Bay Area Fundraisers: Wanna See Free Theatre About Fundraising?
Spending a summer’s day in the park seeing the San Francisco Mime Troupe, picnicking, and seeing which old friends you run into: It’s a Bay Area tradition.
No, the Mime Troupe is not silent, as in pantomime — it’s campy political comedy, with rousing music to boot. (To quote their website, “We mean ‘mime’ in the ancient sense: to mimic.”)
The question every year (other than, should I buy a T-shirt or just make a straight donation?) is, what topic will have the politically savvy Bay Area audiences laughing, crying, and clapping along — without saying, “Didn’t we see this last year?” That’s no mean feat, given that they’re in their 52nd season. (Though I still wish they had an excuse to bring back their Dick Cheney character.)
The answer this year: Nonprofits’ desperation for funds, and the pushed-to-the wall question of whether to accept funding from dubious corporate sources. It’s sort of a play within a play, as a scrappy political theatre group faces imminent closure and the temptation of corporate funding from the mysterious (and more than a little pushy) Mrs. Haverlock.
To say any more would be require a spoiler alert, so I’ll just send you to the Mime Troupe’s website for reviews and the performance schedule.
One comment
Striking that perfect balance between accepting donations from donors who just want the notoriety and turning down a possible significant source of funding is very difficult – if not impossible – in most cases. Having open and frank Board discussions is key to adopting the right posture. One suggestion is to include key or long-time supporters in that conversation. They have a vested interest in the decision.