Mimes depict one of the earliest forms of self-expression with this theatrical medium being traced back all the way to ancient Greece. Miming or pantomiming is when a person tells a story through acting things out, bodily motions and typically no elements of speech.
Bill Bowers is a primarily self-taught world-renowned mime artist who came to Concordia’s campus on Thursday March 20 to perform his autobiographical performance of “It Goes Without Saying”. He also taught two workshops to Concordia theatre students.
The description of the show found on Bowers’ website is “an autobiographical solo play that takes the audience on a scenic tour of Bowers’ life and career, from growing up gay to outrageous survival jobs, to the whirlwind of working on Broadway. In addition to the journey of becoming an artist, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING chronicles the experience of surviving the AIDS crisis in New York City, and the silence that existed within his experience of caring for and losing his partner to AIDS.”
Bowers mimes in a more contemporary fashion with the inclusion of speech in his performances as well as costuming in everyday clothes with no stereotypical white face paint.
“I wanted to make it a more accessible art form,” he explains.
In both “It Goes Without Saying” and a personal interview with Bowers the burning question of “Why do you mime?” is answered.
“I’ve been a mime since before I even knew the word. I just like not talking,” he says. “I’m a mime because I am from Montana.”
In his performance, Bowers thoroughly depicts how conformity and silence had always been a part of his life as he grew up in the small western town of Missoula, Montana, where most things were left unsaid, particularly regarding taboo subjects like his homosexuality.
He notes how some of the most common sayings in Missoula were “silence is golden, loose lips sink ships, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all, hold your tongue, etc.”
Bowers also speaks on one of his biggest inspirations, French mime artist Marcel Marceau who is credited by many New York Times reviewers as the “greatest in his craft of all time.”
“He is in everything I do. He’s the reason people even know what mime is,” Bowers says.
If Bowers could say anything to young aspiring performers, he recommends “not skipping any steps.”
“It’s easy to get ahead of yourself. I would encourage people to keep looking for the next right thing to do, and to just trust that you’re doing the right thing,” he concludes.
In 2013 “It Goes Without Saying” garnered 5-star accolades across the board at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has won a multitude of awards from prestigious sources including the New York Times, Huffington Post and more.
