Séverin Cafferra

Séverin as Pierrot, c. 1896, in Séverin, L'Homme Blanc (Paris, 1929)

Happichy: Séverin in Mendès's Chand d'habits!, poster (1896)

Séverin Cafferra, known as Séverin or mime Séverin^[1] (1863-1930), was one of the best-known French Pierrots or mime artists around the turn of the twentieth century.

Life

Caffera was born in Ajaccio, Corsica. He studied under the Marseille mime Louis Rouffe (1849-1885), who in turn had studied under Charles Deburau. He worked at Marseilles, then at the Théatre des Funambules in Paris.^[2] In his 1929 book, L'Homme Blanc : souvenirs d'un Pierrot, Caffera describes Rouffe as having created a complete language of gesture.^[3]

References

1. "Mime Severin costumed as Pierrot, 1922". University of Washington Libraries. 1922. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
2. "Séverin Cafferra, dit Séverin". Larousse. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
3. Tångeberg-Grischin, Maya (2011). "The Techniques of Gesture Language" (PDF). The Theatre Academy Helsinki (doctoral thesis). Retrieved 16 May 2014.

Bibliography

• Caffera, Séverin (named simply Séverin as author). L'Homme Blanc : souvenirs d'un Pierrot ("The Man in White: Memories of a Clown"). Introduction and notes by Gustave Fréjaville, Paris, Plon, 1929.