Press Release

Media Contact: erica lewis-finein
brightbutterfly pr
brightbutterfly[at]hotmail.com

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TONY AWARD-WINNING SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE
OPENS SUMMER SEASON WITH COLORFUL ELECTION SATIRE
"RED STATE"
July 4 - September 28, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (June 6, 2008) - Just in time for the fall elections, the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe skewers a system which puts the actual needs of the voters last with a new musical comedy, RED STATE. Written by Mime Troupe head writer Michael Gene Sullivan (Making a Killing, GodFellas, 1600 Transylvania Avenue, and the currently touring 1984), with music and lyrics by Pat Moran (Making a Killing, GodFellas, Doing Good) and featuring Mime Troupe veterans Velina Brown, and Lisa Hori-Garcia, joined by Bay area favorites Noah James Butler, Lizzie Calogero, Bob Ernst, and Adrian Mejia, RED STATE plays July 4 through September 28 (press opening: July 4 at Dolores Park in San Francisco) throughout the Bay Area in San Francisco, the North Bay, East Bay, and Peninsula. All shows are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted). For a complete schedule and more information, the public may call 415.285.1717 or visit www.sfmt.org.

It's Election Day in small town America! The Heartland - apple pie, general stores, hard work. But in Bluebird, Kansas, apple pie has been replaced with government cheese, general stores have made way for pawn shops, and hard work on the job has become the hard work of survival. Littered with a crumbling New Deal infrastructure and its monuments to a feisty union past forgotten, Bluebird is ready to slip into oblivion.

But what if a small town in a Red State found itself at the forefront of a political fight? That's what happens when, due to an Electoral College tie, the entire Presidential Election comes down to the one district that, due to a voting machine glitch, didn't report any results. As America awaits a re-vote, the citizens of Bluebird wrestle with even bigger questions- who's going to fix the sidewalk? The roof of the post office? And how are they going to re-open the Library? And it occurs to some of the citizens of Bluebird, with the eyes of the nation fixed on them and the world waiting for a result, that perhaps they might get some long overdue government money if they don't re-vote right away... Can one little town hold an entire nation's election hostage? Should it? Is bread in the farmhouse tonight more important than deciding who sits in the White House tomorrow? A new President, but not until the new sidewalk is finished? Or should they just pack it in, move away, and try to build a life somewhere else in their Red State?

Founded in 1959, the San Francisco Mime Troupe creates and produces socially relevant theater; their work is political satire and anything but silent. Winner of three OBIE awards and a Tony award for Excellence in Regional Theatre, the San Francisco Mime Troupe 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. 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 CALENDAR EDITORS:

WHAT:
Just in time for the fall elections, the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe skewers the electoral process in song and dance with RED STATE. What if a small town found itself at the forefront of a political fight? It's Election Day in small town America, and that's what happens when, due to an Electoral College tie, the entire Presidential Election comes down to the one tiny town. Suddenly, the ignored, disregarded Bluebird, Kansas is the most important town in America. And they are being pressured to quickly cast the deciding vote, and vote the "right way."

But what would happen if they decided to wait? Can one little town hold an entire nation's election hostage? Should it? Is bread on the farmhouse dinner table tonight more important than deciding who sits at the Oval Office desk tomorrow? Yep, this election could take a while...

SCHEDULE:
Preview performance: Sunday, June 22, Lagunitas School,
6350 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, San Geronimo, 3:30 music, 4pm show

SAN FRANCISCO:
Friday, July 4, Dolores Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show - OPENING DAY
Saturday, July 5, Dolores Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Sunday, July 6, Dolores Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Sun, July13, Yerba Buena Gardens, 1:30 music, 2pm show

Sunday, August 10, Peacock Meadow, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Saturday, August 16 Glen Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Sunday, August 17, Washington Square Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Saturday, August 30, Dolores Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Sunday, August 31 Dolores Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Monday, September 1, Dolores Park, 1:30 music, 2pm show

EAST BAY:
Saturday, July 12, Mosswood Park, Oakland, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Wednesday, July 16, Montclair Ball Field, Montclair, 6:30 music, 7pm show
Saturday, July 19, Cedar Rose Park, Berkeley, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Sunday, July 20 Cedar Rose Park, Berkeley, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Saturday, August 2, Willard Park, Berkeley, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Sunday, August 3, Willard Park, Berkeley, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Saturday, August 23, Live Oak, Berkeley, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Sunday, August 24, Live Oak, Berkeley, 1:30 music, 2pm show
Tuesday, September 9, Laney College, Oakland, 6:30 music, 7pm show
Thursday, September 11, Lake Merritt, Oakland, 6:30 music, 7pm show
Wednesday, September 24, Chabot College, Hayward, 6:30 music, 7pm show

NORTH BAY:
Wednesday, July 9, Mill Valley Community Center, Mill Valley, 6:30 music, 7pm show
Wednesday, July 23, Todd Grove Park, Ukiah, 6:30 music, 7pm show
Thursday, July 24, Arena Renaissance Theater, Point Arena, 7:30 music, 8pm show: Tickets: www.arenatheater.org
Sunday, July 27, Cotton Auditorium, Fort Bragg, 6:30 music, 7pm show - Tickets: www.kzyx.org
Saturday, August 9, Mesa Park, Bolinas, 2:00 music, 2:30pm show - Tickets: 415.868.2128
Thursday, September 25, Sebastiani Theater, Sonoma, 7pm music, 7:30pm show - Tickets: 707.996.9756
Friday, September 26, Analy High School, Sebastopol, 7:00 music, 7:30pm show - Tickets: 707.824.2360
Sunday, September 28, Walnut Park, Petaluma, 2:30 music, 3pm show

PENINSULA:
Tuesday, August 5, Mitchell Park, Palo Alto, 6:30 music, 7pm show

ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES:
CHICO:
Sunday, September 21, Bidwell Park, 5 music, 5:30pm show - Tickets: 530.895.0706, www.kzfr.org
DAVIS:
Sunday, September 7, Community Park, 4:30 music, 5pm show
DENVER:
Wednesday, August 27, BINDERY | space, 6 music, 7pm show & 8:30 music, 9pm show - Tickets: 415.285.1717
GRASS VALLEY:
Thursday, September 18, Center for the Arts, Grass Valley, 7 music, 7:30pm show - Tickets: 530.274.8384 ext. 14
Friday, September 19, Center for the Arts, Grass Valley, 7 music, 7:30pm show - Tickets: 530.274.8384 ext. 14
HUMBOLDT COUNTY:
Saturday, July 26, Mateel Center, Redway, 7:30 music, 8pm show - Tickets: 707.923.3368
SACRAMENTO:
Saturday, September 6, South Side Park, 4:30 music, 5pm show
SANTA CRUZ:
Saturday, September 13, San Lorenzo Park, 2:30 music, 3pm show
Sunday, September 14, San Lorenzo Park, 2:30 music, 3pm show


TICKETS:
All shows are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted); For more information and complete schedule call 415.285.1717 or visit www.sfmt.org

PHOTOS:
High resolution art for RED STATE can be found at http://www.sfmt.org/Press/photos.php or by contacting brightbutterfly@hotmail.com

855 Treat Ave. - San Francisco, CA 94110 - 415-285-1717 - info@sfmt.org