Rev. Falwell, meet the S.F. Mime Troupe
By Sandy Johnstone
Ot tt>* Emarmtd
Factwino, a character from
the San Francisco Mime
Troupe's newest production,
may not be able to leap tall
buildings in a single bound, but
he can take on the Moral Major
ity and Rev Jerry Falwell at a
gay bar, anytime.
Factwino is presented in the
musical comedy "Factwino
Meets the Moral Majority."
Sedro F. Woolley is transformed
from a wino into Factwino by the
Spirit of Information, a bag lady,
who gives him the power to
make people think
In a quest to endow people
with thought, he ends up at an
abortion clinic, a Moral Majority
meeting and a Castro Street gay
bar where he confronts Rev
Falwell
"He confronts people, who
are not thinking correctly, in the
nick of time," says Melody
James, who plays five roles in
the drama "But if he boozes it,
he loses it." Armageddon man,
who represents the military and
business, is his arch enemy
"We use comedy to make
people think," says James
“The premise is that people are
not using their brains The play
reaches a broad audience with
concerns a lot of people have
about rights that are being ta
ken away ."
Factwino basically questions
the constraints that Congress
may be placing on personal
freedom and how that is tied to
morality, James says
"There has been a resur
gence of Moral Majority ideas, a
real swing to conservative
(thought)," she continues
"There is an attempt to obliter
ate the victories of the 1960s
and 1970s dealing with rights
and choices
"We use humorous comedy
to talk about what's going on
People like to see their real lives
portrayed TV and movies are so
ideal You can aspire to that life
but ” She shrugs "The
mime troupe looks at everyday
people through archetypal
CHOICES
make the
difference.
51 Planned
=1 Parenthood
134 E 13th • Near Campus
3449411
BIRTH CONTROL
PREGNANCY TESTS
PAP SMEARS
HII'TH CONTl'O! i’H.l: :
DIAPHRASM jelly
. CONDOMS ’ ’Sc
PRIVATE • PROFESSIONAL
CONVENIENT
HrAnnn Hflilv EmOfSld
characters. They are big and
broad but show the true situa
tion.”
Originally, the troupe per
formed silent mime, but in the
early 1960s they "felt there was
a lot to be vocal about. We use a
very brashy, vocal presence and
a physical, broad mimetic style.
"We are not what you think of
as mime,” says James. "It is not
silent and white-faced. It is more
in the style of Charlie Chaplin
and Buster Keaton."
With each troupe member
playing three to six characters
in just over an hour, fast
changes are essential For ex
ample, James goes from playing
“a drugged-out aggressive
punk singer to a professional
city woman" in three minutes or
less
James joined the mime troupe
in 1968 “I was studying theatre
and looking for one that ad
dressed what was going on in
the world,” she says "I liked the
idea of taking theatre to people
who do not usually go to the
theatre.”
The troupe does not wait for
crowds to show up in San Fran
cisco. Besides touring the Unit
ed States, they have made stops
in Canada. Mexico, Germany,
Italy, France and England.
Audiences around the world
are ‘‘more sophisticated poli
tically (than Americans). They
are fascinated with the Amer
icans and what they see as the
nucleus of change. It is encour
aging to them to see Americans
that are talking about the things
we (the troupe) talk about."
The troupe will perform in the
Lane County Conference
Center Theatre tonight and Sat
urday at 8 p.m. Tickets are
$5.25 in advance and $6 at the
door and are available at the
EMU main desk, Everybody’s
Records, and Mother Kali’s
Books. The event is sponsored
by the Northwest Coalition for
Alternatives to Pesticides and
the April 24 Coalition.
Factwino stands firm In his convictions and stature after a bag lady
changes him from a wlno to a superhero.