Tony Montanaro
Encyclopedia
Tony Montanaro was one of the great mime artist
s of the 20th century.
Born in Paulsboro, New Jersey
on September 10, 1927, Montanaro earned a theater degree from Columbia University
and began performing stock theater with actors such as Jason Robards
and Jackie Cooper
. After seeing Marcel Marceau
's historic 1956 performance at New York's
Phoenix Theatre, Montanaro flew to Paris to study under Marceau and Marceau's teacher, Etienne Decroux
.
Montanaro had a long career of rave-review performances in Europe
and the United States
. 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
. There, in 1972, Montanaro founded the Celebration Barn, a world-renowned theater/school of mime, improvisation, storytelling and other performing skills.
The Celebration Barn Theater became a mecca for performers who came from around the world to study with this man who was redefining mime and theater. From Celebration Barn, generations of mimes, physical comedians, storytellers, and actors, guided by Montanaro's genius, have gone on to careers in television, film and theater. Puppeteers with Sesame Street
and The Muppet Show
, writers for Between the Lions
, the host of Hollywood Squares
, and performers in Cirque du Soleil
are just a few of the Celebration alumni who were influenced by Montanaro.
In recent years, Montanaro continued to teach and direct at the Celebration Barn and at the renovated home and studios of he and his wife, Karen Hurll Montanaro in Casco, Maine
. 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.
Tony Montanaro, internationally acclaimed mime artist, director and teacher, 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 tribute concerts in a dynamic and fun filled homage to their teacher. A 2006 film, Theatre & Inspiration, celebrates his life and contributions to the world of theatre.
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...
s of the 20th century.
Born in Paulsboro, New Jersey
Paulsboro, New Jersey
Paulsboro is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,097....
on September 10, 1927, Montanaro earned a theater degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and began performing stock theater with actors such as Jason Robards
Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards, Jr. was an American actor on stage, and in film and television, and a winner of the Tony Award , two Academy Awards and the Emmy Award...
and Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper
Jackie Cooper was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination...
. After seeing 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:...
's historic 1956 performance at New York's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Phoenix Theatre, Montanaro flew to Paris to study under Marceau and Marceau's teacher, Etienne Decroux
Étienne Decroux
Étienne Decroux studied at Jacques Copeau's Ecole du Vieux-Colombier, where he saw the beginnings of what was to become his life's obsession–Corporeal Mime...
.
Montanaro had a long career of rave-review performances in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. 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, Maine
South Paris is a census-designated place located within the town of Paris in Oxford County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 2,237 at the 2000 census...
. There, in 1972, Montanaro founded the Celebration Barn, a world-renowned theater/school of mime, improvisation, storytelling and other performing skills.
The Celebration Barn Theater became a mecca for performers who came from around the world to study with this man who was redefining mime and theater. From Celebration Barn, generations of mimes, physical comedians, storytellers, and actors, guided by Montanaro's genius, have gone on to careers in television, film and theater. Puppeteers with Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, writers for Between the Lions
Between the Lions
Between the Lions is a PBS Kids' puppet show designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, in Mississippi. The show has won seven Daytime Emmy awards between 2001 and...
, the host of Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
, and performers in Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
are just a few of the Celebration alumni who were influenced by Montanaro.
In recent years, Montanaro continued to teach and direct at the Celebration Barn and at the renovated home and studios of he and his wife, Karen Hurll Montanaro in Casco, Maine
Casco, Maine
Farmers found the surface of the town uneven, its hard and rocky soil "tolerably productive." Outlets of ponds, however, provided Casco with good sites for water powered mills. The town had four sawmills, four gristmills, a shook mill, a barrel stave mill, four shingle factories, a carriage factory...
. 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.
Tony Montanaro, internationally acclaimed mime artist, director and teacher, 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 tribute concerts in a dynamic and fun filled homage to their teacher. A 2006 film, Theatre & Inspiration, celebrates his life and contributions to the world of theatre.