Thanks to you, we had a successful 2013 Summer Season with Oil & Water, an interwoven set of one-acts satirically exploring both the corporate and governmental forces destroying our natural resources and the power of individuals to impact environmental outcomes.

For over five decades, the San Francisco Mime Troupe has been a voice for the big difference the little guy can (and must!) make. We believe that all of us "little guys" are more important than ever. Therefore our 2014 show will be oriented around real life inspirational stories of little guys making big differences in their communities - all with the classic Mime Troupe twist of course.

As always, we need the help of our supporters to make our summer show happen! We're going to be changing some things in the coming year in order to:

• increase the Troupe's sustainability so that we don't need to come back to our loyal donors in crisis mode and
• increase opportunities for audience involvement with the Troupe

This means you may receive more requests for support and more invitations to get involved. We'll be sharing more about audience engagement activities for 2014 in the coming months, but right now we're offering an opportunity to support the Troupe financially and in return, to receive a little gift that can make a big difference.

While we would welcome donations in any amount, for those of you able to donate $50 or more, we'll be happy to send you a faucet adapter that can help you save both money and one of our planet's most precious resources: water.

Why do I want a faucet adapter/how will it help me save water?

Estimates suggest faucets account for as much as 17% of average household water use. Other estimates suggest that we use 1,400-2,800 gallons of water/year/person on tooth brushing alone, let alone washing faces, shaving, etc. With a faucet adapter, you can get the temperature just right for washing your face, then reduce the flow to a trickle, then turn the water back on at the same temperature when you are ready, saving a tremendous amount of water, reducing your costs and maintaining comfort in your ablutions. What's not to like?

Why do I want to support the Mime Troupe? Why now?

Our ambitious goal is to run a full season in 2014 of 20 weeks and 48 shows. To do that, we need to raise approximately $258,000 and we need to have about 60% of that in hand by March to be able to confidently book parks and other venues. The more support we can generate between now and March, the less likely we will be to have to come back with a dire appeal! We're experimenting with starting appeals for the next year's show earlier and asking just a bit more often. Help show us if this is a good idea!

We know you have a lot of opportunities to support meaningful causes and we are profoundly grateful that you have chosen to support SFMT in the past. By donating to us now (or mailing a check to the below address), you will be helping us invest more time in the creation and production of our 2014 show and helping us to expand our work beyond the stage to increase educational and engagement opportunities (more info coming on that soon). Most importantly, you'll help us reach approximately 45,000 people through free performances in parks in the Bay Area and beyond next summer with our message of needed empowerment!

With gratitude and in solidarity,

The San Francisco Mime Troupe