Тревор Копп: как современный мим переосмыслил древнее искусство и завоевал мировую славу

In the Theatre of Dionysus — surrounded by millennia-old seats, on a stage where ancient thespians once brought myth to life — Trevor Copp prayed for a life in theatre. Copp — then a 20-something-year-old backpacking through Europe — had hopped fences to sleep on the theatre’s hallowed stage, under a clear night sky. Alone with the Athenian street dogs, there was something eerie and forbidden about the moment, Copp recalled. The recent Waterloo graduate was desperate. He had few career options, and felt outmatched by others in his theatre program. But perhaps some divine power intervened because, more than 20 years later, the Hamilton man has achieved acclaim and financial success as an actor, dancer, director, playwright and, intriguingly, as a mime. People from around the world — including more than 40,000 students — have watched Copp’s mime work, according to the man himself. He boasts numerous original mime pieces, like the hybrid show “Searching for Marceau,” which toured for several years. “Mime is the only thing I’m actually talented at,” Copp said. Copp’s mime journey began in the ‘90s, on the streets of Hamilton and Burlington as a busker. Donning thick white makeup, the 16-year-old would perform mime illusions he’d learned from a VHS tape — a gift from a teacher. “No one did this. No one taught this,” said Copp. “I had no context for mime. It was just something that I could weirdly do.” After earning a university theatre degree, Copp temporarily moved to Paris to train in mime at the Marcel Marceau École International de Mimodrame. However, as his career as a dancer and actor developed, mime fell to the wayside. That was until roughly 11 years ago, when a microgrant from the City of Hamilton prompted Copp to delve back into mime performance. Now, Copp performs as a mime roughly 30 to 40 times a year, mostly at festivals, corporate affairs and children’s events. He no longer busks on random street corners — a task that often saw unengaged crowds or heckling teenage boys. Instead, Copp is pursuing a type of performance that challenges the classic image of a mime — the white-faced, pinstriped character recognizable from popular media. This conceived “uniform” uniquely restricts mime as an art form, Copp said. He traces the problem back to the influential mime Marcel Marceau, who popularized the look among his peers. “He was the one face of mime in the world. And he never used that power to advance the form,” said Copp. Copp, who performs barefaced, in plain dark clothes, has grappled with how to express himself distinctly when audiences are limited in what they will identify as mime. “That’s been a huge challenge for me … trying to establish a new image and a new presence,” said Copp. “My aim is to develop a voice for the 21st-century mime.” Many audiences are, at first, only interested in watching a mime perform tricks, but Copp is focused on conveying a wider story with his performance — the subject of which can range from animals to the meaning of death. He often experiments with incorporating other performance arts, sometimes by collaborating with other artists. While Copp aims to advance the art form, he is unafraid to look back for inspiration from history and mythology, echoing the ancient Roman pantomimes who typically based their stories on myth. “In ancient Rome, after gladiator fighting and chariot racing, mime was the next most famous thing,” said Copp. “It was more popular than theatre, partially because they have no amplification.” An individual communicating a story to thousands with physical movement, transcending sound or language — for Copp, that is part of the power of mime. “Theatre has moved toward text … It ‘s abandoned action, it’s abandoned the body as a metaphor,” said Copp. “When I get on the stage, to me, the body is an inexhaustible metaphor. I can tell an endless number of stories on my body.” Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.