Artists from six countries at the Dresden Pantomime Festival

Slapstick, clowning and tragicomedy: the International "PantomimeTheaterFestival" Dresden aims to captivate audiences once again at the beginning of November. Artists and ensembles from Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Austria and Ukraine will travel to the 39th edition of the pantomime festival. The Russian-born, Dresden-based ensemble Derevo will also be taking part.

Multiple varieties of pantomime on offer

Six performances are planned from November 6 to 10. The aim is to offer pantomime in a wide range of styles. "Pantomime is the basis for many forms of artistic expression and tells wonderful emotional stories with facial expressions and body language," explained Michael Meinel, Chairman of the Mimenstudio Dresden association, which organizes the festival every year.

Artists take a critical look at current affairs

The programs also take a critical look at current affairs. The 044 Mime Company from Ukraine, for example, deals with the flood of news and fake news in their piece "News". The ensemble cultivates the art of classical pantomime. Anetta Aleksandra Animisova from Ukraine developed a solo performance during the war against her country and gave it the name "Peace inside us".

The Czech Radim Vizvary is currently regarded as one of the leading representatives of contemporary pantomime in Europe and in "Mime on the Moon" tells of an escape from a world obsessed with perfection. Finally, Anton Adasinskij can be seen with his award-winning German-Russian company Derevo. He will also give a workshop parallel to the festival and perform the results with participants from Germany and abroad.

Multiple workshops accompany the festival

The weekend before the festival, there will be a one-day workshop with Mangano Massip from France, a student of the famous mime Marcel Marceau. Another workshop will be offered by Anetta Aleksandra Animisova on November 9. "The workshops and the professional exchange between the international artists have always been a very important part and a special feature compared to other festivals," emphasized Meinel.

The co-founder of the festival and long-time director of the Dresden Mime Stage, Ralf Herzog, will be presented with the World Mime Organization's "Golden Hands" Special Award at the opening gala.