mime, pantomime, dumb show (verb)

a performance using gestures and body movements without words

mime, pantomime (verb)

act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only

"The acting students mimed eating an apple"

pantomime (Noun)

A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.

pantomime (Noun)

The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work.

pantomime (Noun)

A traditional theatrical entertainment, originally based on the commedia dell'arte, but later aimed mostly at children and involving physical comedy, topical jokes, and fairy-tale plots.

pantomime (Noun)

Gesturing without speaking; dumb-show, mime.

pantomime (Verb)

To gesture without speaking.

pantomime (Verb)

To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.

Pantomime

Pantomime – not to be confused with the theatrical medium of mime – is a form of musical comedy stage production, designed for families, developed in the United Kingdom and mostly performed during the Christmas and New Year season. Modern pantomime includes songs, slapstick comedy and dancing, employs gender-crossing actors, and combines topical humour with a story loosely based on a well-known fairy tale. It is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers. Pantomime has a long theatrical history in Western culture dating back to classical theatre, and it developed partly from the 16th-century commedia dell'arte tradition of Italy, as well as other European and British stage traditions, such as 17th-century masques.

Pantomime

Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking countries, especially during the Christmas and New Year season. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing. It employs gender-crossing actors and combines topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale. Pantomime is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is encouraged and expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers. Pantomime has a long theatrical history in Western culture dating back to the era of classical theatre. It developed partly from the 16th century commedia dell'arte tradition of Italy and other European and British stage traditions, such as 17th-century masques and music hall. An important part of the pantomime, until the late 19th century, was the harlequinade.Outside Britain, the word "pantomime" is often understood to mean miming, rather than the theatrical form described here.