San Francisco Mime Troupe Leads Street-Theater Workshop

Founded in 1959, the San Francisco Mime Troupe creates and produces socially relevant theater; their work is political satire and anything but silent. Recently, as part of their 50th anniversary celebration, the Troupe led it's first "Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Consumption" street-theater workshop in downtown San Francisco outside of the Old Navy store on Market Street.

According to the New York Times, Ed Holmes, the workshop leader, said the workshop garnered about 25 people overall, and "a few people got the point."

Chloe Veltman of the New York Times wonders how relevant the Troupe is in this day and age: "With television, blogs and social networking Web sites able to disseminate political messages far more widely than live theater, you have to question the relevance of the Mime Troupe's polemical approach today." She goes on to mention that the Troupe feels "outmoded" and struggles to make much of an impact (political or theatrical).

To read the full report in the New York Times, click here.

Winner of three OBIE awards and a Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theatre, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, about which The New York Times stated, "Anyone concerned about the state of global politics -- and about the state of political humor -- should listen to the Mime Troupe's message," creates plays that make sense out of the headlines, close-up stories that make audiences feel the impact of political events on their personal lives. The New York Post called the Mime Troupe "America's oldest and finest street theater," with the The Boston Globe concurring, "You're never only watching a political theater piece, but rather a double barreled re-invention of politics and theater at once. To make this work accessible to the broadest audience possible, the Mime Troupe performs as a regional touring company, presenting their work at a price everyone can afford: free. For more information about the San Francisco Mime Troupe, visit www.sfmt.org.

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