Étienne Decroux to the Théâtre de l''Ange Fou : A Legacy of Corporeal Mime

This book affords a rare first-hand insight into the dramaturgy, technique and aesthetic of the father of modern mime from a pupil/practitioner perspective and thereby offers a better understanding of much 20th century physical theatre and its place todayin general.

In this book, we are given unprecedented access to working with the father of modern mime Étienne Decroux. Through the first-hand experience of his students and assistantsCorinne Soum and her partner Steven Wasson, she offers insights into their time working alongside Decroux by analysing his work, his repertoire, his multiple approaches to improvisation, his way of creating and directing, to their promise to him to continue his legacy—a legacy that has now been in existence for over 40 years.

We see that promise and that legacy in practice, from Corinne Soum’s and Steven Wasson''s teaching at Decroux’s school, living in the house of Etienne and Suzanne Decroux , sharing their lives, and then by founding their own schools in Paris, London, and today in the U.S.A with The White Church Theatre Project. Their experience with Decroux led Corinne and Steven to creating the company the Théâtre de l''Ange Fou developing their own style and artistic world, performing throughout Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Japan and India, and to the major reconstruction of part of Decroux''s repertoire.

Supplementing Corinne Soum’s own first-hand experiences is a contributed essay by Steven Wasson, as well as an interview by them with Marcel Marceau on his encounter and studies with the father of modern mime and a contextual introduction by George Mascarenhas also helps situate Decroux and corporeal mime in the wider theatre landscape of the 20th century. A foreword by actor, director, writer Simon Callow talks of how he met with Steven and Corinne and how he entrusted Steven to reconstruct the mime scenes for his stage production of Les Enfants du Paradis, the famous film of Marcel Carné.