Ronald Smith Wilson

Ronald Smith Wilson was a multi-talented English actor, mime artist, dancer, designer, painter, printmaker, choreographer and director. He is perhaps most notable as a mime soloist at the Pantomime Theatre, Tivoli gardens, Copenhagen.

Life and Work

Ronald Wilson worked as mime, dancer, designer, choreographer, artist and director in the British Isles, Denmark, Holland, Portugal, and Canada. He had the good fortune to commence his ballet and theatre training with Marie Rambert. After studying at the Royal College of Art and designing for the Ballet Rambert he continued his dance and drama training with some of the most distinguished teachers in London, Paris and Copenhagen. Not least at the 'City Lit' where he was fortunate to study ballet with Claud Newman, acting with Dorothea Alexander, improvisation and movement with Marjorie Lynette Sigley.

As the Recipient of a Winston Churchill Award he was able to study the tradition of classical pantomime as preserved in the Bournonville ballets and 'Casorti' pantomimes in Denmark. In 1983 a Gulbenkian Foundation award enabled him to continue his study of 'Modern' mime in Paris and Prague.

Amongst his principal movement and mime teachers have been Audrey de Vos, Birger Bartholin, Claude Chagrin, Gerard le Breton, Jacques le Coq and especially Etienne Decrous - the Father of the modern movement in mime.

From 1956 - 1976 he had been a soloist at The Famous Pantomime Theatre in Tivoli Copenhagen. There working in an ensemble comprising mimes, dancers and circus artistes he had the especial honour to work under the direction of the great 'Royal Danish' mime and Balletmaster Niels Bjorn Larsen.

He also taught Drama at Morley College, in the Department Of Fashion and Textiles at St Martins School of Art and at the Guildford School of Acting. As well as organising short courses in Art Schools, Arts Centres and Universities he was guest professor at the Canadian Mime School in winter 1975.

Productions

(as director)

• Household Tales - Citylit Theatre, London March 1976

(as performer)

• An Evening With Quiet Friends - 1967
• The Dream - 1974
• Harlequin, Pierrot & Co - Citylit Theatre, December 1976

References

• Rolfe, B. Mimes on Miming: Writings on the Art of Mime (Published by Panjandrum/Aris Books, 1979)
• Lust, A. From the Greek Mimes to Marcel Marceau and Beyond (Published by Scarecrow Press, 2000) p.183
• Conway, R., McGillivray, D. British Alternative Theatre Directory (Published by Conway McGillivray, 1988)
• Gamwell, L. Dreams 1900-2000: Science, Art, and the Unconscious Mind (Published by Cornell University Press, 2000) p.296