London International Mime Festival (LIMF) was an annual festival of contemporary visual theatre which ran from 1977 to 2023. Essentially wordless and multi-disciplinary, its programme embraced circus-theatre, puppetry/animation, object theatre, mime, live art and physical theatre.
LIMF was founded at the Cockpit Theatre by mime/clown Nola Rae MBE and producer/manager/artistic director Joseph Seelig OBE as a one-off event to showcase the work of British mimes, theatre clowns and other physical and visual theatre artists. A second festival followed in 1978, this time including overseas’ artists.
In 1987 Helen Lannaghan joined Joseph Seelig as co-director. LIMF shows were presented in more than thirty different London venues, from Tate Modern and West End theatres, to the Almeida, Barbican, Battersea Arts Centre, ICA, Jacksons Lane, Natural History Museum, Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells, Shoreditch Town Hall, Shunt Vaults, Soho Theatre, and Southbank Centre.
LIMF brought performers from all over the world to London, presenting almost 800 companies it its 47-year history. LIMF was an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation from the inception of that scheme. Full details of its programmes from 1977 – 2023 can be seen at www.mimelondon.com
In collaboration with several London venues, from January 2024 LIMF’s two directors are continuing with a legacy programme under the name ‘MimeLondon’ to maintain the profile of international visual theatre in London and the UK.
