The image that comes to mind when someone says “mime” is typically a French man in an invisible box, not several dancers in glow-in-the-dark bodysuits, but that’s what Alithea Mime Theatre opened with for their program on Saturday, March 1.
The Alithea Mime Theatre was established at Wichita State and is a former company of the university. With the help of WSU, the company has toured internationally, from Warsaw, Poland, to Shanghai, China.
The program was produced by the father-daughter duo of Zoe and Nicholas Johnson, who choreographed a majority of the program. The program included acts such as “InsideOut,” a love story with one performer and “Angels Rising.”
“It’s (Angels Rising) based on hope, man’s competitive behavior. From the beginning to the nuclear Holocaust and beyond,” Nicholas said. “So even when God opens the pearly gates for us, we rush to get there first … I think you can’t put a time limit on it.”
Through “Angels Rising” and the other seven performances, Alithea Mime Theatre aims to expand on what a mime performance can be.
“We always think of the white face and striped shirt, but I think this performance shows how diverse it can be,” Zoe said. “It can be a hybrid of both acting and dance. It’s storytelling.”
The program was rehearsed over the course of two months. The company was made up of current and graduated WSU students who have worked together before and were able to almost instantly click.
Piper Patterson, a dance professional in the Wichita area, has been performing the program for five years.
“I really love getting to perform this piece with other professionals in the Wichita area,” Patterson said. “And then, coming back and dancing with people I used to go to school with. It’s always really great.” Future performances and events by the theatre can be found on their Facebook, and a touring archive can be found on their website.
