pantomime worksheet-history revised

5/28/2018 Pantomime Worksheet-History Revised

1/4

Pantomime Unit Worksheet - History and Characters

Where does Pantomime come from?

Pantomime developed out of the clown performances of the Italian Commedia dellarte.

The 19thcentury was a very popular time for the English Pantomime.

In the 18thcentury these Italian style performances were plays with music and dancing

featuring the story of arle!uin and Colum"ine. They were "rought to the English stage

and called arle!uinades.

The performances "egan with a fairy story# then a magical character transformed the

actors into their roles for the arle!uinade# which was the main attraction. The

arle!uinade was usually satirical# meaning that it moc$ed pu"lic figures and political

issues. It featured clowning and slapstic$ as in the Commedia dellarte. %oon the fairy

stories and the comedy and clowning "ecame more important.

%o Pantomime was "orn as an English tradition# it ta$es its stories from continental

fairy tales# its characters from Italian comedy# mi&es them with tric$s and local events

in local places# finally it uses the resources of opera# "allet# music hall and musical

comedy. 'll these elements moulded together have developed into something that no

one "ut the English understand(

Whats special about the Design?

Pantomime actors wear e&travagant costumes# the sets are often lavish# ela"orate and

colourful. )esigned to appeal to children. *ne character is often an animal. These

animals are actors in costume and sometimes even real animals are used. %pecial effectscalled transformation scenes are a feature of Pantomimes. In Cinderella# for e&ample#

the scene changes from a $itchen to the Princes "allroom as if "y magic. This is done

with clever lighting effects and special scenery. %tage "ac$cloths or "ac$drops can "e

+flown in and out ,lifted up into a fly tower-. %tage flats are attached to a "ase with

wheels on it ,called +truc$s- and moved onto the stage. *r sometimes the stage flats

are hinged and swung round to show a different scene.

Where did the Pantomime Characters come from?

%imilar characters appear in different pantomimes and are called +stoc$ characters.These stoc$ characters were not only the influence of Italian Commedia "ut also from

ictorian /usic all where the most popular acts were played in +drag. In Pantomime

there is always a comic female figure played "y a man who is called a )ame. %he is a"ossy and e&aggerated character who tal$s very loudly and wears ama0ing clothes. 'lso

you have the principal "oy# the hero# who is played "y a "eautiful girl who wearsstoc$ings and high heels.

*ther stoc$ characters are the principal girl# the heroine# originally she was Colum"inefrom the arle!uinade. sually there is a pantomime animal such as the cat in )ic$

2hittington. The villain is often either a wic$ed stepmother or an evil 3aron.%ometimes there is more than one villain# as in Cinderella where there are 4 ugly

sisters. The good fairy creates magic and ma$es sure that the evil is defeated.


2/4

5inally you have the slapstic$ comedy characters from Commedia they were called the

+clowns. In Pantomime these are the 2ishee 2ashee character in 'laddin# or

characters with names that define their role such as# /uggy# Thuggy and 2ally. Their

role is to get everything they do wrong# to "e $noc$ed a"out# fall over# get chased and

ma$e the audience laugh at their antics.

Where did the stories come from?

The story lines were ta$en from fairy stories# classical themes# nursery rhymes and

traditional English tales. The themes were always# good triumphs over evil. It is always a

love story li$e the arle!uinade 6 two young lovers $ept apart "y the father or guardian.

They have to outwit the villains in order to gain their fortune and have a happy ending.

This framewor$ provides the opportunity for various tric$s to "e played on the servants

,the clowns- thus creating comic situations of confusion# chases# acro"atics and magical

tric$s.

7o"inson Crusoe# 3a"es in the 2ood# Cinderella# 'laddin# /other oose# 7o"in ood#

umpty )umpty# and ac$ and the 3eanstal$ are a few of the most popular titles in the

19thcentury.

Who ere the audiences for Pantomime?

In ictorian upper class homes the children often put on the pantomime to entertain

the adults at Christmas. In fact the :ueen wrote and performed a Pantomime at

2indsor for the family when she was only 1;(

Children are the most important people in todays pantomime audiences. 3ut children are

ta$en to the Pantomime "y parents and grandparents. The actors want to entertain

everyone# so they usually tell


3/4

!odern !ime

In 1811# a 3ohemian acro"atic family were playing in Paris. The son of the family#

ean aspard 3atiste )e"urau# was engaged to perform at the 5unam"ules on the

3oulevard du Temple. e remained at this Theatre# until his death# and during this

time he converted the crude slapstic$ form of /ime# to the art form that it is

$nown as today.

/ime received new momentum after the 5irst 2orld 2ar from the great ac!ues

Copeau# who taught Charles )ullin at the ieu&6Colum"ier school. Etienne )ecrou

who had "een another pupil# too$ these "eginnings a stage further# and together

with his own pupil ean6=ouis 3arrault# developed the first elements of modern

mime.

'fter the %econd 2orld 2ar# /arcel /arceau emerged# who was a pupil of

)ecrou& at the )ullin school. e created his own special character# $nown as >3ip>#who is a familiar sight# with his top hat with the flower stic$ing out# and his short


4/4

Worksheet "uestions - History and Characters

Using all the pre#ious information anser the folloing $uestions in

sentences%

1. 2here did Pantomime style come fromB 2hat was it called "eforeB

4. 2hat were the main features of the style "efore PantomimeB

. 2here did the Pantomime stories and characters come fromB

;. 's well as these stories and characters what does it +mi& together to

ma$e English PantomimeB

D. 2hats special a"out the costumes and setsB

. 2hat is a transformation sceneB

F. Aame the ways of changing scenery in a transformation scene.

8. 2hat 4 influences created the stoc$ characters in PantomimeB

9. Aame 4 +stoc$ charactersB

1G. 2hat are the story lines ta$en fromB

11. 2hat are the themes of PantomimeB

14. In ictorian times who put on pantomimes in upper class homesB

1. 2hat did the :ueen doB

1;. 2hat do actors do to appeal to the adults watching pantomimesB

1D. 2hat is an essential ingredient of Pantomime styleB

1. 2ho is the master of modern /imeB

1F. 2hat are the two ma

pantomime worksheet-history revised

Documents