First London International Mime Festival

The London International Mime Festival is founded by Joseph Seelig and Nola Rae to bring the world’s best visual theatre to the UK. Early editions feature the work of circus and theatre clowns such as Jango Edwards, Zippo, and I Colombaioni, then in 1984 the great French clown Annie Fratellini (pictured) starts the influx of new circus. Her company Cirque Fratellini is made up of students from her own school and includes a 16 year-old juggler named Jérôme Thomas who will later rise to fame. The next year, 1985, British company Ra-Ra Zoo make their first of an eventual three appearances and signal the growth of home-grown work. LIMF continues its annual editions to the present day and is immensely influential in exposing artists to new aesthetics.