Mime and Physical Storytelling Flashcards
7 cards from real LAMDA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Mime and Physical Storytelling flashcards as text
How does a performer physically convey the passage of time in a mime piece?
Answer: Through transitional gestures, changes in rhythm, or stylised aging of the body
Time jumps are communicated through deliberate transitional movement, rhythm shifts, or physicality that suggests age or season changes.
What is the role of 'neutral' body position as a starting point in LAMDA mime?
Answer: It provides a blank physical state from which any character or emotion can emerge
Neutral position — balanced, relaxed, alert — gives the performer a clean slate, preventing habitual tensions from bleeding into the character.
In a duet mime, two performers pull on opposite ends of an imaginary rope. What must they coordinate to sell the illusion?
Answer: Matching resistance levels, synchronised weight shifts, and consistent rope length between them
Both performers must agree on the physical properties of the rope — its tension, length, and weight — and respond to each other's impulses as if connected.
Which aspect of LAMDA Physical Storytelling relates to the concept of 'Laban Effort Actions'?
Answer: Qualities of movement such as weight, space, time, and flow
Rudolf Laban's Effort Actions describe how movement is performed in terms of weight (light/strong), space (direct/indirect), time (sudden/sustained), and flow (bound/free).
A LAMDA examiner notes that a candidate's mime of opening a jar is unconvincing. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: The hands are not maintaining a fixed grip diameter as they rotate
If the imaginary jar changes size or shape mid-action because the grip is inconsistent, the illusion collapses entirely.
Why might a LAMDA physical storytelling piece include a moment of complete stillness?
Answer: Stillness can heighten dramatic tension and give the audience time to absorb meaning
Strategic stillness functions as punctuation in physical storytelling, creating emphasis and allowing emotional resonance to land with the audience.
What does 'spatial awareness' mean in the context of LAMDA mime performance?
Answer: Understanding and using the performance space deliberately, including relationship to audience and other performers
Spatial awareness encompasses conscious use of levels, distances, and directions to create visual composition and communicate story.