Nola Rae
Encyclopedia
Nola Rae MBE is an internationally renowned mime artist
.
, Australia, in 1949 and migrated to London
with her family in 1963.
Originally hoping to become a dancer, at 16 she began training at the Royal Ballet School
in London and then danced professionally at Malmö Stadsteater and Tivoli Garden's Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen
. However, realising that she might not succeed in ballet, she turned to mime and studied with Marcel Marceau
in Paris
.
, and was a member of the Bristol Old Vic
Company. In 1974, she founded the London Mime Theatre with Matthew Ridout, with whom she has worked ever since. Nola and Joseph Seelig were the original instigators of the London International Mime Festival
, which is held in January each year, and has been running since 1977.
Rae premiered her first solo show at Le Festival du Monde in Nancy in 1975. Since then she has created 12 full length shows and toured the world. She combines mime, clowning, puppetry and dance and has performed in over 60 countries. A great lover of the works of William Shakespeare
, she created Shakespeare the Works with John Mowat, where four of the Bard’s tragedies were turned into comedies, and included a unique version of Hamlet for two hands. She later tackled A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the fairies were represented by puppet salad vegetables.
In 1990, Rae radically changed her style and began to present full length comic dramas where one wordless character is developed over an evening. One example is the highly successful Elizabeth’s Last Stand, directed by Simon McBurney
. It explores the loneliness of an old woman when she develops delusions of grandeur and tries to recreate the court of Elizabeth I of England in her living room. This was followed in 1993 by a two woman show with the contemporary dancer Sally Owen. Directed by Carlos Trafic, from Argentina, And the Ship Sailed On explored the clash of two women of different cultures who are forced to share a small cabin on a nightmarish voyage of immigration.
In Mozart Preposteroso Rae uses all her skills to present a clown’s fantasy on the life of a musical phenomenon. Exit Napoleon Pursued by Rabbits was inspired in part by Charlie Chaplin
's The Great Dictator
. It deals with dangerous charisma and how to get it, following the transformation of a hobo into Napoleon and then Hitler
. Home Made Shakespeare with the Swedish actor Lasse Äkerlund has her using her voice on stage for the first time. She also gives workshops, lecture demonstrations and master classes.
Rae is also in demand as a director, her speciality being subverting tragedies, by turning them into clown plays. She began with The House of Bernarda Alba by Garcia Lorca, performed by the Swedish all-women clown group Teater Manjaña. They won the Swedish Humour prize for the funniest show of 1996. Other winners were Birgit Nilsson
for her biography and Lee Evans
who won the international humour prize. She has also directed Miss Julie by August Strindberg
for the same group, a hit at the 1998 Strindberg Festival in Stockholm. The latest directing project in Sweden is Ben Hur set in an old people's home. This work for 10 female clowns is due to premier next year. Her directing work in Norway includes Doña Quixote by Coby Omvlee and Ibsen’s The Wild Duck for the Oslo Nye Teater. She also directed The Three Musketeers (the clown version) for Les Anges Perdus in Vienna 2006,
Over the years, Rae has made numerous television appearances. They include a BBC Playhouse Special After You Hugo, where she played a French dancer who impersonates the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in variety theatre. She has been the subject of two documentaries : BBC Arena and Meridian Television’s The Pier.
Award for Clowning from the Festival of Amandola; and was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in the United States in 2000.
In 2008, Rae was awarded an MBE
by the Queen in her New Year's Honours List for services to drama and to mime.
Mime artist
A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
.
Early life and education
Rae was born in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia, in 1949 and migrated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with her family in 1963.
Originally hoping to become a dancer, at 16 she began training at the Royal Ballet School
Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London...
in London and then danced professionally at Malmö Stadsteater and Tivoli Garden's Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. However, realising that she might not succeed in ballet, she turned to mime and studied with Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau was an internationally acclaimed French actor and mime most famous for his persona as Bip the Clown.-Early years:...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Career
She was a founder member of the French-based International Research Troupe Kiss, co-founded Friends Roadshow with Jango EdwardsJango Edwards
Jango Edwards is an American clown and entertainer who has spent most of his career in Europe, primarily in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and England. His performances are mostly one-man shows in the European cabaret tradition, in which he combines traditional clowning with countercultural and...
, and was a member of the Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
Company. In 1974, she founded the London Mime Theatre with Matthew Ridout, with whom she has worked ever since. Nola and Joseph Seelig were the original instigators of the London International Mime Festival
London International Mime Festival
The London International Mime Festival is an annual theatre event in London. Its directors are Joseph Seelig and Helen Lannaghan, winners of the International Theatre Institute Award for Excellence....
, which is held in January each year, and has been running since 1977.
Rae premiered her first solo show at Le Festival du Monde in Nancy in 1975. Since then she has created 12 full length shows and toured the world. She combines mime, clowning, puppetry and dance and has performed in over 60 countries. A great lover of the works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, she created Shakespeare the Works with John Mowat, where four of the Bard’s tragedies were turned into comedies, and included a unique version of Hamlet for two hands. She later tackled A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the fairies were represented by puppet salad vegetables.
In 1990, Rae radically changed her style and began to present full length comic dramas where one wordless character is developed over an evening. One example is the highly successful Elizabeth’s Last Stand, directed by Simon McBurney
Simon McBurney
Simon Montagu McBurney, OBE is an English actor, writer and director. He is the founder and artistic director of Théâtre de Complicité in England, now called Complicite.-Early life:...
. It explores the loneliness of an old woman when she develops delusions of grandeur and tries to recreate the court of Elizabeth I of England in her living room. This was followed in 1993 by a two woman show with the contemporary dancer Sally Owen. Directed by Carlos Trafic, from Argentina, And the Ship Sailed On explored the clash of two women of different cultures who are forced to share a small cabin on a nightmarish voyage of immigration.
In Mozart Preposteroso Rae uses all her skills to present a clown’s fantasy on the life of a musical phenomenon. Exit Napoleon Pursued by Rabbits was inspired in part by Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
's The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator is a comedy film by Charlie Chaplin released in October 1940. Like most Chaplin films, he wrote, produced, and directed, in addition to starring as the lead. Having been the only Hollywood film maker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, this was...
. It deals with dangerous charisma and how to get it, following the transformation of a hobo into Napoleon and then Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Home Made Shakespeare with the Swedish actor Lasse Äkerlund has her using her voice on stage for the first time. She also gives workshops, lecture demonstrations and master classes.
Rae is also in demand as a director, her speciality being subverting tragedies, by turning them into clown plays. She began with The House of Bernarda Alba by Garcia Lorca, performed by the Swedish all-women clown group Teater Manjaña. They won the Swedish Humour prize for the funniest show of 1996. Other winners were Birgit Nilsson
Birgit Nilsson
right|thumb|Nilsson in 1948.Birgit Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works...
for her biography and Lee Evans
Lee Evans (comedian)
Lee Evans is an English comedian, writer, actor and musician.-Personal life:Lee Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England to an Irish mother and a Welsh father, Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. He left Bristol at the age of 13 and then went to The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex...
who won the international humour prize. She has also directed Miss Julie by August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
for the same group, a hit at the 1998 Strindberg Festival in Stockholm. The latest directing project in Sweden is Ben Hur set in an old people's home. This work for 10 female clowns is due to premier next year. Her directing work in Norway includes Doña Quixote by Coby Omvlee and Ibsen’s The Wild Duck for the Oslo Nye Teater. She also directed The Three Musketeers (the clown version) for Les Anges Perdus in Vienna 2006,
Over the years, Rae has made numerous television appearances. They include a BBC Playhouse Special After You Hugo, where she played a French dancer who impersonates the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in variety theatre. She has been the subject of two documentaries : BBC Arena and Meridian Television’s The Pier.
Awards
Rae received a Total Theatre Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, the Charlie RivelCharlie Rivel
Josep Andreu i Lasserre , best known as Charlie Rivel, was an internationally known Spanish circus clown. He was born in Cubelles...
Award for Clowning from the Festival of Amandola; and was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in the United States in 2000.
In 2008, Rae was awarded an MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
by the Queen in her New Year's Honours List for services to drama and to mime.
External links
- http://www.nolarae.com/