Tony Montanaro (1927-2002) was a 20th-century American
mime artist
A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a theatrical medium ...
.
Early years
Born in
Paulsboro, New Jersey
Paulsboro is a borough in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,196, an increase of 99 (+1.6%) from the 2010 census count of 6,097, on September 10, 1927, Montanaro earned a theater degree from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and began performing
stock theater with actors such as
Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...
and
Jackie Cooper
John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...
. After seeing
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French actor and mime artist most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", and he performed professionally worldw ...
's historic 1956 performance at New York's
Phoenix Theatre, Montanaro flew to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to study under Marceau and Marceau's teacher,
Etienne Decroux.
Career
Montanaro had a long career of well-received performances in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and the United States. In 1962, he starred Off-Broadway in a one-man show called ''A Mime's Eye View'' at the Gramercy Arts Theatre.
[''He's a Master Mime: Tony Montanaro Reflects on a Life as a Visual Aide. Bangor Daily News. February 10, 2001.]
/ref>[The Bates Student - Volume 99 No. 19. ''Tony Montanaro''. February 22, 1973.]
/ref> He designed and hosted the award-winning CBS-TV children's show, "Pretendo". After performing and teaching around the world, Montanaro journeyed to another Paris -- South Paris, Maine
South Paris is a census-designated place (CDP) located within the town of Paris in Oxford County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 2,237 at the 2000 census. While the CDP refers only to the densely settled area in the southern p ...
, where in 1972, he founded the Celebration Barn Theater, a theater/school of mime, improvisation, storytelling and other performing skills.
Celebration Barn alumni have gone on to careers in television, film and theater, including puppeteers with ''Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...
'' and ''The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...
'', writers for ''Between the Lions
''Between the Lions'' is an American animated/live-action/puppet children's television series designed to promote reading. The show was a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mis ...
'', hosting '' Dancing with the Stars'', and as performers in ''Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...
''. Today, the Barn is an international residential center for theater training and creation,
Later Years
In his later years, Montanaro continued to teach and direct at the Barn and at the renovated home and studios of he and his third wife, Karen Hurll Montanaro in Casco, Maine
Casco is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Casco includes the villages of Casco, South Casco and Cook Mills. The town borders the east shore of Sebago Lake, and is home to part ...
. The couple also toured widely with their two-person show, ''The Montanaro-Hurll Theatre of Mime and Dance.'' In 1995, the Montanaros authored ''Mime Spoken Here: The Performer's Portable Workshop,'' a guide to the craft of mime, character work, and improvisation, and a pair of accompanying instructional videos.
Mr. Montanaro died at his home in Casco, on Friday, December 13, 2002.
In 2004, thirty eight performers, all past students, came together for a series of concerts to honor their teacher. A 2006 film, ''Theatre & Inspiration'', celebrates his life and contributions to the world of theatre.
References
External links
Karen Montanaro's web site
Celebration Barn Theater
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montanaro, Tony
1927 births
2002 deaths
American mimes
People from Paulsboro, New Jersey
People from Paris, Maine
Columbia University alumni
People from Casco, Maine