Bim Mason

Biography

BIM MASON is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Circomedia, The Centre For Contemporary Circus and Physical Performance. He studied briefly at Bristol University Drama Department and later trained with Jacques Lecoq and Desmond Jones. He began professional performing with the first UK circus theatre group, Kaboodle, in 1978, later forming his own company, Mummer&Dada, which toured internationally throughout the 1980s. He has also acted with the Bristol Old Vic Company and toured three solo physical comedy shows to events such as the London International Mime Festival. Of the many physical theatre shows he has directed, three have received Fringe First Awards at Edinburgh - with Talking Pictures (1989) and with Rejects Revenge (1995 &1997). In 1999 he founded Dark Horse  which won the Herald Angel Award (2000). Other directing work includes for Welfare State International, Peepolykus, Ockhams Razor, Green Eyed Zero, Macadam Theatre, Wall Street Theatre, Green Ginger Microtheatre, solo performers and large-scale international projects. Bim was one of the original teachers at Fool Time from 1986 – 1993 and has taught in Rio De Janeiro, Jerusalem and at many British Universities. An accomplished mask-maker, he created the walkabout piece, The Bigheads, which toured from Singapore to Scandanavia, Canada and the USA. His writing work includes the seminal Street Theatre and other Outdoor Performance (1992) and  Provocation in Popular Culture (2015). He has also written various chapters and articles on Lecoq, popular theatre and circus.

Education

PhD, Bristol University, UK 2013

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Circus, street theatre, physical comedy, masks, Jacques Lecoq, popular theatre and bouffon/provocateurs - Banksy, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leo Bassi, Pussy Riot, Archaos

Personal Interests

History and politics

Websites

• Bim Mason

• Circomedia

Books