Solicitation ban forces mime troupe to cancel show
PALO ALTO >> The San Francisco Mime Troupe, a Tony Award-winning theater collective, will not be performing in Palo Alto this summer as it has for the past three decades.
The political comedy troupe nixed Mitchell Park from its calendar after city officials said the performers could not ask for donations after the show, said Ellen Callas, general manager and collective member.
“It was a huge shock to us,” Callas said. “It’s what we’ve done every year and it was never a problem. It’s sad because we have a loyal following in Palo Alto. That’s why we return year after year.”
The troupe typically passes around a hat after the show, but audience members are not pressured to give money, Callas said.
Troupe members perform for fun — not to make money — but the group simply cannot afford to perform for free, Callas said.
Callas said the group pays $742 for permits and reservation fees to perform in Palo Alto. In addition, the group has to pay its actors, liability insurance and more.
The troupe does not accept corporate sponsorships because corporations are often the troupe’s “source for satire,” so funding comes just from individual donations and the occasional government grant, Callas said.
Rob de Geus, deputy city manager and acting director of Palo Alto’s Community Services Department, said the city’s Park and Open Space regulations prohibit solicitation of donations.
“It is important to note that city staff did not deny their permit request outright, but rather staff informed the troupe of the Parks Regulations that prohibits soliciting donations,” de Geus said in an email to The Daily News. “The performance can proceed and we hope that it will, absent soliciting donations in the park.”
The city also is encouraging the group to seek donations in other ways, de Geus added.
Callas said it’s puzzling why the city decided to enforce the solicitation regulation on the group this year.
Callas said the troupe, formed in 1959, schedules performances outside San Francisco because it’s sensitive to supporters who, for whatever reason, can’t venture there. Troupe members build their own stage, set up sound systems and make sure to leave sites clean, Callas said.
“It’s not an easy venture but it’s done because we believe in what we do and we want to bring it to the people,” Callas said. “What we do on stage is hold a mirror up to society… We’re not out to change people’s minds; we just want them to keep an open mind.”
The group will perform its musical, “WALLS,” at 3 p.m. Saturday at St. James Park in San Jose and 3 p.m. Sept. 9-10 at San Lorenzo Park in Santa Cruz.