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]
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".[3] It also began integrating elements of jazz into its musical composition, eventually leading to the inclusion of a jazz band within the troupe. Their first outdoor performance was in May 1962 at Golden Gate Park.[4] The group also gained notoriety for its numerous altercations with law enforcement, which resulted in performing at benefits to raise money for legal fees.[5] In 1967, a benefit called "Appeal IV" featured the bands the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Moby Grape.[6]
Advertisement for a documentary film about the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Seattle, 1968
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
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.
Performing at the Club-Voltaire-Festival in Tübingen, Germany, circa 1980s
As well as the park-based shows, the Mime Troupe also tours nationally and internationally, having performed throughout Europe, Asia, South and Central America.[9] 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.[9]
Posters for several of the 1970s productions were designed by Jane Norling, and are accessible online.[20]
Awards
The Troupe has won three OBIEs,[21] and in 1987, the troupe's Brechtian style of guerrilla theatre earned them a special Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theater.[22]Red State, the troupe's 2008 fable about a small Midwest 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 who cast the spell.[21]
^ abcdSan Francisco Examiner (November 21, 1999). "After 40 years, the San Francisco Mime Troupe is still alive and kicking". San Francisco Examiner. p. M54.
^Sullivan, Dan (October 19, 1987). "Stage Review 'Elisabeth' A Slice of Fo With American Twist". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
^Gussow, Mel (May 19, 1982). "Theater: San Francisco Mime Troupe". The New York Times. p. C21.
^Koch, John (August 26, 1990). "Memories of a Heroic Rogue". Boston Globe. p. B25.
