Pablo Volo – Interview

  1. What is Mime / Pantomime?

Mime is directly related to the modern mime technique of Decroux, and is obviously more influenced by a modern and more abstract Mouvement research: it’s no more about imitating an action, like pantomime, but translating, transposing also a mood, a sentiment, a thought. It’ s the difference between « doing  as » and «  being ». We can also say that it’s the difference between movement and gesture. Pantomime is a category of the 19th century, and was probably old-fashioned since the last appearance of Jean Gaspard Deburau. Marcel Marceau was the last reinvention of a possible form of Pantomime, old-fashioned, romantic, sometimes poetic, and very boring. After him, I see only a lot of copies, funny, boring, in a divinatory attitude to Marceau.  Mime is a very controversy word, also very badly affected.  A lot of assistants of Decroux, ( everyone feeling better than the others ) made a religion of his technique, and a bible of the words of Decroux.             ( « As Mr Decroux said… » ). They are probably worse then the copy-paste students of Marceau.

This is why I don’t use neither the word mime od pantomime, because it’s too negatively affected. Too many robots, points-fixe- specialists and wall-specialists  define themselves like mime. So I thing the word  ‘Mime’ is dead.

  1. What influences and teachers have influenced you?

I had one extraordinary teacher: Ivan Bacciocchi. I thing he really found the good way to teach Decroux, without making  a God of him.And also with a very good technique , like a ballet teacher.

  1. Why did you choose Mime / Pantomime?

I liked the idea to be on stage and to play without words. I liked the idea of a visual theatre. And I grow up in a mix of popular theatre, circus and opera, i found naturally the way to a visual theatre.

  1. Mime work in digital space – can it work? What is changing?

Physical Theatre is absolutely possible in the digital space,  it’s lighter, it’s a simplified form, but absolutely interesting, so interesting that I will continuing this form also after this pandemic period.

  1. Distance not only in the presentation medium, but also in everyday social life, change this situation the perception of physical theater?

not really, the perception is still the same. We feel the distance but we also remember the contact.