans brought a piece of this tradition to Europe when they invaded Greece. Eventually, it got absorbed into the popular genre of Commedia dell’arte during the 16th century and further has flourished all over the world. Over time, it included more elements from different genres of performing arts. But the central focus remained on silent acting, masked performances, and exaggerated comedy based on everyday life.

One travelling troupe brought this intricate performance style to France around the mid-16th century. Since then, it underwent a French makeover and adopted some signature French style at the hands of legendary performer Jean Gaspard Deburau.

Around the same time, mime flourished in England as well. And to date, it is one of the most significant art forms practised in the United Kingdom. The West End holds several performances of this theatrical genre featuring the greatest mime companies worldwide. But the biggest celebration of this art form is the London International Mime Festival (MILF). Founded by International Theatre Institute Award winner directors Joseph Seedling and Helen Callaghan, this premier event is held every year to showcase some of the greatest mime performers in the world. It also features live art, a new-age circus, physical theatre, and more at different venues of London. Established in 1977, it is the longest-running event of its kind in the entire world. Like every year, 2022 will also celebrate its turn by showcasing an array of fine performers.

Barely Methodical Troupe – Kin

While the 2022 chapter of the London International Mime Festival showcases various performances, the limelight remains on England’s hottest circus company, Barely Methodical Troupe. This year, they will perform Kin, a new-age circus about friendship. The performance is filled with exhilarating acrobatics, flying, tumbling, and much more—enough to keep you hooked on the edge of your seat.

This is, however, going to be a limited-time affair. So, don’t forget to order your tickets today.

Additional

• Special Notes and Accessibility

  There will be a Post-show talk on 28th January with members of the company and creative team in conversation. Free to same performance ticket holders.

  There will be an Audio Described performance on Thursday 27th January. There will be a BSL Interpreted performance on Friday 28th January.