For 54 years the San Francisco Mime Troupe has been delivering wake-up calls. Show after show, we've targeted the division between the American ideal, that we share in our hearts, and actual policies: from Vietnam to Palestine; South America to Iraq; the military industrial complex to corporate personhood; CIA to GMOs; civil, gay, women's, and voters' rights, and by pointing fingers at those who destroy our planet with their greed and their endless parade of puppet politicians. Apathy, distraction and a culture of self-absorption have always posed obstacles. Ironically, in an age of mass communication and media monopolies, getting those wake-ups heard through the digital din is more of a challenge than ever. Yet we persevere.
This year the Mime Troupe got a big wake-up call. Although decreased non-corporate arts funding was not news, a perfect storm of disappeared grants and increased fees left us unable to fund our summer show. We turned to you and you responded with a force of generosity that literally propelled us into the parks.
Now we are adapting our business and creative models to reflect the new economic realities. The challenge has been invigorating and we're up to it, but we want to do it in partnership with you. We need you to invest in the Troupe, not just financially, but with your ideas and skills. We also ask for your help in expanding our community by sending a wake-up call to a friend who enjoys the Troupe but isn't on our mailing list. Maybe you'd like to host a fundraiser or be a table captain at our annual brunch or just volunteer.
We'd also like you to join us at a series of events in 2014.
But first because YOU were so stellar with your support this year, we'd like to extend a thank you invitation.
We invite you and one guest to our annual holiday shindig on Friday December 6th @ 8 PM (following our Compatriot Cocktail Reception beginning at 7). Check out our creative home, hang out for some good company and BYOB good cheer. Our space isn't the size of Candlestick you must RSVP to
info@sfmt.org no later than
Dec 2! Hope you can join us!
Heading into 2014 we plan to continue our Community Forums with experts providing critical info on issues, locally & globally. And in our quest to reboot the Age of Enlightenment, we'll initiate a series of salons. We want to know what events/topics would interest you. And as always our studio will be home to future activist actors in our Summer Workshop and Youth Theater Project (now in this 18th year!). The next generation is literally in the house! Our sustaining source of ideas and energy comes from our commitment to our community of actors, writers, musicians and you, our audience.
Bottom line, we know we've hit you up a lot this year. To avoid that in the future we ask that you become a sustaining supporter of your Mime Troupe and pledge a renewable charitable gift (see below: pledge to donate yearly or monthly). You have always been there when the call goes out, now you can make the Troupe your continuing voice and agent of change. You can help secure a progressive future though activist art and continue the wake-up calls.
In Hopeful Solidarity,
The San Francisco Mime Troupe Collective
