For Bill Bowers, silence is beyond golden — it’s a way of life.
Considered “a great American mime” by some critics, Bowers has built a strong 30-year career as a professional mime. Bowers has performed across the U.S. and in Europe doing a variety of productions and events.
Based on his experiences, Bowers has created a one-man show called “It Goes Without Saying,” a collection of stories from events that have happened throughout his life and career.
It will be performed at ARTS/West at 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are free for students and members, and $10 for non-members.
“I began with the question ‘Why am I a mime,’ and then it expanded from there,” Bowers said. “I began working on the show through improvisation — just telling stories in front of an audience and shaping them, editing them (and) expanding.”
“We have a lot of respect for Mr. Bowers’ work and were delighted to be apart of his time in Athens,” said Emily Prince, the ARTS/West program specialist.
Although the show addresses a number of topics, the theme Bowers hopes to address is that people are not as complicated as one might think.
“We have so much in common, even though we might seem so different from each other at face value,” Bowers said.
In addition to being a mime, Bowers is also an actor and an educator. After the show, Bowers will remain in Athens until March 8 working with students at the School of Theater. A visiting professor, he has also taught at Neighborhood Playhouse, New York University, the William Esper Studio and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.
“I love the feeling of an audience participating in the stories,” Bowers said. “Mime (and) silent acting asks the audience to collaborate; it demands concentration. When the audience comes along with me, it is incredibly powerful.”
Bowers’ work has been compared to a number of people, including writers such as David Sedaris, Spalding Gray and Augusten Burroughs and silent actors such as Buster Keaton.
“Silence can be an uncomfortable place to be in — it can open you up and make you feel vulnerable,” Bowers said. “However, that openness can lead to an incredible collaboration between performer and audience.”
After he leaves Athens, Bowers will go to Addison, Texas, to perform his newest work, “Beyond Words” at the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival March 9.
“I love telling my story in towns all across the country,“ Bowers said, “and in every place I perform, I meet folks who share a similar history.”
wa054010@ohiou.edu
