San Francisco Mime Troupe

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San Francisco Mime Troupe
Formation1959
TypeTheatre group
Purpose
  • Comedy
  • Political satire
  • Melodrama
Location
Notable members
Websitewww.sfmt.org

The San Francisco Mime Troupe is a theatre of

Regional Theatre Award at the 41st Tony Awards
.

Origins

The group was founded in 1959 by R. G. Davis as a medium of expression of his divergent theatrical concepts.[1] The group debuted on October 29, 1959, with Games—3 Sets, and two other plays.[1] By 1961, the group transitioned to the commedia dell'arte format to more thoroughly comment on perceived political repression in the United States, the growing civil rights movement and military and covert intervention abroad.[2]

We believed ourselves to be the political artistic voice of the community.

In the mid-1960s the group started to rely less on the direct commedia dell'arte format and transitioned into having an objective of "teaching, directing towards change and to be an example of change".

They also traveled to Canada and played at Simon Fraser University in 1966 with A Minstrel Show or Civil Rights in a Cracker Barrel by Gary Davis and Saul Landau.[7]

The music for Minstrel Show was composed and performed by Steve Reich, 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.[8] By the early 1970s, the troupe had earned a reputation for opposing capitalism, sexism, and war.[8]

Post-Davis history

Performing at the Club-Voltaire-Festival in Tübingen, Germany, circa 1980s

In the early 1970s Davis left the troupe when it re-formed as a collective, the members of which operate as the artistic director, 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 administration.

As well as the park-based shows, the Mime Troupe also tours nationally and internationally, having performed throughout Europe, Asia, South and Central America.

Fourth of July weekend and ends on Labor Day weekend.[9]

Notable members include:

Posters for several of the 1970s productions were designed by Jane Norling, and are accessible online.[20]

Awards

The Troupe has won three

capitalists who cast the spell.[21]

Productions

1950s & 1960s

Source[32]

1970s

  • 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
  • 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: We Can't Pay, We Won't Pay
  • 1979: Squash
  • 1979: T.V. Dinner
Source[32]

1980s

  • 1980: Fact Person
  • 1981: Americans or Last Tango in Huahuatenango
  • 1981: Factwino Meets the Moral Majority
  • 1981: Ghosts
  • 1982: Factwino vs. Armagoddonman
  • 1982: Hotel Universe
  • 1983: Secrets in the Sand
  • 1983: The Uprising At Fuente Ovejuna
  • 1984: Steeltown
  • 1985: Crossing Borders
  • 1985: Factwino: The Opera
  • 1986: Spain/36
  • 1986: The Mozamgola Caper
  • 1987: The Dragon Lady's Revenge
  • 1988: Ripped Van Winkle
  • 1989: Seeing Double
Source[32]

1990s

  • 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
  • 1994: Escape to Cyberia
  • 1994: Revenger Rat Meets the Merchant of Death
  • 1995: Coast City Confidential
  • 1996: Gotta Get A Life
  • 1996: Soul Suckers from Outer Space
  • 1996: 13 Days
  • 1997: Killing Time
  • 1997: Inside Out
  • 1997: The Independent Female
  • 1997: Teen City
  • 1998: The Artist Must Take Sides
  • 1998: Damaged Care
  • 1999: City For Sale
  • 1999: 40th Retrospective
Source[32]

2000s

2006 performance of Godfellas
  • 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
Source[32]

2010s

  • 2010: Posibilidad or Death of the Worker[32]
  • 2011: 2012 - The Musical![32]
  • 2012: For the Greater Good, or The Last Election[32]
  • 2013: Oil & Water[32]
  • 2014: Ripple Effect[32]
  • 2015: Freedomland[32]
  • 2016: Schooled
  • 2017: Walls
  • 2018: Seeing Red
  • 2019: Treasure Island[33]
Source[32]

2020s

  • 2020: Tales of the Resistance: Volume 1[note 1]
  • 2021: Tales of the Resistance: Volume 2[note 1]
  • 2022: Back to the Way Things Were
  • 2023: Breakdown[34]

Albums

  • 1972: Fillmore – The Last Days[35]
  • 1983: The Album[36]
  • 1984: Steel Town[37]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Radio play due to the COVID-19 pandemic

References

  1. ^ a b c d Davis 1975, p. 18.
  2. ^ "San Francisco Mime Troupe at the Arena Theatre". Independent Coast Observer. Gualala, California. July 11, 2003. p. 9.
  3. ^ Davis 1975, p. 70.
  4. ^ Davis 1975, p. 35.
  5. ^ Davis 1975, pp. 65–70.
  6. ^ Davis 1975, p. 80.
  7. ^ Davis 1975, pp. 73–77.
  8. ^ . Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d Thomas, Rob (October 7, 1999). "Spotlight: San Francisco Mime Troupe". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 10.
  10. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (September 12, 2013). "Saul Landau, 77, Maker of Films With Leftist Edge, Dies". The New York Times. p. B19.
  11. ^ Page, Tim (June 29, 1997). "Phase the Music; Steve Reich's Explorations in a 10-CD Box". The Washington Post. pp. G1, G4.
  12. ^ "John Connell - Biography". AskArt.
  13. ^ Weber, Bruce (January 22, 2012). "Robert Nelson, an Experimental Filmmaker, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times. p. A24.
  14. ^ Solnit, Rebecca (Winter 2001). "A real estate history of the avant-garde". Design Book Review (44–45): 6.
  15. ^ Feferman, Linda (2023). "Visual History with Victoria Hochberg". Directors Guild of America.
  16. ^ a b c d San Francisco Examiner (November 21, 1999). "After 40 years, the San Francisco Mime Troupe is still alive and kicking". San Francisco Examiner. p. M54.
  17. ^ Sullivan, Dan (October 19, 1987). "Stage Review 'Elisabeth' A Slice of Fo With American Twist". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  18. ^ Gussow, Mel (May 19, 1982). "Theater: San Francisco Mime Troupe". The New York Times. p. C21.
  19. ^ Koch, John (August 26, 1990). "Memories of a Heroic Rogue". Boston Globe. p. B25.
  20. ^ "Show Archive - San Francisco Mime Troupe - America's Theater of Political Comedy". SFMT. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  21. ^ a b Martin, Millicent (October 23, 2001). "Mime troupe vocal about social activism". Palladium–Item. Gannett. p. A3.
  22. ^ Arkatov, Janice (December 16, 1988). "Brave New World for San Francisco Mime Troupe". Los Angeles Times. p. 14.
  23. ^ Davis 1975, p. 33.
  24. ^ Davis 1975, p. 27.
  25. ^ Davis 1975, p. 65.
  26. ^ Davis 1975, p. 41.
  27. ^ Davis 1975, p. 36.
  28. ^ Davis 1975, p. 74.
  29. ^ Davis 1975, p. 48.
  30. ^ Davis 1975, p. 67.
  31. ^ Davis 1975, p. 75.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "SFMT Complete Show List". SFMT.
  33. ^ Kane, Karla (July 30, 2019). "SF Mime Troupe takes on 'Treasure Island'". Palo Alto Weekly.
  34. ^ "2023 Breakdown". SFMT.
  35. Tower Of Power (1972). "Fillmore - The Last Days". Fillmore Records.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  36. ^ San Francisco Mime Troupe (1983). "The Album". Flying Fish.
  37. ^ San Francisco Mime Troupe (1984). "Steel Town". Flying Fish.

Sources

Further reading

External links