Stefan Niedziałkowski (born 12 March 1945 in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland)

mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, 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 the ...

, author, director, teacher and choreographer.

History

Poland

In 1964, Stefan was invited by director Henryk Tomaszewski to become member of the Tomaszewski's Wrocław Pantomime Theater. Niedziałkowski acted internationally as part of the company until 1975, before moving on to co-found and co-create “The Stage of Mimes” at The

Warsaw Chamber Opera The Warsaw Chamber Opera (, WOK) is a Polish opera company founded in 1961 by Stefan Sutkowski, its managing and artistic director from its inception until his retirement in 2012. On 15 October 1986, the Warsaw Chamber Opera moved into its own t ...

New York

In 1979, Niedziałkowski left Poland and moved to the United States. Upon arrival in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, he founded a new mime company with Alice Winslow. Together, they established a school, The American School of Polish Mime. During this time, he authored and directed many works, including "Beret", "Facets", "Fighting with Death", "Pygmalion", and "Time's Sculptures".

Philadelphia

In 1986, Stefan left New York to join his wife and daughter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During this time, he was frequently invited by

Marcel Marceau Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French mime artist and actor most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", performing professionally worldwide ...

to teach at Marceau's Ecole Internationale de Mimodrame de Paris Marcel Marceau. In 1993, Niedzialkowski co-wrote, with Jonathan Winslow, a book on the art of mime titled, "Beyond the Word — The World of Mime." Marcel Marceau wrote the foreword to the book, concluding "...Stefan has opened the door with utmost sincerity and integrity, and his contribution is beyond words."

Poland

In 1993, Niedziałkowski returned to Warsaw, Poland. In 1994, he took the position of artistic director of the Warsaw Pantomime Theater at the State Jewish Theater in Warsaw. Simultaneously, Niedziałkowski founded The Mimes Studio (Studio Mimow) at the Warsaw theater, Teatr Na Woli. From 2000 to 2002 and in 2004 Niedziałkowski was the author and artistic director of The International Mime Art Festival at the Teatr Na Woli theater. In 2005, Stefan Niedziałkowski's Mimes Studio moved to its current location at the Mazovia Region Centre of Culture and Arts in Warsaw. A celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre by Tomaszewski was held in 2006. As a part of the celebration, Stefan Niedziałkowski created, directed, and choreographed his mime drama, “Dusioł” (Soul), for the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre company. Niedziakowski played the title role as a guest artist at the premiere in December 2006 on the Scena Kameralna of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw.

Today

In 2007, the film “Actor of Silence” was created by Tomasz Tarnawski, centering on Stefan Niedzialkowski's life and works. It also features performances from students of the Mimes Studio under Niedziałkowski's direction.

References

* Niedzialkowski, Stefan and Winslow, Jonathan, ''Beyond the Word — the World of Mime'', (Michigan: Momentum Books, Ltd., 1993). * Kucharski, Krzysztof, ''Wroclaw Mime Theatre: 50 years'', (Warsaw: Annex. 2007).

External links

Mazovia Region Center of Culture
Official information on The Mimes Studio, including classes
Studio Mimow
Polish/English site for Mimes Studio.

In Polish, pictures of Dusiol performance.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niedzialkowski, Stefan Polish male stage actors 1945 births Living people