Janet Fizz Curtis – Page 2 – Irene Mawer

photo of a statue of a lion, carved in stone, wearing a coronet.

The Godstow Heraldic Lion

Deep in the Irene Mawer Archives (otherwise known as ‘the old biscuit tin in the attic’) there lies a lovely photo, probably taken in the 1930s. It shows Miss Mawer sitting side-saddle on a stone lion. I didn’t know where it was taken and no-one else had a clue either.

March 10, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime

A Lost Strand

What does the word ‘mime’ mean to you? For many people, it suggests silence: a performer with a white face, isolated in a pool of light, communicating through gesture alone. But Irene Mawer (1893-1962) developed a very different strand of the silent art – one that was rigorous, literary, and

screenshot showing a paragraph of manuscript. Paragraph is highlighted in blue.

March 3, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime

Paraphrasing

In a previous blog post, I wrote about how I was working hard at self-editing, cutting the number of words in the book. One of the techniques that I used was paraphrasing. This is where I took very long quotes and cut them down by saying the information in my

February 24, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime / voice

Word Count

Which would you rather read: 101,000 words, or 83,500 words? That is an impossible question, I know. I imagine it depends on how you feel about what you are reading, and if you find it interesting and enjoyable. The numbers I have shown above relate to my Irene Mawer biography.

newspaper clipping showing start date of 1916

February 17, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime / voice

Anniversary

2026: there is a significant anniversary to think about. It is exactly 110 years since the Ginner-Mawer School of Dance and Drama was established. The archival records don’t specify the exact month the doors first opened in 1916, but I assume the formal first day of school was in the

interior of new V&A museum foyer and map of museum location

February 10, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime / voice

Update from V&A

Update from the V&A Museum I have recently been following up on the status of the Irene Mawer memorial plaque, a bronze relief of her as Pierrot. This piece is a rare physical record of her mime career and I contacted the Victoria & Albert Museum to see if it was currently

the photo is taken inside a camper van and shows a brown dog on the bed. there is a sheaf of paper in front of him, there is typewriting on the paper. it looks as if the dog is reading the manuscript of a book.

February 3, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime

Manuscript Update

This is a photo of my Irene Mawer biography manuscript – being checked for errors by Sidney. We are in Spain in our camper van and I had the whole manuscript printed out at a local printer shop as I don’t have a printer in the van. It was well

photo shows front cover of a book with a black and white picture of Irene Mawer wearing a white hat with large, soft, pretend antlers on it.

January 27, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime / Uncategorized / voice

Only Fools and Antlers

In a previous blog post I mentioned that I had digitally erased a pair of antlers that Miss Mawer was sporting on a hat. And I quickly put them back on when I realised I was messing with a historical archive. It did get me wondering, though, what the antlers

January 13, 2026 Biography / Blog / ginner-mawer / Mime

Update About My Irene Mawer Work

This past week I have been extremely busy with the technical side of publishing a book. There is an awful lot more to it than I expected and at times it is overwhelming. My manuscript for the biography has been printed out on to paper since before the New Year, and my

December 30, 2025 Biography

A Fateful Earworm

Earworms are a nuisance. Do you know what I mean? It is the random tune that repeats itself over and over in your head. Your earworm can last for days, or even weeks. I am currently suffering from such a blight. My earworm is ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’