San Francisco Mime Troupe

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 growing American Civil Rights Movement 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 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, 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.[1]

2006 performance of Godfellas

In the early '70s 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.

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
• 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[2]
• The Dragon Lady's Revenge (1971 and 1972) about the war in Vietnam
• 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
• Eating It, about genetic engineering and profit driven science
• 1600 Transylvania Avenue, about corporate government feeding on public wealth
• GodFellas, a farce exposing the dangers of fundamentalism to democracy
• Making a Killing, about war propaganda and the plight of Iraqis contaminated by depleted uranium
• Posibilidad, 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. The season traditionally starts on Fourth of July weekend and ends on Labor Day weekend.

Early Mime Troupers include Joe Bellan, Saul Landau, Arthur Holden, Nina Serrano, Steve Reich, John Connell, Robert Nelson, William T. Wiley, 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.[3]

Later veterans include Arthur Holden, Sharon Lockwood, Peter Coyote, Luis Valdez, Barry Shabaka Henley, Bruce Barthol, Joan Holden, Joan Mankin, Melody James, Andrea Snow, Daniel Chumley, Marie Acosta, Jael Weisman, Jim Haynie, John Robb, Emmett Grogan, 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.[4]