For Immediate Release: October 8, 2001 San Francisco Mime Troupe Speaks its Mind on Genetic Engineering in the Musical Satire "Eating It" on October 27 RICHMOND, Indiana -- In her laboratory, Dr. Synthia Allbright-Bloom is hard at work. But who is the mysterious stranger, and what does he want to tell her? As the presidential election nears, will the candidate be persuaded to fast track the incredible discovery, or will Dr. Esperanza and the Anarchists be able to stop it? And who is Bob, and where does he fit in?

Find out Saturday, October 27, at 8 p.m. in Goddard Auditorium, Carpenter Hall, when the San Francisco Mime Troupe performs "Eating It," a thought-provoking musical satire and humorous look at the specter of market-driven genetic engineering. Admission is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets are available at Runyan Desk beginning Friday, October 12, and at the door before the performance. In the story, protagonists Synthia and Isaac Allbright are genetic engineers, creators of super corn, a genetically enhanced vegetable. The new seed seems to offer an extraordinary opportunity for good, plus enormous profit, but before it is to be released Synthia is having second thoughts about its impact on the environment. The San Francisco Mime Troupe has never been a company to shy away from tackling large political questions. It has been producing socially relevant musical theater since 1959. The troupe has been called "the most established anti-establishment theater" in the United States. The company has won several awards including the coveted Tony Award for excellence in regional theater. Despite its name, the San Francisco Mime Troupe does not do pantomime. They mean "mime" as in the ancient sense: to mimic. Their performances are a cross between a light-hearted comedy and a rousing musical. Music for the show is performed by the Troupe's three-piece band, which also plays a half-hour of jazz before each show. "Eating It" was written by Michael Greene Sullivan, Ellen Callas, and Bruce Barthol, and directed by Dan Chumley. The cast includes Amos Glick, a member of Earlham College's Class of 1990. On Friday, October 26, at 9 a.m. in Wilkinson Theater the Troupe will host a workshop, open to the public, on social justice, political activism, and the use of propaganda. Later, from 2-4 p.m., they will be hosting a workshop with the Earlham Theater students on scene creation, improv, and acting techniques. The performance at Earlham is made possible from the College's Performing Artist and Lecture Series Endowed Fund, the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs, the Department of Human Development and Social Relations, and Firstar Bank. *нннн *нннн * Contact: Lynn Knight, events coordinator 765-983-1373 Release Written by: Faith Kimweli, 765-983-1323 Director of Public Information: Richard Holden, 765-983-1323 original article