Saturday Special -Working in Theater: An Interview with Geraldine, Director and Performer with Broken Box Mime Theater

Today we bring you another installment of our Working in Theater Series. Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) is a theater company that specializes in Mime.   Their current show Destination: Everywhere is currently playing at The People's Improv Theatre (The Pit) 123 E. 24th St. in New York City on Saturdays at 3:00pm through April 28, 2018.  Below is an interview with Geraldine (G), a member of the group who is the director of and performer in their current show.

What is your job title?

G: I am a Company Member of Broken Box Mime Theatre, and I am the director and one of the performers in the current BKBXKids! Show “Destination: Everywhere”.

How would you describe what you do?

G: The whole cast gets together to brainstorm ideas and write stories, which we then stage without words. Our stories are told entirely with our bodies and we have the white mask painted on our faces. Our Kids Show also has an emcee who can talk, and is the tour guide leading the audience through the journey.  

How did you come to be doing the job that you do?

G: I studied mime in college and discovered my passion for telling stories without words. When I moved to New York City, I heard that Broken Box Mime Theater was holding auditions, and I was one of the people chosen to join the ensemble, yay! That was four years ago and I have performed with Broken Box Mime Theater in many shows since.

Did you have to get any special training for your job?

G: I studied theater at Northwestern University in Chicago and also took mime classes. All of us mimes are also trained actors and have performed in various plays.

What is the best part of your job?

G: Getting to share our stories and perform ‘Destination: Everywhere’ for our audiences. There is no better feeling than looking out at our audience members who have huge smiles on their faces and hearing their laughter and the “aah’s” and “ooh’s” as they paint the stage with their imaginations. It’s the best!

What is the worst part of your job?

G: I don’t feel like there is a bad part to my job. But if I had to choose one, I would say washing the costumes. As our show is physically demanding, we have to wash the costumes after every show, and I have taken on that duty :).

What are some of your favorite shows that you have worked on?

G: I played Lady Marian in Chicago’s Theater Hike’s ‘Robin Hood of Barnsdale Woods’ at the Arboretum. As the scenery changed, the audience and performers hiked to the next magical place in the Arboretum. It was an unforgettable experience to perform in the outdoors while hiking through the woods.

What show if any would you loved to have worked on?

G: I would have loved to have performed with Marcel Marceau, the great mime, who passed away in 2007. I had the chance to meet him at an event in the Italian part of Switzerland where he spoke about his work and showed us videos. He was a most magnetic person, performer and mime.

Who are some other people in your field that you admire?

G: I grew up in Switzerland and our most famous clown Dimitri is a great inspiration. I had the chance to see him perform in the circus, as well as in the theater. He was a master at creating a most unique and beautiful world on stage. My imagination was running wild watching him perform.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do?

G: If you want to be in the Arts and the Theater, just go there and start to volunteer and learn. Then figure out what exactly you like to do most, do you want to do costumes, stage manage, perform, etc. There are so many important parts to putting on a show. I would also advice to surround yourself with people who inspire and believe in you and who support your dreams. Dream big.

We thank Geraldine for taking the time to answer our questions. For more about Destination: Everywhere or to purchase tickets, visit brokenboxmime.com/events. For more about Broken Box Mime Theater in general, visit brokenboxmime.com/. We will be talking more about Destination: Everywhere in a future post.