FOUNDER
PAUL J. CURTIS
Founder of the American Mime Theatre
The Visionary Behind American Mime
Paul J. Curtis (1927–2012) was a pioneering director, actor, and teacher who revolutionized movement-based theater by creating American Mime, a new, distinct, and fully developed theatrical medium. A graduate of Columbia University, Curtis combined his extensive background in acting, dance, and movement arts to craft an art form that went beyond traditional pantomime.
The Curtis Method: Truth in Movement
Curtis believed that mime was not about silence but about truth—a way to strip performance down to its essential human experience. He founded The American Mime Theatre in 1952, training and directing performers for over six decades. His rigorous Curtis Method emphasizes precision, motivation, and deep emotional connection, shaping actors, directors, and movement artists who carried his vision into theater, film, and television.
Curtis’s influence extends far beyond AMT, with his students performing and teaching worldwide. His legacy will remain at the heart of every performance and class at AMT today, inspiring new generations to explore the art of storytelling through movement.
WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA
48TH EDITION 1994
CURTIS, PAUL JAMES, mime; b. Boston, Aug. 29, 1927; s. Lawrence D. and Madeleine Maria (Schwager) C. Studied with Erwin Piscator, 1947-49. Founder, tchr. Am. Mime Theater, N.Y.C., 1952--; founder Am. Mime, Inc. N.Y.C., 1970--, Internat. Mimes & Pantomimists, 1972-74; chmn. mime dept. Am. Acad. Dramatic Arts, N.Y.C., 1956-71; sr. lectr. Cornell U., Ithaca, N.Y., 1969-89; instr. mime Bennington (Vt.) Coll., Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Mass., Ohio U., Austin Coll., Goodman Sch. Drama, Chgo., Pace U., N.Y.C., Hunter Coll., N.Y.C., Met. Opera Ballet Sch., N.Y.C., New Sch. Social Rsch., N.Y.C., Gene Frankel Theater Workshop, N.Y.C., Guggenheim Mus., N.Y.C., Johns Hopkins U., Balt., Am. Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, Circle in Sq. Theater Sch., N.Y.C., Sarah Lawrence Coll., N.Y., D'Youville Coll., N.Y., Lincoln Sch., Calif., Fairleigh Dickinson U., N.J., Stockton State Coll. N.J., Rutgers U., New Brunswick, N.J., The Leonardols, Paris. With USN, 1944-46. Author: (textbook) American Mime, the Medium, 1952, (plays) The Pinball Machine, 1953, Fate, 1953, The Tell Tale Heart, 1953, Escapade, 1953, The Demon Lover, 1953, Of Identity, 1953, Once Upon An Island, 1954, Monolotry, 1954, The Triple Goddess, 1954, The Western, 1954, Improvisation, 1955, Presentation, 1955, Eden, 1956, Abstraction, 1956, Commedia, 1956, Dreams I, 1958, The Scarecrow, 1962, Dreams II, 1962, The Godstuff, 1962, The Lovers, 1963, Birds, 1965, Female, 1967, Light, 1968, Hurly-Burly, 1969, Evolution, 1973, Sludge, 1974, Six, 1975, Work in Progress, 1976, Abstraction, 1977, The Unitaur, 1982, Peepshow, 1988, Pageant, 1989, Music Box, 1991. Mem. AEA, AFTRA, Nat. Movement Theater Assn. Avocation: antique collector
