Download PROGRAM GUIDE BimBamBop (formerly Mask

PROGRAM GUIDE
This information is intended to prepare teachers and students for a Young Audiences performance.
IMAGO
BimBamBop (formerly Mask Works)
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
Using a blend of illusion, masks and mime, Imago's artists take students on a voyage of human animation,
where scientific laws appear distorted and illusions challenge our notion of what we think to be true.
Working on stage and in the audience, the performers skillfully depict both real and otherworldly entities,
as volunteers participate in a mask improvisation. The program closes with a question-and-answer session
where students continue to discover the mystery and illusion of masks and how they have been used by
various cultures throughout time.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Imago Theatre has toured extensively throughout the United States and performed in Europe and the
Orient. The group has made regular appearances on the Disney Channel. Company co-directors Jerry
Mouawad and Carol Triffle have taught at numerous universities, schools and arts centers in the United
States and abroad. Jerry became involved with the more physical aspects of acting found in mime,
clowning, silent film, animation, Commedia dell’Arte and corporeal expression. Since then, he has immersed
himself in the movement arts. Carol is a graduate of the L’ecole Jacques Lecoq. She is now one of forty people
worldwide authorized to teach the Lecoq method of theatre. Her background in contemporary dance,
theatre and visual arts aids in the development of specific theatre games, improvisations and design
approaches for Imago residencies.
ORIGIN OF THE ART FORM
Rituals and Ceremonies
Native American, Indonesian and African cultures use masks in tribal and ceremonial rites. On the
Indonesian island of Bali, the ceremonial mask performance called Topeng ("masked theater") celebrates
life's harmony. The performers' detailed movements portray simple stories of the struggle between good
and evil. The people of Sierra Leone, a small country on the west coast of Africa, use wooden masks carved
to represent humans or animals in their ceremonial dances. The Kwakiutl Indians, an indigenous people of
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, celebrate events such as births, deaths and marriages with ceremonial
feasts (potlatches) that include dance performances dramatizing ancestral experiences of the supernatural.
They use ornately carved and painted masks, which are often inlaid with shell or bright metal. Bark or furs
represent moustaches or hair, and many of the masks have moveable parts for the eyes and jaws. Some
masks open to reveal a mask within a mask.
©2011-2012
Young Audiences 1220 SW Morrison, Suite 900 Portland, OR 97205-2228
Phone (503) 225-5900 (360) 693-1829 FAX (503) 225-0953 [email protected]
Japanese Noh Theater
Another style of Mask Theater, Japanese Noh drama, uses simple, formal elements, detailed costumes,
masks and hand-props in an art form suffused with the ascetic philosophies of the warrior and the teachings
of Zen Buddhism. Noh translates to "talent" or "accomplishment," an appropriate name since Noh
performers must have discipline and dedication to master the precise rules governing all aspects of the Noh
drama.
There are 125 varieties of traditional Noh masks depicting 5 general character types - old people, men,
women, deities and monsters. Noh masks are made of wood, coated with plaster, lacquered and gilded.
The actor sees through tiny holes pierced in the mask. The colors of the mask symbolize certain character
traits. White represents a corrupt ruler, for example, while red symbolizes a righteous man. These finely
detailed masks are treasured and handed down from generation to generation.
Commedia dell'Arte
Commedia dell'Arte, also a form of Mask Theater, was one of the most popular types of entertainment in
16th century Italy. The actors improvised most of the dialogue and developed plot combinations as the
situation demanded. The story revolved around the exploits of a set of stock characters, distinguished by
their representative masks and costumes. These characters appeared in all plays and often had the same
names from one play to the next. There were three basic types of stock characters: the straight roles (lovers),
who usually did not wear masks and were costumed in the fashionable garments of the day; the common
characters, who wore distinguishing masks and costumes for instant audience identification; and, the comic
servants, known collectively as zanni.
Mime
Mask Theater uses the movement techniques of mime to convey character and emotion. The heart of mime
is silent communication through movement and facial expression. The style referred to as "classical" mime
employs highly stylized expressive gestures and many of the forms and movements found in classical dance.
Some modern mime groups augment their performances with costumes, props or masks.
STUDY GUIDES
Imago offers teachers study guides that provide curriculum to engage students weeks before performances.
Lessons include mask role-playing and its application to a student’s life. These study guides assist teachers
with information and activities for several sessions. The study guide includes: A history of Imago Theatre;
a history of mime, dance, theatre and masks; a detailed analysis of mime; and a description of Imago’s
artistic vision. Visit Imago’s website, www.imagotheatre.com, to download a guide.
By using the study guides the class experiments with improvisation and examines every day life the same
way that Imago directors and actors practice their craft. By thinking like Imago artists prior to seeing the
show, the students’ experience is greatly enhanced.
The educational value and artistic merit of Imago productions have inspired students from early childhood
into their adult lives. The company is proud to have a following of arts patrons and artists that were first
introduced to Imago as early as the late 1970’s and now are either strong proponents of the arts or are
artists themselves. It is with high confidence that Imago believes this project will influence more young
people to bring culture and art into their lives.
©2011-2012
Young Audiences 1220 SW Morrison, Suite 900 Portland, OR 97205-2228
Phone (503) 225-5900 (360) 693-1829 FAX (503) 225-0953 [email protected]