Are traditions of popular theatre still alive in
politically-engaged theatre today? In San Francisco they are. The
San Francisco Mime Troupe is a modern link in the long history of
public performances that have a merry air but have a voice of
political protest and social comment. Every summer since 1962 the
Troupe has taken free outdoor performances to public parks in the
Bay Area. In a style that is festive and a spirit that is
revolutionary the Mime Troupe has relied on popular theatre forms
to address timely political and social issues. Their productions
maintain a contemporary political edge, while showing their origins
to be the popular traditions of the commedia dell'arte, circus
clowning, vaudeville, puppetry, and minstrel shows. With "The
Minstrel Show" or "Civil Rights in a Cracker Barrel" (1965) they
expressed support of the civil rights movement. With "L'Amant
Militaire" (1967) they voiced support of Vietnam War protests.
To discover what makes these apparently frivolous theatrical
traditions effective for contemporary political theatre, "Festive
Revolutions" explores the historical origins of the popular forms
the Mime Troupe draws on. In old Europe, where performance
traditions began, political turmoil blended with festive
celebration. The lineage of the Mime Troupe's Punch the Red can be
traced back to the Italian puppet figure Pulcinella through its
English and Russian counterparts Punch and Petrushka. In the Mime
Troupe the use of stereotypes and reliance upon colorful festivity
are diverse strategies for dodging censorship. Productions like
"Ripped Van Winkle" continue today to rekindle the radicalism the
Troupe inherited from the culture of the 1960s.
"Festive Revolutions" shows that such forms have inspired
political theatre for centuries.
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