June 2009

In a faraway village, Jeneeba and Filije plan their future. With their dowry, Bamusa the goat, they will be able to sell extra milk and save with hopes of starting a family. But when an old woman offers a magic spell called "credit," the impatient Filije jumps, ultimately losing his collateral - the goat. Filije sets out to retrieve Bamusa, now owned by the wicked Hasadiya at the distant Walled Street. On his journey, Filije is forced into battle with the demons who stole his future, while at home Jeneeba watches their village collapse from self-indulgence and false priorities. Will Filije retrieve Bamusa and return home a wiser man? Will he and Jeneeba be able to reclaim their future? Will the village throw off the spell - or is the world of credit and debt too big to fail?

All will be revealed in TOO BIG TO FAIL,the Mime Troupe's
annual summer show!
Every year when the sun is high, a Troupe of storytellers travels to open green spaces and village meeting places to perform tales of the world they live in. For fifty years, audiences have come to cheer, boo, laugh and cry. Now, as the Troupe prepares to tell a new story, the tradition continues.

For five decades we have witnessed some of the most historic changes of all time. In 1959, there were no moon landings, Earth Day, cell phones, internet, or Facebook. And Dr. King had yet to share his dream.

Everyone loves a good story, and we love telling them. Onstage, we hold a mirror to our times and ask people to recognize their part in the mix. Offstage, we find ourselves up against the mega-demons of greed, who threaten to steal our future.

These challenges make our mission more critical than ever. Hope through laughter is a good antidote to the grim nightly news. Gathering in a park with a few hundred of your friends and neighbors reinforces the solidarity that we need to shout those demons down.

With the help of friends like you, the Mime Troupe has reached its golden anniversary. In a Normal Year, this anniversary would open the floodgates of funding, but this is not a Normal Year.

As we begin our celebratory season, we are already facing a projected loss of 20% in "hat collection" revenues. Our grant prospects are diminished, and longtime out-of-town presenters have cancelled due to their own financial challenges. This greatly impacts our ability to fulfill our mission of reaching the broadest possible audience. Now more than ever we need your help. Your tax-deductible donation will help us through this critical time.

Please join us this summer and help us begin another fifty years of storytelling. Because our story is far from over!

In Solidarity,

The San Francisco Mime Troupe