Birds do it, flies do it. So do snakes, moths, octopuses, weeds, and humans. Mimicry is everywhere, particularly in the theater. Aristotle described a play as nothing more than "an imitation of an action." Even when working with a new script, actors speak lines already created, execute gestures long since imagined, conjure preconceived emotions. But to call an actor a good mimic is belittling—it suggests a defect... More >>>