United Mime Workers Records, 1971-1992

Records of the United Mime Workers (1971-1986).  Series includes administrative material, articles and reviews (originals and copies), correspondence, flyers, photos, posters, programs, scores, technical information, and writings.  Also contains recordings (on both cassette and reel-to-reel tapes) of background music and sounds for performances, discussions of performances, full performances, interviews, and reports/discussions on Action Theatre/Protest Theatre.  Additionally, the series features artifacts, which are props and costume pieces from performances.

The United Mime Workers (UMW) were a mime and performance collective founded as the Hard Core/Hardcore Mime Troupe at the University of Illinois c. 1971.  At Illinois, they learned mime from Claude Kipnis, and kabuki from Shozo Sato.  For 15 years, they performed at schools, universities, and performance venues across the United States and the world.  Particularly notable are their 1975-1976 European tour and a 1978 visit to Cuba.

The core members of the group were Bob Feldman, Jeff Glassman, and Deborah Langerman.  Bob Rebitzer, Candace Walworth, and other performers also joined the group at various times.

Note: Apart from the four folders explicitly labeled “Hard Core Mime Troupe,” other material from that group is dispersed in the collection.  Most of it can be found in the folders dating from 1971 and 1972.

See "Administrative Information" link on the left side of this page for links to related collections, including the personal papers of Jeff Glassman and Deborah Langerman (which also contain some UMW material).