User talk:IanThal

Selectively mute?
Actually, I was hoping to draw some attention to that category. Marcel Marceau is "selectively mute" in the same way that any other pantomimist is... including Harpo Marx, whom someone else added to the category recently, and Teller, who I also saw in that category. I think that is really questionable, because the category started out referencing people who are mute due to social anxiety. Harpo and Teller and Marceau and pantomimists are/were silent just as part of their act, and had no problem talking in non-performance situations. I've heard Marceau talk before, typically out of character, i.e. not made up as Bip. If you take away Marceau and also Harpo and Teller, the category contains all of about 3 names. Wahkeenah 21:59, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

You are confusing the actor with the character portrayed. The performers you mention are no more mute than I might be when I am in public and do not feel like speaking, whether I am reading a book in a café or performing a pantomime. These performers play characters who do not speak. Bip does not speak because no one in his imaginary universe speaks. Teller does not speak as a comic contrast to his partner, Penn. Harpo Marx does not speak because it was a comic convention to emphasize his physical comedy, and his relative innocence in comparison to his more verbose and cynical brothers. "Selectively Mute" is a category that better applies to people who have taken an actual vow of silence-- like certain ascetics.IanThal 22:42, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
 * OK, which of these names belongs or does not belong in this category? At the very least, NOT Harpo or Teller, right? And I didn't put either of them in it, either. I'm figuring to remove them, and any others that don't fit.
 * Maya Angelou
 * Buckethead
 * John Reginald Halliday Christie
 * June and Jennifer Gibbons
 * Harpo Marx
 * Teller (magician)

Wahkeenah 23:39, 30 November 2006 (UTC)


 * While I mentioned the possibility of people who select to be mute (such as ascetics who take vows of silence) there is a rare anxiety disorder called selective mutism of which June and Jennifer Gibbons appear to be the only people on your list who have that condition. Buckethead is an instrumentalist who chooses not to vocalize to his audiences (though he used to write a column in Guitar Player Magazine) and maintains a bizzare stage persona/alter-ego (he also wears a full face mask, so speaking would simply ruin the illusion.)  However, I am certain the man behind the mask is fully capable of speaking whenever he wants.  John Reginald Halliday Christie is an executed serial killer, and his inclusion on the list of selective mutes was likely a joke about his being a corpse.IanThal 03:15, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
 * OK, it should be safe to remove the others on the grounds of being a misuse of the term, which will leave a very useful category with exactly one entry. I expect it will get nominated for deletion in due course, unless some other legitimate names get added. For example, I recall reading that James Earl Jones was basically silent for a long stretch of his life due to shame about his stutter. Does that count? Wahkeenah 03:20, 1 December 2006 (UTC) If so, Maya Angelou might count. I'll leave her in it for now. Wahkeenah 03:22, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Silence for shame of having speech impediment, from common sense observation (psychiatrists may differ) does not seem to be an anxiety disorder-- it seems like a pragmatic survival mechanism considering the sheer hostility that is often directed at people who stutter and stammer.IanThal 22:28, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
 * OK, that reduces the category to a single entry. Then we'll see what happens. Thank you for your input. :) Wahkeenah 23:27, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Is Dario Fo an atheist?
Hello, Ian! I am RS. Is Dario Fo an atheist? Do you have any source that identifies Fo as an atheist? I have found one source that identifies Fo as an atheist. But, I need one more. If you have any source, inform me. Thank you. RS 07:58, 8 July 2007 (UTC)


 * I do not know what Dario Fo's religious beliefs might be. His plays are clearly those of somebody who was raised in a Roman Catholic country, and abound with references to the Gospels, the Saints and Catholic ritual.  He is often in opposition to the Catholic Church-- but it seems to be mostly in terms of opposition to the Church hierarchy and those teachings that run counter to his politics (birth control, past religious persecution, et cetera.)  I've not read anything that indicates he is an athiest.  A more reasonable hypothesis would be to typify him as a Catholic heretic.IanThal 03:36, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Your note
Thank you for your note. I have replied. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 18:02, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Mime and Physical Theatre
Hello! I was looking at the Mime Artist page and discovered that you practice mime too. I am glad I found someone who considers themselves part of this tradition.

I was a-thinking. There is much work to be done in terms of addressing the history of mime - e.g. the influence of Decroux and Lecoq on New Mime. Mime's relationship to "Physical theatre". Also addressing some other traditions that are related, such of Bouffons, Clowning, Commedia Dell'Arte etc.

If you ask me, this article needs ALOT of work. I was wondering what your thoughts would be? Thanks a lot. Sebbi (talk) 20:09, 29 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Sorry for taking nearly two years to get back to you, Sebbi. I have been inactive as a wikipedia editor.


 * I spent an extended period as the self-appointed editor of the mime-related pages and eventually reached a point of burn-out since so much of my time was spent repairing vandalism. IanThal (talk) 13:00, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 16:09, 23 November 2015 (UTC)