Although studying the art of Mime both in America and France, Lorin Eric Salm was curious to know where else Mime was practiced, and in what forms.  Surely the ancient art must have been carried throughout the world, but what was it like in other countries, and who were the performers of today?

     Lorin researched and collected information on Mime from libraries in Los Angeles, from a Mime festival in London, and from knowledge of a few Mime artists who visited Paris.  The total sum of this knowledge, though, amounted to only several pages of lists of troupes and schools.

     Upon Salm's return to the U.S. in 1996, the Internet was in its infancy.  The number of websites numbered in the thousands instead of in the millions we see today, and most of the world was not yet online.  What few Mime websites he could find focused on particular artists or companies, but there was no general information about the art of Mime to be found.  Although his own store of information was small, Lorin decided to create a new website, the first one to offer information on all aspects of Theatrical Mime, and including the entire world as its scope.

		In December of 1996, The World of Mime Theatre (WMT) went online with all the information Lorin had to share—lists of a few artists, a school or two, and the titles of all the books he had read on the subject.  The next time someone searched the World Wide Web for information on Mime, at least they would have access to this same knowledge.      As the world gradually came online and the Internet became an everyday research tool, the response to The World of Mime Theatre grew as well.  E-mail came from every continent, as
		performers and schools asked to be included in the listings, fans
of Mime wrote to inquire about where they could see or study Mime where they live, and students and school teachers wrote with questions about the art for their research or teaching.

     As more websites cropped up,  Lorin filled WMT with links to other sites he found through his own constant research or through sites submitted to him.

     The World of Mime Theatre was growing, and Internet-watchers took notice.   WMT soon appeared at the top of popular search engines' listings, and garnered "Editor's Pick" and "Cool Site" accolades from numerous major directories.  Encyclopedia Britannica's Britannica Internet Guide called it the "definitive source on mime as a theatrical art," and rated it in the top 1% of the sites it chose for its guide.

     Today, The World of Mime Theatre provides information on schools & workshops, books, publications, film & video, organizations, websites, mime artists, companies & troupes, festivals, and performances worldwide. Permanent listings at WMT currently represent Mime Theatre in 41 countries on five continents, and information on additional countries often appears in WMT's Mime Theatre Calendar, a posting of current events in the field. WMT's growing Library section will include original and hard-to-find articles and information from respected authors and sources.

     WMT has always been a public service website.  Advertising never appears on the site, and no person or organization listed has paid or has been asked to pay for their listings. The website exists solely for the purpose of promoting the art of Theatrical Mime and fostering an exchange of related information on an international scale.

     Lorin Eric Salm still serves as The World of Mime Theatre's Administrator.  His future plans for the website include implementing an exciting new graphical layout and offering several language options for non-Anglophones.  As Lorin continues his work on WMT in his free time, he may eventually establish it as a non-profit organization in order to solicit funds to support his ongoing maintenance and development of the website.

The World of Mime Theatre website is located at http://www.mime.info

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