MAY 2010

Only halfway through the first year of the new decade, and "Yes we can!" has turned to "Oh no they didn't!"

Trying times, but The San Francisco Mime Troupe has weathered the ups and downs of Uncle Sam's wild ride for more than half a century. There have always been challenges -- not just for the Troupe, but everyone -- however, this year's are the biggest yet. With corporate giants and mom & pop businesses equally devastated, it's increasingly difficult to avoid the growing national ghost town born of this economic crisis.

The arts are no different; many of our local comrades are perilously close to shutting their doors or have done so already. They too, like the Mime Troupe and all those mom & pop stores, are just small business struggling to make ends meet. We are workers who believe in what we make, and do our best to deliver a quality product year after year.

America's backbone has always been its workers. For many generations it has been that pride of workmanship that made this country great. But as providing for the common good has given way to providing for the corporate good, those workers and the factories they call home have all but disappeared.

This summer we offer a parallel tale of two factories, one in Argentina and the other in the US. For both, a management crisis leads to a worker revolt, but not necessarily to the same end. The title suggests it all: "Posibilidad, or Death of the Worker." Which direction should this restructuring of the workplace take? That is the question that must be answered as we aim to define the new "normal," and move on to a better future for all.

As a worker-run collective, the Mime Troupe is also facing difficult survival decisions. Austerity is something we practice successfully, and we're proud of it. We started operating on a shoestring 50 years ago, decades before it was fashionable. But this year is different, more financially challenging than any in recent memory. As of this writing, we are still struggling to secure the funding we'll need to continue beyond 2010. With fierce competition for fewer than ever foundation dollars (thanks again, Wall Street!), resources are scarce.

Of course, you can help, as you always do! Our individual donors and fan base are the very reason for the Troupe's survival all these years, and we're asking for your help again -- but not just in dollars! Please send a tax-deductible donation today! And after you write your check, please do two more things:

Help us spread the word! Talk about the Mime Troupe, discuss the possibility of a future without us in it, and how truly sad that would be. Open dialogue tends to draw good fortune out of the wings.

Come to this year's park shows prepared to give at least a little bit more than you usually do. We've set a goal of collecting 30% more than our average hat collection of the past five years; you can help us meet it.

When times are tough, the tough must laugh! And boo and cheer and practice the annual catharsis know as a SFMT summer show. We'll do it to music with a small cast of actors playing dozens of unique and often ridiculous characters, and everyone will go home a little bit happier, and hopefully a little bit wiser.

See you in the parks!

Please make a donation of $50, $75, $100, $250 or more to support the ongoing antics of the San Francisco Mime Troupe!

In solidarity

- The San Francisco Mime Troupe