(Revisiting Moni Yakim – Originally posted in 2012)
Director, actor, teacher, mime, and professor at Juilliard. Moni Yakim has had a very rich theatrical life.
I studied with him in the 1980’s (and with Sterling Jensen) and thought about doing this interview about his time with Decroux.
Etienne Decroux (commonly referred to as ‘the father of modern mime) came to New York in early 1960. In 1960 he taught at the Lee Strasberg Studio.
Then in 1961, he created his own company and school.
In 1963 the company performed at The Carnegie Recital Hall. The show was recorded later on film at The Cherry Lane Theater in the fall of 1963.
The film included the following Decroux mime pieces.
Passage of Man Through Earth – entire company
Lance Thrusts – Sterling Jensen and Moni Yakim
Duo of Love – Moni and Mina Yakim
The Trees – Sterling Jensen, Jewel Walker, Moni Yakin
The students that Moni remembers from that period of classes were:
Mina Yakim, Sterling Jensen, Jerry Pantzer, Maria Tucci, Jack Scalici, Jewel Walker, Viviian Shindler, Abby Imber.
Decroux returned to Paris in 1964.
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Mina and Moni Yakim in mime makeup.
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Moni Yakim Interview – Part 1
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Moni Yakim Interview – Part 2
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Etienne Decroux – Presente: L’usine 1961 (with Sterling Jensen) (see the rest on Youtube)
