Dream On-San Francisco Mime Troupe returns to Ukiah

By Scott Travis on June 30, 2024

"American Dreams" is the latest production from the San Francisco Mime Troupe, who is making their return to Ukiah on Thursday, July 11. The performance will take place at the Ukiah High School Cafetorium, with music beginning at 6:30 p.m. In their press release, the Troupe sets the stage for the show: "One citizen's dream has become another's nightmare, and those who fan the flames of the differences will gladly profit while democracy burns."

The musical was written by Michael Gene Sullivan, with music and lyrics by Daniel Savio, direction by Velina Brow and musical direction by Dred Scott. American Dreams is funded by the Don Stevens Laugh and Love Fund, the California Arts Council, Grants for the Arts and individual donors. Locally, the Troupe thanks the Raging Grannies and Steve Scalmanini for their years of hospitality and great food before and following the show.

The Tony and OBIE award-winning troupe was originally founded in 1959. Today, 65 years and 800 artists later, the non-profit collective still adheres to their mission of producing working-class analyses of the events that shape society, exposing social and economic injustice, demanding revolutionary change on behalf of working people, and presenting their musical shows to the broadest possible audience with artistry and humor.

Sound Designer, Sound Engineer, and Teaching Artist Taylor Gonzalez has been working with the Sf Mime Troupe since he was 16 years old. His first exposure to the troupe began with the troupe's Youth Theater Project (YTP) as a student. Since then, he has taught as well as designed lights and sound for YTP. Today, most of his time at the SFMT is focused primarily on sound-related projects. He was the lead audio editor, engineer and designer for their 56-track audio offering, Tales of the Resistance which documents years of music created by the Mime Troupe. Taylor recently took over as the lead audio engineer at San Francisco Playhouse and has been working on shows there. He is also a studio and live audio engineer for local bands, as well as a sound designer for various theaters around the Bay Area.

"I'm still part of the Youth Theater Project, which we still provide to young people," says Gonzalez. "It's a great program. The students get to tour, create a play and perform it at the Mime building. When I got involved with the YTP, some of my friends were already part of the organization. It was a great opportunity to meet other youth from the Bay Area." Gonzalez discovered he felt very much a part of the Mime Troupe, and he stuck around- for 18 years.

"It was and is and amazing place. After YTP, I continued to come as a student for about 4 years. Then I was an assistant teacher. I attended college, returned and did an internship, followed by two summer tours. In 2016, I was offered the Sound Design and Audio Engineer position."

This past year, Gonzalez has been very active bringing events to their Mission District building. "We received grant funding in 2019 to create concerts and events. It took some time post-Covid to put the project into action. This past year I've put together 6 concerts including a larger festival with 16 bands, food- the whole thing. I tapped into the spirit of Bill Graham for that one, and borrowed some of his artwork for the posters."

Being the sound person for traveling acting troupe has built in challenges, says Gonzalez.

"It is the most fun and challenging sound job I have. Just being outdoors is a challenge. The different locations, being on grass or concrete, the number of people in the audience- there are a lot of variables that are completely out of my control. I'm always striving to get the show to sound amazing, no matter where we are. My goal is to make sure that the audience hears every single word- clearly. With our productions, if you miss one word, the whole story could change. I strive to make sure our writers and actors are represented, and that the audience has a fun, interactive experience."

When it's election season, theatergoers can count on the Troupe presenting a story that deals with some aspect of America's journey to the ballot box.

"American Dreams focuses on people, and how the vote affects the people around us," Gonzalez continues. "The characters are going through their day. Good and bad things are happening. The events that we depict are affected by what takes place at the polls- spread across the political landscape. We see how election results really do affect our friends, families and co-workers." Gonzalez, who, as one can surmise, has a left-of-center political outlook also has compassion for those who don't agree with him, and sees the deeper and more complex machinations that are part of the widening divide between people, political institutions and even families.

"As a collective, we try to push voting really hard, even if we're speaking to someone who may not agree with us. Regardless of whether I agree with someone or not, letting people express their opinions is a good thing. And what I've seen this past year is a lot of anxious people looking for stability in their lives. Some of them used to find that kind of community in religious institutions. But these days, I'm seeing how easy it is for people to fall into really heavy, almost cultish political groups. This isn't always their fault. There are many factors at work here, and our show addresses some of these issues."

The Mime Troupe continues to operate as a collective- not always the easiest way to run an institution- but one that allows all voices to be heard.

"In the simplest terms, all ten of us are the artistic directors of the company- unlike most other theater companies, where there is a director and everyone else works under that person. What this means is that it often takes longer to have conversations and make decisions, but it ensures that we're together- artistically, financially and through day-to-day operations. In the summer, when there are more people around, we extend this concept to everyone- from the band members to the production assistants. Once you're in the room, your voice matters."

It's an "all hands on deck" season for the Troupe, as the summer tour launches in one week. "This is when it's a struggle for us as individuals. Living in the Bay Area is incredibly difficult. We all want to do nothing else but the Mime Troupe, but we all have to pay our bills." Nonetheless, says Gonzalez, he can't imagine doing anything else. Nor can his Mime Troupe family.

The hat is always passed at every show, and donations are what keep this legendary organization on the road and the stage, year after year.

Reservations are not necessary but appreciated. To RSVP visit sfmt.org/rsvp-ukiah.

Find out more about "American Dreams" at https://www.sfmt.org.