Troupe’s ‘Freedomland’ relevant as ever

Each summer, Northern California can rely on the San Francisco Mime Troupe for uncompromising yet accessible progressive commentary on the political issues of our time. In particularly volatile years, you might find yourself craving the troupe’s perspective — whether as bulwark, yardstick or spur — long in advance of its traditional

July 4 opening.

This year, though Troupers aren’t performing in person in the region’s parks, they’re making a recording of a particularly relevant past piece available online. “Freedomland,” written by Michael Gene Sullivan in 2015, asks whether it’s safer for Black American men to enlist in the army and serve in Afghanistan than for them to simply live at home, where a militarized police force can bust into a Black home with impunity, as if in a war zone.

In addition to the video, the company is also premiering a podcast serial, “Tales of the Resistance,” with new episodes appearing every other week.

— Lily Janiak

“Freedomland”:

Streaming available through next Sunday, July 19. Free. $20 suggested donation. bit.ly/sfmime freedomland