A large ensemble of seven or more performers tells one story in silence, using only movement, gesture and facial expression, and is judged as a single company.
Large group mime is silent storytelling on a bigger canvas. Seven or more performers share one piece with no speech, singing or narration, so the story has to travel through posture, gesture, movement and faces alone. With this many people on the floor, the audience sees pictures as much as individual actors: a crowd, a machine, a storm or a procession can be built from bodies, and the panel marks the company as one ensemble rather than a collection of separate roles.
The challenge is control. A round begins with the whole company walking on, settling into its opening picture and holding it still. From there the piece usually moves between a few strong group shapes and smaller moments where one or two performers step forward while the rest freeze, frame the action or become part of the scenery. Everyone must know when to lead, when to support and when to be still, because a single performer who drifts out of the picture, or moves when the group is meant to hold, is noticed immediately in a large cast.
On eTalenter the item is carried by three talent templates: a junior drama division for ages 7 to 12 (a team item with a five-minute limit, marked out of 5), an international teen template for ages 13 to 19 (a team item with no time limit printed, scored as a rating with a maximum of 5) and a Jamaican talent showcase whose youth class runs from 13 to 40 (a team item marked out of 100, no time limit printed). Where the templates define the split, a large group means seven or more participants, and the separate small group class covers two to six. It is open to both genders in all three.
Organisers run it because it lets a whole youth group, class or ministry team take part in one item, needs no sound system or script, and keeps staging simple while still producing a memorable stage picture. Keeping it separate from the solo and small group classes means a big cast does not compete against a handful of performers.
Where Large Group Mime is run
On eTalenter this item is carried by three talent templates: a United States junior drama division, an international teen talent template and a Jamaican talent showcase. Large-cast silent storytelling also appears in school drama, youth theatre and festival syllabuses elsewhere, but this page records only the templates that carry the item, so organisers should check their own notice for team size, time limit and judging headings.
- United States
- Jamaica
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Team item: seven or more performers, one piece, one shared score
- Three templates carry it: a junior class (7-12), teens (13-19) and a Jamaican youth class (13-40)
- Only the junior template prints a time limit: five minutes
- Marked out of 5 (junior), out of 100 (Jamaican youth) and as a rating with a maximum of 5 (teen)
- Large group means seven or more; two to six moves to the small group class
- English-language programmes, open to both genders in all three templates
On eTalenter, Large Group Mime is filed under Drama and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. It appears in 3 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Large Group Mime is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 5, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Large Group Mime
What a Large Group Mime panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- The story: one clear idea a stranger can follow with the sound off, with a beginning, a turning point and an ending that suits a big cast
- Ensemble control: the whole company moving, freezing and changing shape on the same beat, with nobody drifting or lagging
- Stage pictures: strong group shapes and levels that use the full width of the stage and keep every performer visible
- Focus and balance: clear hand-offs between a few leading performers and the supporting crowd, so the audience always knows where to look
- Facial expression and physical control: faces that carry the feeling and deliberate movement rather than fast, busy action
- Discipline: no stray sounds or mouthed words, a tidy entrance and exit for the whole cast, and finishing inside the time the organiser sets
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Large Group Mime under Scoring Setup, or start from the full mime & tableau judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Large Group Mime
How entrants and their teachers usually get Large Group Mime right on the day:
- Give every member a purpose: a character, a part of a group shape or a framing role, and cut anyone who is only there to make up numbers
- Plan the piece as a handful of big pictures and the moves between them, then rehearse those pictures until the whole cast lands in them together
- Mark positions on the floor with tape in rehearsal and have a captain or sub-group leaders who watch the whole picture from outside
- Agree silent cues for starts, changes and freezes, such as a breath, a head turn or a count shared by touch, since nobody can call a line
- Rehearse the entrance and exit with all seven or more performers, because getting a large cast on and off tidily is part of the mark
- Record a run from the back of the room and check that nobody is hidden, that the pictures read from a distance and that the faces still carry
- Time every run against the limit and keep the story simple, since complicated plots are hard to keep clear with many bodies
- Ask the organiser about costume, props and music before adding any, and plain clothes in matching colours are a safe starting point
Frequently asked questions
Is Large 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.
How many people make a large group mime?
Where the templates define it, a large group is seven or more participants and two to six is the small group. Organisers should still state their own minimum and maximum in their notice.
Can we speak, whisper or use sound effects?
No. Mime is a silent art, so spoken words, whispers and vocal sound effects should be left out. Whether recorded music is allowed depends on the organiser, so check the notice.
How long can the piece be?
The junior template prints a five-minute limit. The teen and Jamaican templates print no limit, so organisers should publish one and entrants should rehearse to it.
Is it the same as the small group mime or the pantomime classes?
No. Large group mime starts at seven performers, the small group class covers two to six, and the templates list pantomime and interpretive movement as separate classes, so entrants should enter the one that matches their team and their piece.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full mime & tableau judging criteria guide, or browse every drama competition item.
Try Large Group Mime in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Large Group Mime, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
