Podcast #174
RED STATE: THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT MANY CONSIDER TO BE HEALTHY, INTELLIGENT AND PROGRESSIVE
Do you remember where you where the first time you heard about the explosive and derisive talks of evolution versus creationism? And do you remember the debates where evolution was to be ousted from school curriculum?
How do you feel about gay marriages? Especially since its ban in California has been overturned by the California Supreme Court?
How about abortion? What is your stance on that? Are you a right or left winger?
The SF Mime Troupe believes we dont need the moral police running around trying to govern our morals. Instead, they believe, we need to hire competent government employees to spend our tax dollars on the things that matter to us. After all, this is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
TAKE THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO, FROM THE PLAY REDSTATE, AND SEE IF YOU CAN PREDICT THE OUTCOME!
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 farm house dinner table tonight more important than deciding who sits at the Oval Office desk tomorrow? Yep, this election could take a while . . .
IF YOU LIKE SILENT, REALLY BAD, SOCIALLY IRRELEVANT MIME, THEN YOU WILL HATE THE SF MIME TROUPE
The SF mime troupe is known for their political upheaval thru theatre. They have a mission to empower the working class people and have a political voice that can be heard around the world (literally). Not only do they perform around the world in countries many of us may have never heard of, they have received national recognition by winning a Tony award and 3 Obie awards.
The SF mime troupes motto: Take todays headlines and turn them into socially dramatic pieces of work.
Their intention: To activate the audience to go out and overthrow something.
How many of you out there feel that the news coverage is a constant stream of bad news? How many of you believe that the media is a vehicle to disempower our society? How many of you often feel powerless to make a dent in the political structure that is our government?
IF THESE QUESTIONS STRESS YOU OUT, THEN I HAVE THE MAGIC PILL THAT WILL NOT ONLY BRING A SIGH OF RELIEF, YOU’LL WONDER HOW COME YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS LONG AGO…
There are very few places where you can go see a stage movie that takes hard hitting local and national news and turns it into an inspiring piece of drama. As a matter of fact, in their shows, the SF mime troupe (sometimes playing to crowds of over 2000 people), will demand your active participation in their production. But dont worry, its fun, its engaging, but most of all, IT IS EMPOWERING.
You are going to find yourself in the midst of an audience that will be supportive, yet there may be some contradictory people. That will rally behind you, yet there will some who rally against you. But most importantly, no matter who surrounds you out on the lawns, whether they agree with you or not, you will be in a safe environment to express your views.
And what is really fun is that the mime troupe believes that music is the bridge to empowerment, so you can expect their politically and musically inspired pieces to give you great value for your money spent: Ohhhh Yeah Put your wallet away because the shows they present are FREE!
THE SF MIME TROUPE BELIEVES THE REPBLICANS CAN WIN THE 2008 PRESEIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IF THEY
We are on the eve of the one of the most historical events in mankinds history. Potential permeates the air. Potential waits to make its mark in the history books. And this potential has been created by you.
The first black man in the white house is as historic as the first man on the moon, as mans first foray into the air with birds, as mans discovery of the wheel. There is no doubt that we are on the cusp of something Earth shattering.
But the SF Mime Troupe believes the Republicans can win. They believe the Republicans can deflate the air of potential that has enraptured the world. They believe that the Republicans have their own potential: the Potential to Defeat Hope, the Potential to Defeat Change, the Potential to deny America it’s destiny to present to the world how PROGRESS EVOLVES.
Michael Gene Sullivan, the writer of their current production: RED STATE, stated in no uncertain terms what he believed the Republicans needed to do to take the White house in the 2008 presidential elections.
The Republicans can win by:
1. Literally attacking us
2. Bombing us and blaming it on someone else
3. Fixing the election
So you see, in essence, one of the most politically inclined theatre producers in our country seems to think that the Republicans have a chance in hell to win the presidential bid. And that is alright with us.
SF MIME TROUPE HAS TO BE GOOD BECAUSE THEY DONT WANT THE AUDIENCE TO KILL THEM
When I sat down with Michael Gene Sullivan, to discuss the new play RED STATE he penned, one of the things that stood out from our conversation was the things he did so that his audience would not revolt against him. He basically has a manifesto for how to prevent the audience from “killing him”.
#1 STYLIZED LANGUAGE.
They have a mission to activate the audience to do something. By that, Michael means he wants his audience to take action. And he is passionate about this directive. But in order to do that, they specifically dont make fun of politics. Instead they want to give you food for thought. [I kept imaging him feeding the audience spinach, giving them ‘action taking muscles’ (what I like to call the Popeye syndrome)].
It is not that they want to make you think, self evaluate, and self-loathe. As Michael states, that’s the role of psycho-drama, which the Mime Troupe professes to not being. Instead they want to give you the option of deciding what is relevant and what is not. They do that by elevating the language beyond the ordinary, allowing you to be a bit removed from the style allowing you to see in a whole new light.
#2 LARGER THAN LIFE ACTING.
Many of you may feel that you are allergic to larger than life acting, but look at it in a political light
The political arena is larger than life
The political players are under a microscope, making everything come out larger than life
The role of president is larger than life (very few men, since the inception of the US of A have held that position)
The policies that are made are designed to affect millions of people, which is larger than any one persons life
The government, designed to manage the lives of millions of people is larger than life
The idea to have a show in which the acting is larger than life falls in line with the politics of the United States of America. There is also a practical reason for the larger than life acting. The SF Mime Troupe plays to HUGE audiences. Because of this it becomes necessary to have big acting so that the people in the back row can understand the play.
So dont let the idea of big acting deter you from seeing the show. Look at it as an extension of what politics is about. And as a necessity to satisfy the large crowd you will be nestled in.
#3 MUSIC
I dont think there is anyone on the planet that doesnt appreciate music. Music is the ointment that calms the savage beast. And in RED STATE, it is the vehicle for delivering FUN, ENTERTAINING SATIRE. Being the sophisticated audience that you are, I am sure that you know some of the most fun and relevant satire has been expressed thru song. And the SF mime Troupe does not shy away from expressing their thought through a good lyric.
With these 3 steps, stylized language, larger than life acting and music, the SF Mime Troupe hopes to keep you laughing, thinking and really really laughing. They figure, if they can keep you in stitches, youll be too busy laughing to think about throwing that bottle of wine you joyously consumed.
GO SEE THE SF MIME TROUPE AND THERE PRODUCTION OF RED STATE IF YOU WANT TO BE INTELLECTUALLY STIMULATED, HAVE FUN, AND LISTEN TO SOME GOOD OLE SOUL STIRRING, REBEL ROUSING MUSIC
As a matter of fact, as I was sitting with Michael Gene Sullivan, I got the distinct feeling he wanted me to triple dog dare you to come see the show. And he knows that many of you will make the excuse, Well I dont want to have to travel far to see the show. Gas prices are too high.
AND GUESS WHAT?… (MICHAEL GENE SULLIVAN IS A MIND READER).
He understands that. So he made it as convenient as possible for you to come see the show. How answer? He travels the show all over the Bay Area. I am sure that it will be playing in a city near you. Just go to www.SFMT.org to find out more.
And just in case you decide that you dont have the cash to go see this stage movie, Michael has taken care of that. You see the beauty of the SF Mime troupe is that they are all about empowering the community. They are about getting the word out, and helping people feel politically powerful. And they are passionate about doing this. So much so, they put on their shows for FREE. Thats right. FREE.
Now dont let the word FREE scare you. Remember, the SF Mime Troupe has won 3 Obie awards and a Tony award. They dont like to do crap!
So get out there and participate in some political upheaval as we enter a new era of United States History. This is not a time to shy away from taking part in what may turn out to be a defining moment in the lives of millions of Americans. Participate, agitate and lets make something great happen.
Go Barack!
SHOW NOTES
SF Mime Troupe: The Website
Playing July 4th thru Sept 28th @ Various venues across the Bay Area
Get Tickets: OOPPS. Tickets Are Free. Just Show up
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michael gene sullivan musical obie award red state san francisco sf mime troupe tony award
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