A group acts out one story or theme together using only movement, gesture and facial expression, entered as a single team and judged as one company, with limits of three to six minutes on the templates that carry it.
Group mime is a wordless piece for a team of performers. Nobody speaks, sings or reads; the whole story, including who the characters are, where they are and what changes, is told through bodies, faces and the way the group moves together. The team enters as one unit and receives one result, so the class rewards a company that looks rehearsed as a whole rather than a few strong individuals.
A round is short. The group walks on, settles into an opening picture and plays the piece, usually with no scenery and at most a few simple props or a pair of chairs. Because there are no words, everything unseen has to be shown consistently: a wall, a rope or a door must stay in the same place and keep the same weight each time it is touched. Good groups use levels, formations and freezes so the audience always knows where to look, and they time entrances and exits so the stage never looks crowded or empty by accident.
On the templates that carry it, Group Mime is a Team item for boys and girls together, in English. Time limits vary by event: six minutes for every band in a Channel Islands speech and drama syllabus, four to five minutes in a South African eisteddfod, and three minutes in an Australian arts eisteddfod, where it is offered across school-year bands. A Jamaican talent showcase lists it for children with no time limit set. Scoring is on a ten-point scale in some events and a hundred-point scale in others. The Jersey template does not fix a group size, so organisers should state a minimum and maximum in their own entry rules.
Organisers run it because it brings in pupils who are shy of speaking, suits mixed-language groups, teaches ensemble discipline and observation, and gives a stage item that is easy to judge fairly because the panel can see every choice the group made.
Where Group Mime is run
On the eTalenter templates this item appears in four: a Channel Islands English speech and drama festival, a South African speech and drama eisteddfod, an Australian regional arts eisteddfod and a Jamaican talent showcase. Wordless group pieces also turn up in school drama days and youth theatre festivals elsewhere, often under names such as group pantomime or movement drama.
- Channel Islands
- South Africa
- Australia
- Jamaica
Key facts
- Team item for boys and girls together, performed with no spoken words
- Age bands follow the event: Junior (6 to 12), Senior (13 to 17) and Adult on the Jersey template; school grades in South Africa; school-year bands from Year 2 to Year 12 in Australia
- Time limits seen on the templates: six minutes (Jersey), four to five minutes (South Africa), three minutes (Australia), none set (Jamaica); the Jersey template times the item per head
- Scored on a ten-point scale in some events and a hundred-point scale in others; the team gets one result
- Idea: a group waiting at a station as a delayed train slowly changes each person's mood (an idea, not a rule)
- Idea: a market stall scene where a group sets up, trades and packs away, with one thief the others slowly notice (an idea, not a rule)
- Idea: a group of explorers crossing a river on invisible stepping stones (an idea, not a rule)
On eTalenter, Group Mime is filed under Action, Drama and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 4 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Group Mime is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 3–6 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Group Mime
What a Group Mime panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Clarity of story: a viewer who hears nothing should still be able to say who the characters are, what they want and how the piece ends
- Ensemble unity: movements start and stop together when they should, and no performer looks lost or is left waiting for a cue
- Use of the stage: formations, levels and freezes that direct the eye, with nobody hidden behind others for long
- Physical control and precision: deliberate gestures with a clear start and finish, rather than busy or random movement
- Facial expression and character: emotion that reads from the back of the room and stays consistent throughout
- Imaginary objects and timing: walls, doors and props keep the same size and position, and the piece finishes inside the time limit
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Group Mime under Scoring Setup, or start from the full mime & tableau judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Group Mime
How entrants and their teachers usually get Group Mime right on the day:
- Agree the story in one sentence, then split it into five or six beats, each with a clear picture, before anyone moves
- Give every performer a distinct character and a reason to be on stage in every beat, so the group never becomes background and soloists
- Rehearse to counts or a shared breath cue, since there is no dialogue to signal the next action
- Mark the position of every imaginary object and rehearse touching it from the same spot each time
- Practise entrances, exits and freezes separately; sloppy transitions cost more marks than a weak middle
- Time full runs with a stopwatch and aim to finish a little under the limit; check whether your event times the item per head
- Film a rehearsal with the sound off from the judges' angle; if the story is unclear, simplify it
- Wear plain, matching clothing so costume does not distract from movement
Frequently asked questions
Is Group Mime judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Can a group mime use words, sounds or music?
No spoken words are used, since the class is judged on wordless storytelling. Check your own event's rules before adding music, sound effects or props.
How many performers can be in a group mime?
It depends on the event. The Jersey template does not fix a size, so follow the syllabus or entry rules your organiser publishes, and ask them if it is unclear.
How long can a group mime run?
The templates vary: six minutes in Jersey, four to five in South Africa, three in Australia, and none set in Jamaica. Always use the limit in your own event's rules.
Is group mime judged individually or as a team?
It is a Team item, so the group receives one result. Every member needs to be strong, but the panel is marking the whole company.
How is group mime different from mime solo or a mime duologue?
Mime solo is one performer, a mime duologue is exactly two, and group mime is a larger team telling one story together, usually with a longer time limit.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full mime & tableau judging criteria guide, or browse every action competition item.
Try Group Mime in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Group Mime, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
