As we come to the close of 1992 and the beginning of the ‘New Europe’, opportunities for British companies to work overseas are destined to become easier. Companies will be able to move between the European States with greater ease, find it easier to produce work in other European countries, and new funding opportunities will open up. The production of the recent Bread and Circuses publication by the Informal European Theatre Meeting has already identified ways in which it will be possible to obtain new funding in the context of the European culture.

However, this begs the question: In theory this sounds fine, but what will this really mean for British Mime and Physical Theatre Companies?

Many already tour and work in Europe and have close connections with the Festivals, Training Schools and Venues.

The key to successfully presenting work seems to lie in how Mime and Physical Theatre is identified and marketed in terms of the inherent culture of a Nation.

In this feature, we focus on how Mime and Physical Theatre are already perceived by the audiences and promoters in Britain, Europe and other countries overseas. Through the four contributors, Jac Wilkinson and Sharon Kivity, Gavin Robertson (latterly of Mime Theatre Project), Richard Cuming and Yves Marc of Théâtre du Mouvement we share their personal experiences in contrasting the British experience with that of Europe and Overseas.