Adrian Pecknold (1920–1999) was a Canadian
mime
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,
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
, and author of the book ''Mime: The Step Beyond Words''. He is popularly known for his creation and depiction of Poco the Clown in the popular Canadian children's television program ''
Mr. Dressup''.
Pecknold studied mime at
L'École Jacques Lecoq in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
from October 1962 to April 1963. Following this, he joined Toronto Workshop Productions as an actor and instructor of mime.
In 1968, he founded Canada's first professional mime company, the
Canadian Mime Theatre, in
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of ...
. In 1974 he began the
Canadian Mime School, the first Canadian professional mime school. From 1982 to 1988 he taught at the
University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
, and from 1982 to 1999
he taught at the Ryerson Theatre School,
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, although it also operates facilities elsewhere in Toro ...
, in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada.
Awards and honors
Pecknold was awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 in recognition of his contribution to theatre and theatre education in Canada.
References
* Pecknold, Adrian. (1982). Mime: The Step Beyond Words. Beaverbooks.
*(1998)
Carte Blanche. The Canadian Mime Theatre: A Thirty-Year Retrospective Canadian Theatre Review, Issue 96.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pecknold, Adrian
Canadian mimes
1920 births
1999 deaths
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq alumni
Canadian expatriates in France