The San Francisco Mime Troupe is a theatre of

political satire Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where s ...

which performs free shows in various parks in the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

Bay Area and around

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The Troupe does not, however, perform silent

mime Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) is an Internet standard that extends the format of email messages to support text in character sets other than ASCII, as well as attachments of audio, video, images, and application programs. Message ...

, but each year creates an original musical comedy that combines aspects of

Commedia dell'Arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...

, and broad

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

with topical political themes. The group was awarded the Regional Theatre Award at the 41st Tony Awards.

History

Origins

The group was founded in 1959 by R. G. Davis as a medium of expression of his divergent theatrical concepts. The group debuted with ''Mime and Word'' (1959) and ''The 11th Hour Mime Show'' (1960). However, by 1961, the group transitioned to the Commedia dell'Arte format to more thoroughly comment on perceived political repression in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, the growing

American Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...

and military and covert intervention abroad. In the mid-1960s the group started to rely less on the direct Commedia dell'Arte format and transitioned into a more rambunctious, satirical style. It also began integrating elements of jazz into its musical composition, eventually leading to the inclusion of a jazz band within the troupe. The group gained significant notoriety for its free performances in

Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, United States, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. It is administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which began in 1871 to oversee the developm ...

and numerous altercations with law enforcement. They also travelled to Canada and played at Simon Fraser University on Nov. 9, 1966 with “''A Minstrel Show or Civil Rights in a Cracker Barrel''" by Gary Davis and Saul Landau (SFU Archives Library).The 'Minstrel Show' made its public debut in April 1965 at the Encore Theater on Powell Street in San Francisco, produced by Bill Graham. Its cast included John Broderick, Willie B. Hart Jr., George Matthews, Jason Marc Alexander, Julio Martinez, Malachi Spicer (Kai Spiegel) as the minstrels and Robert Slattery at Interlocutor. The music for “Minstrel Show” was composed and performed by

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer known for his contribution to the development of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, ...

, who worked with the Troupe for at least two seasons. The Troupe has always been known to employ the best composers and musicians in the area, who work intimately with the actors, writers, and whole theatrical operation. By the early 1970s, the Troupe had earned a reputation for opposing capitalism, sexism, and war.

Post-Davis history

Godfellas San Francisco Mime Troupe 2006 b

In the early '70s Davis left the Troupe when it re-formed as a

collective A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an ...

, the members of which operate as the

Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...

, at which time the Troupe produced one of its most successful shows, ''The Independent Female'' (1970). In the 1980s, the group's productions retaliated against the

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

administration. Some of the Troupe's popular shows include: * ''Factwino meets The Moral Majority'' (1981), in which Factwino, an alcoholic superhero that became a recurring protagonist, bestowed wisdom upon prominent icons, such as

Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelism, televangelist, and conservatism in the United States, conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, ...

* ''Steel Town'' (1984) characterized the plight of steel workers and the decline of steel manufacture in the U.S. For this production, the troupe toured the Midwest, primarily in factory cities. * ''The Minstrel Show or Civil Rights in a Cracker Barrel,'' which satirized entrenched attitudes among liberals and bigots during the Civil Rights Struggle * ''Seeing Double,'' about a two-state solution in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict * ''Ripped VanWinkle'' which explores the gap between the optimism of 1968 and the 1988 reality. * ''Offshore,'' about the real cost of

globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

* ''Eating It,'' about

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...

and profit driven science * ''1600 Transylvania Avenue,'' about corporate government feeding on public wealth * ''GodFellas,'' a farce exposing the dangers of

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguish ...

to democracy * ''Making a Killing,'' about war propaganda and the plight of Iraqis contaminated by

depleted uranium Depleted uranium (DU; also referred to in the past as Q-metal, depletalloy or D-38) is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope than natural uranium.: "Depleted uranium possesses only 60% of the radioactivity of natural uranium, hav ...

* '', or Death of the Worker'', which juxtaposes the stories of workers taking over two factories - one in Argentina and one in the U.S. - and poses the question: why are American workers fighting for a seat at the table? Why not fight for the whole table? As well as the park-based shows, the Mime Troupe also tours nationally and internationally, having performed throughout Europe, Asia, South and Central America, and has won several awards. The group also facilitates community workshops. They are a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. The season traditionally starts on

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

weekend and ends on

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend. Early Mime Troupers include Joe Bellan,

Saul Landau Saul Landau (January 15, 1936 – September 9, 2013) was an American journalist, filmmaker and commentator. He was also a professor emeritus at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he taught history and digital media. Educa ...

, Arthur Holden,

Nina Serrano Nina Serrano (born 1934) is an American poet, writer, storyteller, and independent media producer who lives in Vallejo, California. She is the author of ''Heart Songs: The Collected Poems of Nina Serrano'' (1980) and ''Pass it on!: How to st ...

, John Connell, Robert Nelson,

William T. Wiley William Thomas Wiley (October 21, 1937April 25, 2021) was an American artist. His work spanned a broad range of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, performance, and pinball. At least some of Wiley's work has been referred to a ...

, Sandra Archer, Robert Hudson, Wally Hedrick, Judy North, Jerry Jump, Fred Hayden, Victoria Hochberg, Joaquin Aranda, Esteban Oropezo and John Broderick. Posters for several of the 1970s productions were designed by Jane Norling, and are accessible online. Later veterans include Arthur Holden, Sharon Lockwood,

Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' Cro ...

Luis Valdez Luis Miguel Valdez (born June 26, 1940) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano film and theater, Valdez is best known for his play '' Zoot Suit'', his movie '' La Bamba'', and his cre ...

Barry Shabaka Henley Barry Shabaka Henley (born Barry Joseph Henley; September 15, 1954) is an American character actor. Henley has appeared as a regular in a number of television series, has numerous film credits, and is a fixture in films by director Michael Mann, ...

, Bruce Barthol, Joan Holden, Joan Mankin, Melody James, Andrea Snow, Daniel Chumley, Marie Acosta, Jael Weisman, Jim Haynie, John Robb,

Emmett Grogan Emmett Grogan (born Eugene Leo Grogan, November 28, 1942 – April 6, 1978) was a founder of the Diggers (theater), Diggers, a radical community-action group of Improvisational theatre, Improvisational actors in the Haight-Ashbury district o ...

, Bill Graham, and Ed Holmes. The current San Francisco Mime Troupe Collective comprises Rotimi Agbabiaka, Michael Bello, Velina Brown, Ellen Callas, Hugo E Carbajal, Michael Carreiro, Marie Cartier, Lisa Hori-Garcia, Taylor Gonzalez, Keiko Shimosato Carreiro, Daniel Savio, Michael Gene Sullivan.

Awards

In 1987, the troupe's

Brechtian Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

style of

guerrilla theatre Guerrilla theatre, generally rendered "guerrilla theater" in the US, is a form of guerrilla communication originated in 1965 by the San Francisco Mime Troupe, who, in spirit of the Che Guevara writings from which the term '' guerrilla'' is taken, e ...

earned them a special Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theater. ''Red State,'' the Troupe's 2008 fable about a small

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

town that, after years of being ignored, demands accountability for their tax dollars, was nominated for a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best New Script, as was their 2009 production, ''Too Big to Fail'', which detailed how credit and the philosophy of profit at all costs trap mesmerized citizens in a cycle of debt, while endlessly enriching the

capitalists Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private pr ...

who cast the spell.

Productions

* 1959: ''Mime And Word * 1960: ''11th Hour Mime Show'' * 1961: '' Act without Words'' * 1961: ''Event I'' * 1961: ''Purgatory and Krapp's Last Tape'' * 1962: ''The Dowry'' * 1963: '' Ubu King'' * 1963: ''Event II'' * 1963: ''Film: Plastic Haircut'' * 1963: ''Ruzante's Maneuvers'' * 1963: ''The Root'' * 1964: ''Chorizos'' * 1964: ''Event III'' * 1964: ''Mimes and Movie'' * 1965: ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'' * 1965: ''

The Exception and the Rule ''The Exception and the Rule'' (in German ''Die Ausnahme und die Regel'') is a short play by German playwright Bertolt Brecht and is one of several ''Lehrstücke'' (Teaching plays) he wrote around 1929/30. The objective of Brecht's Lehrstücke w ...

'' * 1965: ''Candelaio'' * 1965: ''Chronicles of Hell'' * 1965: ''Civil Rights'' * 1965: ''Jim Crow in a Cracker Barrel'' * 1966: ''

The Miser ''The Miser'' (french: L'Avare; ; also known by the longer name ''L'Avare ou L'École du Mensonge,'' meaning The Miser, or the School for Lies) is a five-act comedy in prose by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed on September ...

'' * 1966: ''Film: Mirage And Centerman'' * 1966: ''Jack Off!'' * 1966: ''Olive Pits'' * 1966: ''Search & Seizure'' * 1966: ''What's That Ahead?'' * 1967: ''L'Amant Militaire'' * 1967: ''The Condemned'' * 1967: ''The Minstrel Show or Civil Rights in a Cracker Barrel'' * 1967: ''The Vaudeville Show'' * 1968: ''Gutter Puppets (Meter Maid)'' * 1968: ''Little Black Panther'' * 1968: ''Ruzzante or the Veteran Gorilla Marching Band is Formed'' * 1969: '' The Congress of Whitewashers or Turandot'' * 1969: ''The Third Estate'' * 1970: ''Ecoman'' * 1970: ''Los Siete'' * 1970: ''Seize the Time'' * 1970: ''Telephone Man or Ripping off Ma Bell'' * 1970: ''The Independent Female'' * 1971: ''Clown Show'' * 1971: ''The Dragon Lady's Revenge'' * 1972: ''American Dreamer'' * 1972: ''Frozen Wages'' * 1972: ''High Rises'' * 1972: ''The Dragon Lady's Revenge'' * 1973: '' The Mother'' * 1973: ''San Francisco Scandals of 1973'' * 1974: ''The Great Air Robbery'' * 1975: ''Frijoles or Beans To You'' * 1975: ''Power Play'' * 1976: ''False Promises/Nos Engañaron'' * 1977: ''Hotel Universe'' * 1978: ''Elektrobucks'' * 1979: ''Can't Pay? Won't Pay! (play), We Can't Pay, We Won't Pay'' * 1979: ''Squash'' * 1979: ''T.V. Dinner'' * 1980: ''Fact Person'' * 1981: ''Americans or Last Tango in Huahuatenango'' * 1981: ''Factwino Meets the Moral Majority'' * 1981: ''Ghosts'' * 1982: ''Factwino vs. Armagoddonman'' * 1983: ''Secrets in the Sand'' * 1983: ''The Uprising At Fuente Ovejuna'' * 1984: ''Steeltown'' * 1985: ''Crossing Borders'' * 1985: ''Factwino: The Opera'' * 1986: ''Hotel Universe'' * 1986: ''Spain/36'' * 1986: ''The Mozamgola Caper'' * 1987: ''The Dragon Lady's Revenge'' * 1988: ''Ripped Van Winkle'' * 1989: ''Secrets in the Sand'' * 1989: ''Seeing Double'' * 1990: ''Rats'' * 1990: ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' * 1991: ''Back to Normal'' * 1991: ''I Ain't Yo Uncle'' * 1992: ''Social Work'' * 1993: ''Offshore'' * 1994: ''Big Wind'' * 1995: ''Coast City Confidential'' * 1995: ''Escape to Cyberia'' * 1996: ''Gotta Get A Life'' * 1996: ''Soul Suckers from Outer Space'' * 1997: ''13 Days / Trece Dias'' * 1997: ''Killing Time'' * 1997: ''La Hembra Independencia / The Independent Female'' * 1997: ''Revenger Rat Meets the Merchant of Death'' * 1997: ''Teen City'' * 1998: ''The Artist Must Take Sides'' * 1999: ''City For Sale'' * 1999: ''Damaged Care'' * 1999: ''The First Forty Years'' * 2000: ''Eating it'' * 2001: ''1600 Transylvania Avenue'' * 2002: ''Mr. Smith Goes to Obscuristan" * 2003: ''Veronique of the Mounties'' * 2004: ''Showdown at Crawford Gulch'' * 2005: ''Doing Good'' * 2006: ''Godfellas'' * 2007: ''Making a Killing'' * 2008: ''Red State'' * 2009: ''Too Big to Fail'' * 2010: ''Posibilidad or Death of the Worker'' * 2011: ''2012 - The Musical!'' * 2012: ''For the Greater Good, or The Last Election'' * 2013: ''Oil & Water'' * 2014: ''Ripple Effect'' * 2015: ''Freedomland'' * 2016: ''Schooled'' * 2017: ''Walls'' * 2018: ''Seeing Red'' * 2019: ''Treasure Island''https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2019/07/30/sf-mime-troupe-takes-on-treasure-island SF Mime Troupe takes on 'Treasure Island' * 2020: ''Tales of the Resistance: Volume 1'' (radio play due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

) * 2021: ''Tales of the Resistance: Volume 2'' (radio play due to the COVID-19 pandemic) * 2022: ''Back to the Way Things Were''

References

Sources

* * *

External links

The San Francisco Mime Troupe official website
*

* ttp://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/specol/collections/manuscripts/index.php?collection=287 San Francisco Mime Troupe Archivesa
Special Collections Dept.
University Library, University of California, Davis {{Authority control 1959 establishments in California Performing groups established in 1959 American satirists Culture of San Francisco Mime Troupe American political satire Mime Troupe Regional theatre in the United States Tony Award winners