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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, we’re looking back on the best art, music, food, movies and more from the year. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/best-of-2025\">See our entire Best of 2025 guide here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2025, Bay Area theater was loaded with innovative artists producing great shows, coupled with a hope that the local scene will soon see healthier days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a spate of theater closures, funding challenges and diminished audiences, there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978734/how-to-save-bay-area-theater-from-collapse-and-closures\">no shortage of ideas\u003c/a> from the Bay Area’s top theater brass as to how Bay Area theater can survive. There were also plenty of victories to be had on our region’s stages in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below, theater critics and regular KQED contributors Nicole Gluckstern and David John Chávez share their most significant Bay Area theater happenings of 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1047\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-768x503.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1536x1005.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Syrian-Armenian-American artist Sona Tatoyan talks about her friend, Turkish political activist Osman Kavala, as renowned oud player Ara Dinkjian accompanies her in ‘AZAD,’ at Golden Thread.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(David Allen Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The beautiful spectacle of ‘AZAD’ at Golden Thread\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Written and performed by Sona Tatoyan, a Syrian Armenian American theatre-maker and Storyteller, \u003ci>AZAD\u003c/i> defied categorization in its April premiere at Golden Thread. With its compelling personal narrative, it presented like a solo show but relied on a taut ensemble of puppeteers, centenarian Karagöz puppets and a live musician to create an expansive, visionary performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>AZAD\u003c/em> excavated painful, rigorously researched histories that rarely see the spotlight, putting the audience and performer through an intense emotional wringer that never relied on cliché or manipulation to elicit a response. With atmospheric projections designed by Camilla Tassi, and meticulous scenic design by Marcelo Martínez García, this Jared Mezzocchi-directed piece was a visual and virtuosic standout. —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984283\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona (Lauren Marcus, left) and waitress Edna Louise (Ashley Cowl, center) get reacquainted with Joanne (Shakina) in the musical ‘Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical’ at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Jimmy Dean’ came back to Mountain View\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It is insanely hard to write a new hit musical. Just take a peek at the constant stream of revivals that have hit theaters in recent years. That’s what made TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s \u003ci>Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical\u003c/i> such an achievement. A darling of the company’s 2024 New Works Festival, the show premiered this past summer, featuring every component of what makes a musical unforgettable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Start with the insightful book from Ashley Robinson, the playful, fierce music from Dan Gillespie Sells and unbeatable lyrics by Shakina. Add a terrific creative team led by director Giovanna Sardelli, and you’ve got a magical show. As an added bonus, it was thrilling to see an unapologetic transgender narrative, with Shakina stunning as a vision in white. —\u003cem>David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984276\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juicy (Devin A. Cunningham) stares down the ghost of Pap (Ron Chapman) in ‘Fat Ham’ at SF Playhouse.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Pulitzer-winning ‘Fat Ham’ astounded at SF Playhouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A singular upside of the COVID lockdown was the rare chance to stream innovative performances from around the world. One such toothsome treat was the world premiere of the Pulitzer-winning \u003ci>Fat Ham\u003c/i>, by James Ijames, staged as a digital production by Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater. This first taste whetted my appetite for more. At SF Playhouse, \u003ci>Fat Ham\u003c/i> brought a deeply humorous, deeply human reimagining of \u003ci>Hamlet\u003c/i>, in which a grieving Juicy (Devin Cunningham) contemplated mortality and morality as his mother (Jenn Stephens) and new stepfather-uncle (Ron Chapman) celebrated their hasty nuptials with a backyard barbeque.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deftly directed by Margo Hall, the actors pushed each punchline and outrageous misfortune to its absolute limit, flipping the existential dread of Denmark’s saddest prince into a flamboyant embrace of life’s possibilities. —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"560\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3-768x538.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tshembe (Jeuneé Simon) faces guard Eric (Monique Crawford) as Madame Nielsen (Jacinta Kaumbulu) sits and looks on in Oakland Theater Project’s production of ‘Les Blancs.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A powerful Lorraine Hansberry revival in Oakland\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If there’s any Bay Area company outgrowing their britches faster than a teenager on a growth spurt, it’s Oakland Theater Project. In their charming space at the Flax Art & Design building, their current production of \u003ci>Cabaret\u003c/i> is sold out for the entire run weeks before closing. Ideally, they’d be able to move into a permanent space worthy of their fierce, bold reputation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take their fantastic production of \u003ci>Les Blancs\u003c/i>. Though it lacks the name recognition of \u003ci>A Raisin in the Sun\u003c/i>, it carries major weight in the theater world as Lorraine Hansberry’s final work, adapted by her ex-husband Robert Nemiroff. The story is also the only one of Hansberry’s to be set in Africa, using beats, rhythms and dance to signify Black and African cultures. Presenting a clash between white colonialism and Black liberation, the story and production were both memorable and explosive. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marga Gomez in ‘The Search for Signs\u003cbr>of Intelligent Life in the Universe,’ the last production at famed Berkeley institution Aurora Theatre before the company ceased operations.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Marga Gomez helped bid goodnight to Aurora Theatre\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first play I bought as a teenage theatre nerd, Jane Wagner’s inventive \u003ci>The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life In the Universe\u003c/i> was written to showcase the versatile talents of her wife, Lily Tomlin — a tough act to follow in any era. Thankfully, Aurora Theatre made the inspired move to cast Bay Area powerhouse Marga Gomez in its 2025 revival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A comedian, MC, actor and seasoned solo show creator/performer, Gomez switches seamlessly between characters, scenarios and timelines without elaborate props or costume changes — making her a stellar choice to fill Tomlin’s cosmic shoes. Adding to the pressure of the performance was the concurrent announcement that Aurora Theatre would cease operations for the foreseeable future. At least Gomez ensured they went out with a (big) bang. \u003ci>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1116px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1116\" height=\"735\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984279\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5.jpg 1116w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5-768x506.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1116px) 100vw, 1116px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Theoretical physicist Marianne (Vivienne Truong) and beekeeper Roland (George Alexander K.), one of three couples with the same names and dialogue in ‘Constellations’ at the Pear Theatre in Mountain View.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Reed Flores)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Constellations’ offered a terrific way forward\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the surface, there was nothing terribly flashy about Nick Payne’s \u003ci>Constellations\u003c/i> at the Pear Theatre in Palo Alto. A group of actors — George Alexander K., Raven Douglas, Thomas Nguyen, Sahil Singh, Elana Swartz and Vivienne Truong — enter an open space, pair off and begin spilling their guts. The pairings were different at each performance, and at the end of the show, the audience got to make decisions for the next audience coming in the following night. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’d be forgiven in thinking this sounds gimmicky. But under the direction of Reed Flores, it proved that theater need not have bells and whistles, just a great story and fantastic performances that grip the audience. If Bay Area theater is going to survive, phenomenal shows like this one will need to be at its forefront. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984284\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katherine Park, Elana Swartz, Carl Lucania and Alejandra Wahl took their ‘Tempest’ to the ocean with Berkeley Shakespeare Company.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Sara Nicole Mindful)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Fabulous backdrops that reinvigorated the classics\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Theatre-makers love a copyright-free classic, but some productions really push their source material to exciting extremes. This year, standouts included Nate Currier’s first-time adaptation of \u003ci>The Epic of Gilgamesh\u003c/i> at Marin Shakespeare Company, and a site-expansive production of \u003ci>The Tempest\u003c/i> at the windswept Point Montara Lighthouse and Hostel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currier’s \u003ci>Gilgamesh\u003c/i> combined action-hero vigor with bare-bones physical staging, honoring the poetry of the 4,000-year-old original with a modern vernacular — somewhat reminiscent of Maria Dahvana Headley’s “bro”-tinged \u003ci>Beowulf\u003c/i>. Meanwhile, Stuart Bousel’s \u003ci>Tempest\u003c/i>, produced by Berkeley Shakespeare Company, utilized its proximity to the ocean and uniquely intimate interiors to create a truly magical realm for its artists and audiences alike. —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984282\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1452px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1452\" height=\"1040\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984282\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo.jpg 1452w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo-160x115.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo-768x550.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1452px) 100vw, 1452px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Outgoing American Conservatory Theater artistic director Pam MacKinnon and incoming Golden Thread Productions artistic director Nabra Nelson. \u003ccite>(ACT / Golden Thread)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Seismic comings and goings in San Francisco\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Two theater companies are going into the new year with big shifts at the top. Sahar Assaf, who’s made Golden Thread Productions her artistic home for the past four years, is turning over the reins as artistic director to Nabra Nelson, who has a wealth of experience in arts administration. Nelson is a multi-hyphenate artist, having delved into playwriting, dramaturgy, consultant, director and community engagement, among other roles. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Pam MacKinnon concludes her eight years leading American Conservatory Theater at the end of the 2025-2026 season. Soon returning to New York City, she plans to rekindle her freelance directing career. Succeeding longtime A.C.T. leader Carey Perloff, MacKinnon dove deeply into commissions with big names, and oversaw some tough times for the company, including the COVID shutdown and the closure of A.C.T.’s highly regarded MFA program. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984293\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1060px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1060\" height=\"632\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984293\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390.jpg 1060w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390-160x95.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390-768x458.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1060px) 100vw, 1060px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joan Baez joined the circus and starred in ‘The Soiled Dove’ in Alameda. \u003ccite>(Philip Pavliger / Vau de Vire Society)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘The Soiled Dove’ flew high in Alameda\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Is there anything more synonymous with the Bay Area performing arts than circuses and sin? I hope not, because I’m here for all of it. The Vau de Vire Society’s wicked and wonderful Barbary Coast dinner theatre extravaganza, \u003ci>The Soiled Dove\u003c/i>, has been a perennial crowd-pleaser for over 10 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s Alameda revival prominently featured legendary singer-songwriter and social activist Joan Baez — whose six-decade career continues to flourish — while the seasoned circus and cabaret performers who make up Vau de Vire’s core company soared. Viva, Vau de Vire! —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984277\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 803px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"803\" height=\"630\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7.jpg 803w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7-768x603.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magic Theatre’s artistic director Sean San José made a return to the Fort Mason stage in ‘Aztlan’ by Luis Alfaro.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Jay Yamada)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Life after prison in the poetic ‘Aztlán’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Anytime transcendent poet and playwright Luis Alfaro collaborates with the Magic Theatre, it’s a massive win. This past summer, their pairing yielded the powerful \u003ci>Aztlán\u003c/i>, rooted in Alfaro’s intimate knowledge of the Central Valley. With imagery from Mayan and Mexica folklore, the story of a parolee trying to reinvent his life outside of prison walls was aided by David Arevalo’s costume design, Alejandro Acosta’s sharp lighting design, and dazzling scenic design by Tanya Orellana.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beautifully directed by El Teatro Campesino’s Kinan Valdez, Alfaro’s story featured a great cast of Magic regulars. An added bonus? Sean San José’s thrilling return to the stage as an evil-minded deity. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This week, we’re looking back on the best art, music, food, movies and more from the year. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/best-of-2025\">See our entire Best of 2025 guide here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2025, Bay Area theater was loaded with innovative artists producing great shows, coupled with a hope that the local scene will soon see healthier days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a spate of theater closures, funding challenges and diminished audiences, there’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13978734/how-to-save-bay-area-theater-from-collapse-and-closures\">no shortage of ideas\u003c/a> from the Bay Area’s top theater brass as to how Bay Area theater can survive. There were also plenty of victories to be had on our region’s stages in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below, theater critics and regular KQED contributors Nicole Gluckstern and David John Chávez share their most significant Bay Area theater happenings of 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1047\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-768x503.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1536x1005.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Syrian-Armenian-American artist Sona Tatoyan talks about her friend, Turkish political activist Osman Kavala, as renowned oud player Ara Dinkjian accompanies her in ‘AZAD,’ at Golden Thread.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(David Allen Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The beautiful spectacle of ‘AZAD’ at Golden Thread\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Written and performed by Sona Tatoyan, a Syrian Armenian American theatre-maker and Storyteller, \u003ci>AZAD\u003c/i> defied categorization in its April premiere at Golden Thread. With its compelling personal narrative, it presented like a solo show but relied on a taut ensemble of puppeteers, centenarian Karagöz puppets and a live musician to create an expansive, visionary performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>AZAD\u003c/em> excavated painful, rigorously researched histories that rarely see the spotlight, putting the audience and performer through an intense emotional wringer that never relied on cliché or manipulation to elicit a response. With atmospheric projections designed by Camilla Tassi, and meticulous scenic design by Marcelo Martínez García, this Jared Mezzocchi-directed piece was a visual and virtuosic standout. —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984283\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-6-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona (Lauren Marcus, left) and waitress Edna Louise (Ashley Cowl, center) get reacquainted with Joanne (Shakina) in the musical ‘Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical’ at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Jimmy Dean’ came back to Mountain View\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It is insanely hard to write a new hit musical. Just take a peek at the constant stream of revivals that have hit theaters in recent years. That’s what made TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s \u003ci>Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical\u003c/i> such an achievement. A darling of the company’s 2024 New Works Festival, the show premiered this past summer, featuring every component of what makes a musical unforgettable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Start with the insightful book from Ashley Robinson, the playful, fierce music from Dan Gillespie Sells and unbeatable lyrics by Shakina. Add a terrific creative team led by director Giovanna Sardelli, and you’ve got a magical show. As an added bonus, it was thrilling to see an unapologetic transgender narrative, with Shakina stunning as a vision in white. —\u003cem>David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984276\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juicy (Devin A. Cunningham) stares down the ghost of Pap (Ron Chapman) in ‘Fat Ham’ at SF Playhouse.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Pulitzer-winning ‘Fat Ham’ astounded at SF Playhouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A singular upside of the COVID lockdown was the rare chance to stream innovative performances from around the world. One such toothsome treat was the world premiere of the Pulitzer-winning \u003ci>Fat Ham\u003c/i>, by James Ijames, staged as a digital production by Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater. This first taste whetted my appetite for more. At SF Playhouse, \u003ci>Fat Ham\u003c/i> brought a deeply humorous, deeply human reimagining of \u003ci>Hamlet\u003c/i>, in which a grieving Juicy (Devin Cunningham) contemplated mortality and morality as his mother (Jenn Stephens) and new stepfather-uncle (Ron Chapman) celebrated their hasty nuptials with a backyard barbeque.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deftly directed by Margo Hall, the actors pushed each punchline and outrageous misfortune to its absolute limit, flipping the existential dread of Denmark’s saddest prince into a flamboyant embrace of life’s possibilities. —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"560\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-3-768x538.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tshembe (Jeuneé Simon) faces guard Eric (Monique Crawford) as Madame Nielsen (Jacinta Kaumbulu) sits and looks on in Oakland Theater Project’s production of ‘Les Blancs.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A powerful Lorraine Hansberry revival in Oakland\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If there’s any Bay Area company outgrowing their britches faster than a teenager on a growth spurt, it’s Oakland Theater Project. In their charming space at the Flax Art & Design building, their current production of \u003ci>Cabaret\u003c/i> is sold out for the entire run weeks before closing. Ideally, they’d be able to move into a permanent space worthy of their fierce, bold reputation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take their fantastic production of \u003ci>Les Blancs\u003c/i>. Though it lacks the name recognition of \u003ci>A Raisin in the Sun\u003c/i>, it carries major weight in the theater world as Lorraine Hansberry’s final work, adapted by her ex-husband Robert Nemiroff. The story is also the only one of Hansberry’s to be set in Africa, using beats, rhythms and dance to signify Black and African cultures. Presenting a clash between white colonialism and Black liberation, the story and production were both memorable and explosive. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-4-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marga Gomez in ‘The Search for Signs\u003cbr>of Intelligent Life in the Universe,’ the last production at famed Berkeley institution Aurora Theatre before the company ceased operations.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Marga Gomez helped bid goodnight to Aurora Theatre\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The first play I bought as a teenage theatre nerd, Jane Wagner’s inventive \u003ci>The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life In the Universe\u003c/i> was written to showcase the versatile talents of her wife, Lily Tomlin — a tough act to follow in any era. Thankfully, Aurora Theatre made the inspired move to cast Bay Area powerhouse Marga Gomez in its 2025 revival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A comedian, MC, actor and seasoned solo show creator/performer, Gomez switches seamlessly between characters, scenarios and timelines without elaborate props or costume changes — making her a stellar choice to fill Tomlin’s cosmic shoes. Adding to the pressure of the performance was the concurrent announcement that Aurora Theatre would cease operations for the foreseeable future. At least Gomez ensured they went out with a (big) bang. \u003ci>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1116px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1116\" height=\"735\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984279\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5.jpg 1116w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-5-768x506.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1116px) 100vw, 1116px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Theoretical physicist Marianne (Vivienne Truong) and beekeeper Roland (George Alexander K.), one of three couples with the same names and dialogue in ‘Constellations’ at the Pear Theatre in Mountain View.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Reed Flores)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘Constellations’ offered a terrific way forward\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On the surface, there was nothing terribly flashy about Nick Payne’s \u003ci>Constellations\u003c/i> at the Pear Theatre in Palo Alto. A group of actors — George Alexander K., Raven Douglas, Thomas Nguyen, Sahil Singh, Elana Swartz and Vivienne Truong — enter an open space, pair off and begin spilling their guts. The pairings were different at each performance, and at the end of the show, the audience got to make decisions for the next audience coming in the following night. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’d be forgiven in thinking this sounds gimmicky. But under the direction of Reed Flores, it proved that theater need not have bells and whistles, just a great story and fantastic performances that grip the audience. If Bay Area theater is going to survive, phenomenal shows like this one will need to be at its forefront. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984284\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katherine Park, Elana Swartz, Carl Lucania and Alejandra Wahl took their ‘Tempest’ to the ocean with Berkeley Shakespeare Company.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Sara Nicole Mindful)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Fabulous backdrops that reinvigorated the classics\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Theatre-makers love a copyright-free classic, but some productions really push their source material to exciting extremes. This year, standouts included Nate Currier’s first-time adaptation of \u003ci>The Epic of Gilgamesh\u003c/i> at Marin Shakespeare Company, and a site-expansive production of \u003ci>The Tempest\u003c/i> at the windswept Point Montara Lighthouse and Hostel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currier’s \u003ci>Gilgamesh\u003c/i> combined action-hero vigor with bare-bones physical staging, honoring the poetry of the 4,000-year-old original with a modern vernacular — somewhat reminiscent of Maria Dahvana Headley’s “bro”-tinged \u003ci>Beowulf\u003c/i>. Meanwhile, Stuart Bousel’s \u003ci>Tempest\u003c/i>, produced by Berkeley Shakespeare Company, utilized its proximity to the ocean and uniquely intimate interiors to create a truly magical realm for its artists and audiences alike. —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984282\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1452px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1452\" height=\"1040\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984282\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo.jpg 1452w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo-160x115.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/24sanfrancisco1-superJumbo-768x550.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1452px) 100vw, 1452px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Outgoing American Conservatory Theater artistic director Pam MacKinnon and incoming Golden Thread Productions artistic director Nabra Nelson. \u003ccite>(ACT / Golden Thread)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Seismic comings and goings in San Francisco\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Two theater companies are going into the new year with big shifts at the top. Sahar Assaf, who’s made Golden Thread Productions her artistic home for the past four years, is turning over the reins as artistic director to Nabra Nelson, who has a wealth of experience in arts administration. Nelson is a multi-hyphenate artist, having delved into playwriting, dramaturgy, consultant, director and community engagement, among other roles. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Pam MacKinnon concludes her eight years leading American Conservatory Theater at the end of the 2025-2026 season. Soon returning to New York City, she plans to rekindle her freelance directing career. Succeeding longtime A.C.T. leader Carey Perloff, MacKinnon dove deeply into commissions with big names, and oversaw some tough times for the company, including the COVID shutdown and the closure of A.C.T.’s highly regarded MFA program. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984293\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1060px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1060\" height=\"632\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984293\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390.jpg 1060w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390-160x95.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/113301VdVSD-Opening-Night2025-09-05-21_59_03Philip-Pavliger_Web_654x390-768x458.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1060px) 100vw, 1060px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joan Baez joined the circus and starred in ‘The Soiled Dove’ in Alameda. \u003ccite>(Philip Pavliger / Vau de Vire Society)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘The Soiled Dove’ flew high in Alameda\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Is there anything more synonymous with the Bay Area performing arts than circuses and sin? I hope not, because I’m here for all of it. The Vau de Vire Society’s wicked and wonderful Barbary Coast dinner theatre extravaganza, \u003ci>The Soiled Dove\u003c/i>, has been a perennial crowd-pleaser for over 10 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s Alameda revival prominently featured legendary singer-songwriter and social activist Joan Baez — whose six-decade career continues to flourish — while the seasoned circus and cabaret performers who make up Vau de Vire’s core company soared. Viva, Vau de Vire! —\u003ci>Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13984277\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 803px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"803\" height=\"630\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13984277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7.jpg 803w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/unnamed-7-768x603.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Magic Theatre’s artistic director Sean San José made a return to the Fort Mason stage in ‘Aztlan’ by Luis Alfaro.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Jay Yamada)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Life after prison in the poetic ‘Aztlán’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Anytime transcendent poet and playwright Luis Alfaro collaborates with the Magic Theatre, it’s a massive win. This past summer, their pairing yielded the powerful \u003ci>Aztlán\u003c/i>, rooted in Alfaro’s intimate knowledge of the Central Valley. With imagery from Mayan and Mexica folklore, the story of a parolee trying to reinvent his life outside of prison walls was aided by David Arevalo’s costume design, Alejandro Acosta’s sharp lighting design, and dazzling scenic design by Tanya Orellana.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beautifully directed by El Teatro Campesino’s Kinan Valdez, Alfaro’s story featured a great cast of Magic regulars. An added bonus? Sean San José’s thrilling return to the stage as an evil-minded deity. —\u003ci>David John Chávez\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "how-to-save-bay-area-theater-from-collapse-and-closures",
"title": "How Can We Save Bay Area Theater From Collapse? 11 Local Experts Weigh In",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/category/theater\">Bay Area theater\u003c/a> is in dire circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The venerable \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/aurora-theatre\">Aurora Theatre Company\u003c/a> in Berkeley, facing a budget shortfall of $500,000 and dwindling audiences who never fully returned from the pandemic, has suspended its production calendar after this summer’s show, \u003ci>The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aurora isn’t alone. Since the 2020 pandemic, spaces that make up the heart of the Bay Area’s theater community have wrestled not only with patrons choosing to spend their time and money elsewhere, but a president who has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">canceled millions in federal grants for the arts\u003c/a>. And while fundraising campaigns and crowdfunding have become commonplace, there’s only so many times a company can dip into the well of its most loyal patrons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Names once synonymous with cutting-edge Bay Area theater, like Cutting Ball, Theater First, PianoFight and Exit Theatre, have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046149/why-local-theater-is-in-free-fall\">shut down\u003c/a>. Cal Shakes in Orinda, which had been a member of the League of Resident Theatres with one of the most idyllic venues in the region, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966472/cal-shakes-to-close-down-citing-insurmountable-financial-impasse\">ceased operations\u003c/a> in November after 50 years. The curtain even \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929386/bay-area-childrens-theatre-to-close-citing-financial-challenges\">came down\u003c/a> on Bay Area Children’s Theatre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='news_12046149']What is the path forward for those companies still remaining, and wrestling with their own dips into the red? Against the dual headwinds of funding cuts and a presidential administration outwardly aggressive to any art that fails to honor the United States and her perceived exceptionalism, Bay Area theater is facing its greatest modern challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing theater makers have in abundance is creativity. But in order for Bay Area theater to have a future, it needs to consider new initiatives that meet the moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the precipice of the fall season, we approached 11 prominent Bay Area directors, actors and administrators who mostly work in small- to mid-sized companies, and asked them all the same simple question:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“What must be done to ensure the survival of Bay Area theater?”\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Answers have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978749\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Rinabeth Apostol, actor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The word “diversify” bears repeating. I have been lucky to work in the Bay Area and beyond professionally for over 20 years, and while the theater landscape ebbs and flows, my peers and I ultimately find ourselves asking the same questions: Where are the audiences? Why is this theater at risk for closure? Why are we doing [insert name of “classic” play or musical with almost exclusively white cast here] again?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there has been an uptick in more diverse plays, some theatres are still afraid to include more than one “Asian” or “Black” play in their seasons. Latinx and Indigenous stories and shows featuring actors with disabilities are sorely lacking… and not because they don’t exist! There is a staggering amount of new work and playwrights with distinct voices that are available to produce – it’s just a question of whether or not companies are willing to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If theater companies diversify their programming, audiences will usually follow, which is essential in keeping theater doors open. Theater producers need to make an intentional effort to create work that will also enrich and hopefully grow their audience base – not just because the stages should reflect the world we live in, but because embracing a diverse audience will help create a more inclusive community… one that will hopefully reap tangible rewards. Producers need to look beyond their usual subscriber base, which isn’t usually very diverse. There needs to be a cultural and generational shift in what theaters perceive their “ideal audience” to be and they need to actively educate their subscriber base/typical audience members to also embrace that change. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-1.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-1-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Josh Costello, Artistic Director, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The survival of Bay Area theater is not in question — there will always be theater in the Bay Area. Will there be a multitude of theater companies with different missions and visions, paying living wages to local professional artists, while providing the resources these artists need to do their best work? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To ensure a thriving Bay Area theater, we need to constantly advocate for theater’s intrinsic value as an art form, as well as its many positive impacts on our community. We need local and state governments to greatly increase funding for the arts. We need foundations to provide general operating support to organizations that employ local artists. We need to create a culture of philanthropy for the arts in the Bay Area tech community. And we need to inspire people from all walks of life across the Bay Area to put down their phones and attend live theater. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It starts with you. Write to your local government. Subscribe and donate if you can. Bring a friend to see a play. Make something beautiful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-2.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-2-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Susi Damilano, co-founder and Producing Director, San Francisco Playhouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This question has as many answers as there are people in our community, but when I consider all the possibilities, it comes down to two essential elements: guts and grit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theater is a business built on humanity’s unlimited capacity to create. So many art forms converge to create a theatrical experience—writers, actors, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians. These creations aren’t products that can be bottled and sold. Each production is unique. The same script can be interpreted in countless ways, and once a production is set, no two performances are exactly alike. Even the audience changes nightly. Theater is a living thing, which is precisely why it takes guts to invest in it and grit to sustain it. It’s inherently risky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet nothing is more fulfilling than pouring your soul into a piece, wondering if it resonates, and then watching an entire audience respond—erupting in laughter, sitting in stunned silence, or moved to tears. We change lives. We create connections. We are essential as storytellers and mirrors of the human condition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For theater to survive, we need people, governments, and foundations to have the guts to invest their time and money in this vital art form. We need artists and theater-makers to have the grit to persevere through difficult times, to keep collaborating with one another, and to keep creating. Failure is not an option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978740\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-3.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-3-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Paul Flores, playwright, poet, professor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Maybe there is the idea that bigger isn’t always better — let’s start with that, right? Maybe it’s about meeting people where they are in their wallets and in their comfort levels, because the money for theater just isn’t there. How many of those NEA grants were stripped from theater companies? The San Francisco Arts Commission gave away $5 million less this year than they did in 2024, which was $15 million. So money is going away from us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we have to start thinking, how do we make pieces that are more accessible? Theater producers also have to start thinking about where they’re investing their resources. Do we need to be buying buildings? What does that do for the sustainability of the art, especially in San Francisco? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So many artists have left the Bay Area because they can’t afford rent. What are we doing to help with that? How are we helping the theater companies that currently exist to maintain their seasons? The issue is money right now, which is probably always the problem, right? Maybe it’s smaller productions, maybe it’s less stuff indoors, or less reliance on tech that will produce theater. It would ask for us to reimagine theater as a more open space. What could that look like? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m not trying to look for four walls, but looking for bigger spaces, places that are different, accessible and expansive, maybe a former used car lot or downtown office spaces. That’s what I’m looking at, cultural revitalization. Theater needs to think that way. If it is about neighborhoods, how can we get more democratic participation? We need to ask, hey neighborhoods, what do you want to see for theater? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978746\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-4.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-4-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Reed Flores, playwright and director\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Bay Area theater is only going to survive if we start to be more intentional about sharing resources, and what we decide to produce. What I have learned this past season is, despite how volatile our industry is and how fickle external funding can be, we are absolutely capable of abundance. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mutually beneficial partnerships, shared rehearsal spaces, co-productions, skill sharing, sharing materials and more. I worked with multiple “small” theaters this season, and each felt so expansive because they opened their doors to their sister theaters and hired beyond their usual network. We must keep filling our neighbor’s cup, in good faith that our neighbor will return the gesture. We are more imaginative and expansive and magical when we share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a less romantic note, we need to focus our energy on uplifting the new. We have to invest in the generative, brave, the unapologetic reflections of our Bay Area landscape. In the past two years I’ve seen more world premieres by local BIPOC artists, and it is some of the most exciting theater I’ve seen. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978748\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-5.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-5-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Margo Hall, actor, director, Artistic Director of Lorraine Hansberry Theatre\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To ensure the survival of Bay Area theater, we must invest in sustainable funding models, radical inclusion and community-rooted programming. We need bold investment in the artists and institutions that make this region vibrant, especially those led by people of color, who have long been under-resourced but have had a deep impact. Sustainable, multi-year funding must be the norm, not the exception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also need to nurture the next generation of theater-makers through mentorship, access and genuine opportunities to grow—not just on stage, but behind the scenes, in leadership, and among our audiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area theater will survive if we stay rooted in community. That means telling stories that reflect the people who live here, building trust with those who’ve felt excluded and using theater as a space for truth-telling, healing, and joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This isn’t about returning to what was. It’s about building something more just, more inclusive, and more connected. The work is urgent — and it’s absolutely possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-6.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-6-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Melissa Hillman, Programs Officer, Theatre Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For companies trying to survive now, I think the way forward is cooperation — shared services, shared resources, shared space, even shared audiences; package ticket deals for several companies in the same area, for example. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We need to be reinvesting in theatre education for young people. There’s a mountain of evidence that shows K-12 theatre education benefits student achievement overall. Importantly for the survival of Bay Area theatre, it also creates theatre-goers, and due to the relentless gutting of theatre education in K-12 schools over the past 40 years, there are fewer adults today that consider theatre one of their entertainment options. A reinvestment in theatre education will also create more theatre jobs, making it easier for theatre makers to live and make theatre here. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Accessibility is key. This is both accessibility for disabled people, and financial accessibility. A $60 ticket is just not affordable for many people, and that’s going to get worse over the next few years. Access for disabled people is improving, but there are still issues with ADA compliance in a lot of venues. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with the NEA off the table for most companies, state and local governments need to step up to increase funding. A financial stimulus in local theatre will increase local spending power overall, enabling more people to see theatre, creating a virtuous cycle. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978743\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-7.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-7-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lisa Mallette, Artistic Director, City Lights Theatre Company, San José\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To ensure the survival of Bay Area theater, we need more than passion. We need a systemic shift in how we fund and sustain live performance. Foundations, both local and national, must rediscover their belief in theater’s power to create healthy, vibrant communities. They must recommit to supporting the arts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moreover, the area’s leading businesses have a stake in our cultural ecosystem. When tech giants, biotech firms and local enterprises invest in the arts — through sponsorships, matching gifts or employee programs — they help strengthen creativity, attract talent and build community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theater companies must also innovate rather than repeat pre-pandemic practices and hope for different results. At City Lights Theater Company, we’ve discovered that authentic relationships with patrons and donors create a necessary culture of care. Individuals sharing their time, talent and treasure have fueled our turnaround this year. Ticket sales are rebounding slowly, while rising expenses make individual giving essential to our balance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By uniting foundations, businesses, artists and audiences, we can write a brighter future for Bay Area theater: one where every stakeholder feels a sense of belonging and shared purpose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978744\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-8.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-8-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lisa Ramirez, Associate Artistic Director, Oakland Theater Project\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I think the survival of the Bay Area theater is requiring us all to get more and more creative during this tenuous political period, especially with the smaller houses. This means building stronger local individual and private support systems and funding. This means collaborating and partnering with other theatres, schools and community organizations. It means hiring locally across the board, instead of “outsourcing” talent from other places. That means directors, actors, playwrights. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is so much talent and heart here. We must hire locally to sustain our beautiful ecosystem. The audience members and subscribers appreciate this as well. Being a company member at Oakland Theater Project and writing, acting or working backstage and seeing familiar faces after different shows is not only inspiring but creates repeated shared experiences over time and fosters strong community ties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-9.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-9-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Leigh Rondon-Davis, Leader of Artistic Curation and Marketing, Crowded Fire Theater\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I think real, intentional interdependence and interconnectedness is essential. I do not think we are going to survive in the siloed ways that we are, given the dwindling resources and the way it’s been impacting our artist community. We are going to have to really depend on and support one another in deeply intentional ways in order to survive — and that, to me, is going to look like partnerships and really robust collaborations between companies and organizations. That’s going to look like multidisciplinary collaborations where there’s also art and music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also need to look at new models for compensating artists so they can live in the Bay Area and still make work. It’s going to look like collaboration and some like real visioning with our local funders and our local governments on universal artist income or grants that support artists in residencies or fellowship, right? We’re going to really need to tap in to talk and work with one another and to help ensure that arts can stay in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-10.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-10-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Jon Tracy, Artistic Director, Marin Shakespeare Company\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There’s a myth that somewhere out there is a perfect audience — either huge and universal, or niche and ready-made. Some hope that if the work is broad enough, everyone will show up. Others believe if it’s bold and specific enough, the right people will just find it. But neither really plays out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we’ve lost faith in the art of the invitation — how we build bridges to those who don’t yet know we’re here, or who’ve never been given a reason to believe theatre is for them. That’s where trust begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m for transparency of intentions, never compromise of the work. Theatre doesn’t have to soften itself to reach people. Pop theatre, trying to please everyone, usually earns the trust of no one. We owe it to everyone to say who we are, what we care about, and be steady about it. Trust doesn’t come from having a universal message. It comes from consistent clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theatre isn’t dead. And when the wave of a world rushing narrowly toward the virtual finally breaks, people will come looking for each other, for connection, for the tangible church of humans creating something real, together.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/category/theater\">Bay Area theater\u003c/a> is in dire circumstances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The venerable \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/aurora-theatre\">Aurora Theatre Company\u003c/a> in Berkeley, facing a budget shortfall of $500,000 and dwindling audiences who never fully returned from the pandemic, has suspended its production calendar after this summer’s show, \u003ci>The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aurora isn’t alone. Since the 2020 pandemic, spaces that make up the heart of the Bay Area’s theater community have wrestled not only with patrons choosing to spend their time and money elsewhere, but a president who has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">canceled millions in federal grants for the arts\u003c/a>. And while fundraising campaigns and crowdfunding have become commonplace, there’s only so many times a company can dip into the well of its most loyal patrons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Names once synonymous with cutting-edge Bay Area theater, like Cutting Ball, Theater First, PianoFight and Exit Theatre, have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12046149/why-local-theater-is-in-free-fall\">shut down\u003c/a>. Cal Shakes in Orinda, which had been a member of the League of Resident Theatres with one of the most idyllic venues in the region, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966472/cal-shakes-to-close-down-citing-insurmountable-financial-impasse\">ceased operations\u003c/a> in November after 50 years. The curtain even \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929386/bay-area-childrens-theatre-to-close-citing-financial-challenges\">came down\u003c/a> on Bay Area Children’s Theatre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>What is the path forward for those companies still remaining, and wrestling with their own dips into the red? Against the dual headwinds of funding cuts and a presidential administration outwardly aggressive to any art that fails to honor the United States and her perceived exceptionalism, Bay Area theater is facing its greatest modern challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing theater makers have in abundance is creativity. But in order for Bay Area theater to have a future, it needs to consider new initiatives that meet the moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the precipice of the fall season, we approached 11 prominent Bay Area directors, actors and administrators who mostly work in small- to mid-sized companies, and asked them all the same simple question:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“What must be done to ensure the survival of Bay Area theater?”\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Answers have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978749\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Rinabeth Apostol, actor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The word “diversify” bears repeating. I have been lucky to work in the Bay Area and beyond professionally for over 20 years, and while the theater landscape ebbs and flows, my peers and I ultimately find ourselves asking the same questions: Where are the audiences? Why is this theater at risk for closure? Why are we doing [insert name of “classic” play or musical with almost exclusively white cast here] again?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there has been an uptick in more diverse plays, some theatres are still afraid to include more than one “Asian” or “Black” play in their seasons. Latinx and Indigenous stories and shows featuring actors with disabilities are sorely lacking… and not because they don’t exist! There is a staggering amount of new work and playwrights with distinct voices that are available to produce – it’s just a question of whether or not companies are willing to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If theater companies diversify their programming, audiences will usually follow, which is essential in keeping theater doors open. Theater producers need to make an intentional effort to create work that will also enrich and hopefully grow their audience base – not just because the stages should reflect the world we live in, but because embracing a diverse audience will help create a more inclusive community… one that will hopefully reap tangible rewards. Producers need to look beyond their usual subscriber base, which isn’t usually very diverse. There needs to be a cultural and generational shift in what theaters perceive their “ideal audience” to be and they need to actively educate their subscriber base/typical audience members to also embrace that change. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-1.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-1-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Josh Costello, Artistic Director, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The survival of Bay Area theater is not in question — there will always be theater in the Bay Area. Will there be a multitude of theater companies with different missions and visions, paying living wages to local professional artists, while providing the resources these artists need to do their best work? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To ensure a thriving Bay Area theater, we need to constantly advocate for theater’s intrinsic value as an art form, as well as its many positive impacts on our community. We need local and state governments to greatly increase funding for the arts. We need foundations to provide general operating support to organizations that employ local artists. We need to create a culture of philanthropy for the arts in the Bay Area tech community. And we need to inspire people from all walks of life across the Bay Area to put down their phones and attend live theater. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It starts with you. Write to your local government. Subscribe and donate if you can. Bring a friend to see a play. Make something beautiful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-2.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-2-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Susi Damilano, co-founder and Producing Director, San Francisco Playhouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This question has as many answers as there are people in our community, but when I consider all the possibilities, it comes down to two essential elements: guts and grit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theater is a business built on humanity’s unlimited capacity to create. So many art forms converge to create a theatrical experience—writers, actors, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians. These creations aren’t products that can be bottled and sold. Each production is unique. The same script can be interpreted in countless ways, and once a production is set, no two performances are exactly alike. Even the audience changes nightly. Theater is a living thing, which is precisely why it takes guts to invest in it and grit to sustain it. It’s inherently risky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet nothing is more fulfilling than pouring your soul into a piece, wondering if it resonates, and then watching an entire audience respond—erupting in laughter, sitting in stunned silence, or moved to tears. We change lives. We create connections. We are essential as storytellers and mirrors of the human condition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For theater to survive, we need people, governments, and foundations to have the guts to invest their time and money in this vital art form. We need artists and theater-makers to have the grit to persevere through difficult times, to keep collaborating with one another, and to keep creating. Failure is not an option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978740\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-3.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-3-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Paul Flores, playwright, poet, professor\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Maybe there is the idea that bigger isn’t always better — let’s start with that, right? Maybe it’s about meeting people where they are in their wallets and in their comfort levels, because the money for theater just isn’t there. How many of those NEA grants were stripped from theater companies? The San Francisco Arts Commission gave away $5 million less this year than they did in 2024, which was $15 million. So money is going away from us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we have to start thinking, how do we make pieces that are more accessible? Theater producers also have to start thinking about where they’re investing their resources. Do we need to be buying buildings? What does that do for the sustainability of the art, especially in San Francisco? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So many artists have left the Bay Area because they can’t afford rent. What are we doing to help with that? How are we helping the theater companies that currently exist to maintain their seasons? The issue is money right now, which is probably always the problem, right? Maybe it’s smaller productions, maybe it’s less stuff indoors, or less reliance on tech that will produce theater. It would ask for us to reimagine theater as a more open space. What could that look like? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m not trying to look for four walls, but looking for bigger spaces, places that are different, accessible and expansive, maybe a former used car lot or downtown office spaces. That’s what I’m looking at, cultural revitalization. Theater needs to think that way. If it is about neighborhoods, how can we get more democratic participation? We need to ask, hey neighborhoods, what do you want to see for theater? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978746\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-4.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-4-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Reed Flores, playwright and director\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Bay Area theater is only going to survive if we start to be more intentional about sharing resources, and what we decide to produce. What I have learned this past season is, despite how volatile our industry is and how fickle external funding can be, we are absolutely capable of abundance. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mutually beneficial partnerships, shared rehearsal spaces, co-productions, skill sharing, sharing materials and more. I worked with multiple “small” theaters this season, and each felt so expansive because they opened their doors to their sister theaters and hired beyond their usual network. We must keep filling our neighbor’s cup, in good faith that our neighbor will return the gesture. We are more imaginative and expansive and magical when we share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a less romantic note, we need to focus our energy on uplifting the new. We have to invest in the generative, brave, the unapologetic reflections of our Bay Area landscape. In the past two years I’ve seen more world premieres by local BIPOC artists, and it is some of the most exciting theater I’ve seen. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978748\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-5.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-5-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Margo Hall, actor, director, Artistic Director of Lorraine Hansberry Theatre\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To ensure the survival of Bay Area theater, we must invest in sustainable funding models, radical inclusion and community-rooted programming. We need bold investment in the artists and institutions that make this region vibrant, especially those led by people of color, who have long been under-resourced but have had a deep impact. Sustainable, multi-year funding must be the norm, not the exception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also need to nurture the next generation of theater-makers through mentorship, access and genuine opportunities to grow—not just on stage, but behind the scenes, in leadership, and among our audiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area theater will survive if we stay rooted in community. That means telling stories that reflect the people who live here, building trust with those who’ve felt excluded and using theater as a space for truth-telling, healing, and joy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This isn’t about returning to what was. It’s about building something more just, more inclusive, and more connected. The work is urgent — and it’s absolutely possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-6.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-6-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Melissa Hillman, Programs Officer, Theatre Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For companies trying to survive now, I think the way forward is cooperation — shared services, shared resources, shared space, even shared audiences; package ticket deals for several companies in the same area, for example. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We need to be reinvesting in theatre education for young people. There’s a mountain of evidence that shows K-12 theatre education benefits student achievement overall. Importantly for the survival of Bay Area theatre, it also creates theatre-goers, and due to the relentless gutting of theatre education in K-12 schools over the past 40 years, there are fewer adults today that consider theatre one of their entertainment options. A reinvestment in theatre education will also create more theatre jobs, making it easier for theatre makers to live and make theatre here. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Accessibility is key. This is both accessibility for disabled people, and financial accessibility. A $60 ticket is just not affordable for many people, and that’s going to get worse over the next few years. Access for disabled people is improving, but there are still issues with ADA compliance in a lot of venues. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with the NEA off the table for most companies, state and local governments need to step up to increase funding. A financial stimulus in local theatre will increase local spending power overall, enabling more people to see theatre, creating a virtuous cycle. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978743\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-7.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-7-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lisa Mallette, Artistic Director, City Lights Theatre Company, San José\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To ensure the survival of Bay Area theater, we need more than passion. We need a systemic shift in how we fund and sustain live performance. Foundations, both local and national, must rediscover their belief in theater’s power to create healthy, vibrant communities. They must recommit to supporting the arts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Moreover, the area’s leading businesses have a stake in our cultural ecosystem. When tech giants, biotech firms and local enterprises invest in the arts — through sponsorships, matching gifts or employee programs — they help strengthen creativity, attract talent and build community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theater companies must also innovate rather than repeat pre-pandemic practices and hope for different results. At City Lights Theater Company, we’ve discovered that authentic relationships with patrons and donors create a necessary culture of care. Individuals sharing their time, talent and treasure have fueled our turnaround this year. Ticket sales are rebounding slowly, while rising expenses make individual giving essential to our balance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By uniting foundations, businesses, artists and audiences, we can write a brighter future for Bay Area theater: one where every stakeholder feels a sense of belonging and shared purpose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978744\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-8.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-8-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Lisa Ramirez, Associate Artistic Director, Oakland Theater Project\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I think the survival of the Bay Area theater is requiring us all to get more and more creative during this tenuous political period, especially with the smaller houses. This means building stronger local individual and private support systems and funding. This means collaborating and partnering with other theatres, schools and community organizations. It means hiring locally across the board, instead of “outsourcing” talent from other places. That means directors, actors, playwrights. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is so much talent and heart here. We must hire locally to sustain our beautiful ecosystem. The audience members and subscribers appreciate this as well. Being a company member at Oakland Theater Project and writing, acting or working backstage and seeing familiar faces after different shows is not only inspiring but creates repeated shared experiences over time and fosters strong community ties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-9.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-9-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Leigh Rondon-Davis, Leader of Artistic Curation and Marketing, Crowded Fire Theater\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I think real, intentional interdependence and interconnectedness is essential. I do not think we are going to survive in the siloed ways that we are, given the dwindling resources and the way it’s been impacting our artist community. We are going to have to really depend on and support one another in deeply intentional ways in order to survive — and that, to me, is going to look like partnerships and really robust collaborations between companies and organizations. That’s going to look like multidisciplinary collaborations where there’s also art and music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also need to look at new models for compensating artists so they can live in the Bay Area and still make work. It’s going to look like collaboration and some like real visioning with our local funders and our local governments on universal artist income or grants that support artists in residencies or fellowship, right? We’re going to really need to tap in to talk and work with one another and to help ensure that arts can stay in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13978747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-10.jpg 200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/07/unnamed-10-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Jon Tracy, Artistic Director, Marin Shakespeare Company\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There’s a myth that somewhere out there is a perfect audience — either huge and universal, or niche and ready-made. Some hope that if the work is broad enough, everyone will show up. Others believe if it’s bold and specific enough, the right people will just find it. But neither really plays out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think we’ve lost faith in the art of the invitation — how we build bridges to those who don’t yet know we’re here, or who’ve never been given a reason to believe theatre is for them. That’s where trust begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m for transparency of intentions, never compromise of the work. Theatre doesn’t have to soften itself to reach people. Pop theatre, trying to please everyone, usually earns the trust of no one. We owe it to everyone to say who we are, what we care about, and be steady about it. Trust doesn’t come from having a universal message. It comes from consistent clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theatre isn’t dead. And when the wave of a world rushing narrowly toward the virtual finally breaks, people will come looking for each other, for connection, for the tangible church of humans creating something real, together.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "10 of the Best Plays and Musicals in the Bay Area This Summer",
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"headTitle": "10 of the Best Plays and Musicals in the Bay Area This Summer | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2025\">2025 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In case you’ve avoided the news cycle, the performing arts are in an unprecedented funding crisis. The U.S. government is slowly dismantling the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, which have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">canceled millions of dollars in already-awarded grants\u003c/a> across the country — including several nonprofits on this very summer theater preview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means the support of your favorite organizations is more crucial than ever. What better way to support than to simply \u003cem>show up\u003c/em>? Get thee to a cabaret, a salon, or a summer musical. Buy a ticket, buy a drink, make the scene and make a difference. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 12 ways to avail yourself of theater’s transformative potential all summer long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976131\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) The ‘Co-Founders’ creative team of Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela, and RyanNicole Austin. \u003ccite>(Michaela Schulz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2024-25-season/co-founders/\">Co-Founders\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>May 29–July 6, 2025\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Strand Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area-borne, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rhymecombinator.com/\">Rhyme Combinator\u003c/a>-conceived hip-hop musical \u003cem>Co-Founders\u003c/em> has its world premiere at last. Taking audience immersion to the next level, this “tech-savvy” production promises next-level design elements, powerhouse local performers, and an of-the-moment tale of a Black woman’s attempt to break into the upper echelons of Silicon Valley without losing her soul (and her home). This show’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905839/startup-dreams-hip-hop-and-theater-meet-in-a-new-play-about-tech-art\">a long time in the making\u003c/a>, and it’s ready to make some noise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976132\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1272\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976132\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-800x509.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-1020x649.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-768x488.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-1536x977.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-1920x1221.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sasha Velour in ‘The Big Reveal Live Show,’ running at Berkeley Rep June 4–15. \u003ccite>(Greg Endries)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/the-big-reveal-live-show/\">Sasha Velour: The Big Reveal Live Show\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 4–15, 2025\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Roda Theatre, Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incomparable Sasha Velour, drag queen of 1,000 rose petals and winner of Season 9 of \u003cem>RuPaul’s Drag Race\u003c/em>, comes back to her former hometown at Berkeley Rep with a revival of \u003cem>The Big Reveal Live Show\u003c/em>. A showcase for Velour’s big ideas and even bigger drag, \u003cem>The Big Reveal\u003c/em> offers a fabulous window into the creative landscape of one of drag’s most innovative performers. Sumptuous, playful, and profound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"661\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976126\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-768x254.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-1536x508.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-1920x635.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Jeremy Julian Greco, Tony Cyprien and Scott Cohen. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunset Solos)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sunsetsolos.com/\">Sunset Solos\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ongoing; third Sunday of each month\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Sealevel, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since January 2024, a monthly solo performance showcase has been underway at Sealevel, a gallery and community space in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset. The brainchild of seasoned performer and producer Jeremy Julian Greco, this intimate, low-tech series brings some of the Bay Area’s best solo artists to a venue so close to the ocean you can smell the salt tang in the air. A flourishing testament to the arts’ ability to take root and bloom wherever it may be planted, Sunset Solos’ summer performers include Scott Cohen and Tony Cyprien, with more to be announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New York Police officers outside the Altoona Police Department, where Luigi Mangione was taken into police custody, on Dec. 9, 2024, in Altoona, Pa. \u003ccite>(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://luigithemusical.info/\">Luigi: the Musical\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 13-28; more dates TBA\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Taylor Street Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I’m being honest, when I first heard about \u003cem>Luigi: the Musical\u003c/em>, I wondered if perhaps it was a little \u003cem>too soon\u003c/em>. Especially since there are apparently two unrelated Luigi Mangione musicals in the works, one here and \u003ca href=\"https://www.lonestarlive.com/life/2025/02/austin-company-behind-young-greg-abbott-creating-satirical-musical-inspired-by-luigi-mangione.html\">one in Austin, Texas\u003c/a>. But rather than a sympathetic portrait or ill-timed SNL-style skit, this 60-minute musical satire imagines three notorious inmates — Mangione, the accused shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson; accused sex trafficker Sean “Diddy” Combs; and convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried — in a cell together, representing the worst manifestations of individualism and fracturing societal norms. Also, songs. Its initial run at Taylor Street Theatre is already sold out, so watch for new dates to be announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976125\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marga Gomez. \u003ccite>(Cheshire Isaacs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://auroratheatre.org/search-for-signs\">The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 12-Aug. 10\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Aurora Theatre, Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Written for and first performed by the extraordinary Lily Tomlin in 1985, Jane Wagner’s \u003cem>The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe\u003c/em> remains a skillful and relevant commentary on creativity, society and the human condition as experienced by a multi-generational collection of misfits, middle Americans, and muses. Aurora Theatre’s production stars Bay Area comedy performance legend Marga Gomez, poised to guide us — and some curious visitors from outer space — through a world where soup is art, art is soup, and the search for intelligence is a truly universal concern.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13857596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS.jpg\" alt='Still from \"Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart,\" a documentary directed by Tracy Heather Strain that premiered on PBS in 2018.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1082\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13857596\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-800x451.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-768x433.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-1020x575.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-1200x676.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lorraine Hansberry. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of PBS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/blancs\">Les Blancs\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 11-27\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Oakland Theater Project at FLAX, Oakland\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1961, the prominent playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry penned \u003ca href=\"https://www.villagevoice.com/genet-mailer-the-new-paternalism/\">a thoughtful takedown\u003c/a> of Jean Genet’s \u003cem>The Blacks\u003c/em> for the \u003cem>Village Voice\u003c/em>. She worked on a theatrical response as well — her posthumously produced \u003cem>Les Blancs\u003c/em>. Set on the African continent, this seldom-performed play tackles the deep wounds of colonialism, and the right of indigenous people everywhere for self-determination and freedom from oppression and exploitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976135\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1679px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1679\" height=\"1011\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976135\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web.jpg 1679w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-800x482.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-1020x614.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-160x96.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-768x462.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-1536x925.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1679px) 100vw, 1679px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Torange Yeghiazarian, the founding artistic director of Golden Thread Productions. \u003ccite>(Navid G. Maghami)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinshakespeare.org/seeds/\">Seeds of Time Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 15-Aug. 3\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>514 Fourth Street Theater, San Rafael\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something artistic this way comes. Marin Shakespeare Company and Play On Shakespeare team up for this festival of works-in-progress that reimagine classics into theatrical expressions of the now. Mostly Shakespeare-inspired — with Chekov and 12th century Persia in the mix — the six featured plays riff on themes of love, identity, power, motherhood and AI. A feast of local talent and fervent ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966072\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966072\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grace Margaret Craig in ‘Ride the Cyclone’ at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Jenni Chapman/Courtesy NCTC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://cltc.org/current-events/\">Head Over Heels\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 17- Aug. 24\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>City Lights Theater, San Jose\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://nctcsf.org/event/ride-the-cyclone-returns/\">Ride the Cyclone\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 11-Aug. 15\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If jukebox musicals have a “season,” surely it’s summer, when long days and languid nights seem to demand lighter, more joyous fare. City Lights Theater Company’s production of \u003cem>Head Over Heels\u003c/em> — a jukebox musical featuring the greatest hits of the Go-Go’s — can fill that need. A less-than idyllic romp through ancient Arcadia, punctuated by songs such as “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips are Sealed” and “Vacation,” \u003cem>Head Over Heels\u003c/em> takes on gender, love and destiny with poppy aplomb. For fun-loving levity with original songs made popular on TikTok, New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco brings back their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966064/ride-the-cyclone-musical-review-san-francisco\">well received\u003c/a> and raucous production of teenage afterlife musical \u003cem>Ride the Cyclone\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976129\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976129\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Circus Bella performs at the 25th Yerba Buena Gardens Festival on June 20 and 21. \u003ccite>(Emil Alex)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>All Summer Long\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take it outside with Circus Bella and ChoreoFest at the \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/\">Yerba Buena Gardens Festival\u003c/a>; an \u003ca href=\"https://www.clubfugazisf.com/walking-tour\">arts-centered walking tour of North Beach\u003c/a> presented by the team behind circus spectacle \u003cem>Dear San Francisco\u003c/em>; an ode to California, SF Shakes-style, with \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://sfshakes.org/performance/free-shakes/gentlemen/\">Two Gentlemen of Verona\u003c/a>\u003c/em>; a hopefully restored mini-tour from the SF Mime Troupe (\u003ca href=\"https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/oyEZqUJSGrc_p45PgwHjhg\">donations are being accepted\u003c/a> to make it happen); \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://pineconesandportals.com/alice2025\">Alice in Wander Land\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, a “hiking theatre” production for the young with ADA and ASL options for extra access; or \u003ca href=\"https://www.aeofberkeley.org/\">Shakespeare’s \u003cem>Cymbeline\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Taming of the Shrew\u003c/em>\u003c/a> with Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley in John Hinkel Park.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Outdoor Shakespeare, musical premieres and returning favorites keep Bay Area stages hopping this summer.",
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"title": "10 of the Best Plays and Musicals in the Bay Area This Summer | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ci>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/summer-guide-2025\">2025 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/i>\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In case you’ve avoided the news cycle, the performing arts are in an unprecedented funding crisis. The U.S. government is slowly dismantling the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, which have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">canceled millions of dollars in already-awarded grants\u003c/a> across the country — including several nonprofits on this very summer theater preview.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means the support of your favorite organizations is more crucial than ever. What better way to support than to simply \u003cem>show up\u003c/em>? Get thee to a cabaret, a salon, or a summer musical. Buy a ticket, buy a drink, make the scene and make a difference. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 12 ways to avail yourself of theater’s transformative potential all summer long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976131\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976131\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/BAR9-2024_Credit_MichaelaSchulz-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) The ‘Co-Founders’ creative team of Beau Lewis, Adesha Adefela, and RyanNicole Austin. \u003ccite>(Michaela Schulz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2024-25-season/co-founders/\">Co-Founders\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>May 29–July 6, 2025\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Strand Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area-borne, \u003ca href=\"https://www.rhymecombinator.com/\">Rhyme Combinator\u003c/a>-conceived hip-hop musical \u003cem>Co-Founders\u003c/em> has its world premiere at last. Taking audience immersion to the next level, this “tech-savvy” production promises next-level design elements, powerhouse local performers, and an of-the-moment tale of a Black woman’s attempt to break into the upper echelons of Silicon Valley without losing her soul (and her home). This show’s been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905839/startup-dreams-hip-hop-and-theater-meet-in-a-new-play-about-tech-art\">a long time in the making\u003c/a>, and it’s ready to make some noise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976132\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1272\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976132\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-800x509.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-1020x649.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-768x488.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-1536x977.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/TBRLS_6.2_GregEndries-1-1920x1221.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sasha Velour in ‘The Big Reveal Live Show,’ running at Berkeley Rep June 4–15. \u003ccite>(Greg Endries)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/the-big-reveal-live-show/\">Sasha Velour: The Big Reveal Live Show\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 4–15, 2025\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Roda Theatre, Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The incomparable Sasha Velour, drag queen of 1,000 rose petals and winner of Season 9 of \u003cem>RuPaul’s Drag Race\u003c/em>, comes back to her former hometown at Berkeley Rep with a revival of \u003cem>The Big Reveal Live Show\u003c/em>. A showcase for Velour’s big ideas and even bigger drag, \u003cem>The Big Reveal\u003c/em> offers a fabulous window into the creative landscape of one of drag’s most innovative performers. Sumptuous, playful, and profound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976126\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"661\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976126\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-768x254.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-1536x508.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/jeremy.tony_.scott_-1920x635.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Jeremy Julian Greco, Tony Cyprien and Scott Cohen. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sunset Solos)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sunsetsolos.com/\">Sunset Solos\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ongoing; third Sunday of each month\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Sealevel, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since January 2024, a monthly solo performance showcase has been underway at Sealevel, a gallery and community space in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset. The brainchild of seasoned performer and producer Jeremy Julian Greco, this intimate, low-tech series brings some of the Bay Area’s best solo artists to a venue so close to the ocean you can smell the salt tang in the air. A flourishing testament to the arts’ ability to take root and bloom wherever it may be planted, Sunset Solos’ summer performers include Scott Cohen and Tony Cyprien, with more to be announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/NYPDAP-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New York Police officers outside the Altoona Police Department, where Luigi Mangione was taken into police custody, on Dec. 9, 2024, in Altoona, Pa. \u003ccite>(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://luigithemusical.info/\">Luigi: the Musical\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 13-28; more dates TBA\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Taylor Street Theater, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I’m being honest, when I first heard about \u003cem>Luigi: the Musical\u003c/em>, I wondered if perhaps it was a little \u003cem>too soon\u003c/em>. Especially since there are apparently two unrelated Luigi Mangione musicals in the works, one here and \u003ca href=\"https://www.lonestarlive.com/life/2025/02/austin-company-behind-young-greg-abbott-creating-satirical-musical-inspired-by-luigi-mangione.html\">one in Austin, Texas\u003c/a>. But rather than a sympathetic portrait or ill-timed SNL-style skit, this 60-minute musical satire imagines three notorious inmates — Mangione, the accused shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson; accused sex trafficker Sean “Diddy” Combs; and convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried — in a cell together, representing the worst manifestations of individualism and fracturing societal norms. Also, songs. Its initial run at Taylor Street Theatre is already sold out, so watch for new dates to be announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976125\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/MargaGomez.CheshireIsaacs-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marga Gomez. \u003ccite>(Cheshire Isaacs)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://auroratheatre.org/search-for-signs\">The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 12-Aug. 10\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Aurora Theatre, Berkeley\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Written for and first performed by the extraordinary Lily Tomlin in 1985, Jane Wagner’s \u003cem>The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe\u003c/em> remains a skillful and relevant commentary on creativity, society and the human condition as experienced by a multi-generational collection of misfits, middle Americans, and muses. Aurora Theatre’s production stars Bay Area comedy performance legend Marga Gomez, poised to guide us — and some curious visitors from outer space — through a world where soup is art, art is soup, and the search for intelligence is a truly universal concern.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13857596\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS.jpg\" alt='Still from \"Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart,\" a documentary directed by Tracy Heather Strain that premiered on PBS in 2018.' width=\"1920\" height=\"1082\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13857596\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-800x451.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-768x433.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-1020x575.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/LorraineHansberry-PBS-1200x676.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lorraine Hansberry. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of PBS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/blancs\">Les Blancs\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 11-27\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Oakland Theater Project at FLAX, Oakland\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1961, the prominent playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry penned \u003ca href=\"https://www.villagevoice.com/genet-mailer-the-new-paternalism/\">a thoughtful takedown\u003c/a> of Jean Genet’s \u003cem>The Blacks\u003c/em> for the \u003cem>Village Voice\u003c/em>. She worked on a theatrical response as well — her posthumously produced \u003cem>Les Blancs\u003c/em>. Set on the African continent, this seldom-performed play tackles the deep wounds of colonialism, and the right of indigenous people everywhere for self-determination and freedom from oppression and exploitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976135\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1679px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1679\" height=\"1011\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976135\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web.jpg 1679w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-800x482.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-1020x614.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-160x96.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-768x462.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Torange-Photo-by-Navid-G-Maghami-for-web-1536x925.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1679px) 100vw, 1679px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Torange Yeghiazarian, the founding artistic director of Golden Thread Productions. \u003ccite>(Navid G. Maghami)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinshakespeare.org/seeds/\">Seeds of Time Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 15-Aug. 3\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>514 Fourth Street Theater, San Rafael\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something artistic this way comes. Marin Shakespeare Company and Play On Shakespeare team up for this festival of works-in-progress that reimagine classics into theatrical expressions of the now. Mostly Shakespeare-inspired — with Chekov and 12th century Persia in the mix — the six featured plays riff on themes of love, identity, power, motherhood and AI. A feast of local talent and fervent ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13966072\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13966072\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/RideTheCycloneNCTC_-Grace-Margaret-Craig.-Photo-by-Jenni-Chapman-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grace Margaret Craig in ‘Ride the Cyclone’ at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Jenni Chapman/Courtesy NCTC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://cltc.org/current-events/\">Head Over Heels\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 17- Aug. 24\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>City Lights Theater, San Jose\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://nctcsf.org/event/ride-the-cyclone-returns/\">Ride the Cyclone\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>July 11-Aug. 15\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If jukebox musicals have a “season,” surely it’s summer, when long days and languid nights seem to demand lighter, more joyous fare. City Lights Theater Company’s production of \u003cem>Head Over Heels\u003c/em> — a jukebox musical featuring the greatest hits of the Go-Go’s — can fill that need. A less-than idyllic romp through ancient Arcadia, punctuated by songs such as “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips are Sealed” and “Vacation,” \u003cem>Head Over Heels\u003c/em> takes on gender, love and destiny with poppy aplomb. For fun-loving levity with original songs made popular on TikTok, New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco brings back their \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966064/ride-the-cyclone-musical-review-san-francisco\">well received\u003c/a> and raucous production of teenage afterlife musical \u003cem>Ride the Cyclone\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13976129\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13976129\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Circus-Bella-credit-Emil-Alex-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Circus Bella performs at the 25th Yerba Buena Gardens Festival on June 20 and 21. \u003ccite>(Emil Alex)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>All Summer Long\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take it outside with Circus Bella and ChoreoFest at the \u003ca href=\"https://ybgfestival.org/\">Yerba Buena Gardens Festival\u003c/a>; an \u003ca href=\"https://www.clubfugazisf.com/walking-tour\">arts-centered walking tour of North Beach\u003c/a> presented by the team behind circus spectacle \u003cem>Dear San Francisco\u003c/em>; an ode to California, SF Shakes-style, with \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://sfshakes.org/performance/free-shakes/gentlemen/\">Two Gentlemen of Verona\u003c/a>\u003c/em>; a hopefully restored mini-tour from the SF Mime Troupe (\u003ca href=\"https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/oyEZqUJSGrc_p45PgwHjhg\">donations are being accepted\u003c/a> to make it happen); \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://pineconesandportals.com/alice2025\">Alice in Wander Land\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, a “hiking theatre” production for the young with ADA and ASL options for extra access; or \u003ca href=\"https://www.aeofberkeley.org/\">Shakespeare’s \u003cem>Cymbeline\u003c/em> and \u003cem>The Taming of the Shrew\u003c/em>\u003c/a> with Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley in John Hinkel Park.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits",
"title": "Trump Cancels NEA Grants for Many Bay Area Arts Nonprofits",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>Updated 10:05 p.m. Monday.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a dozen Bay Area arts nonprofits received emails the afternoon of May 2 that their grants from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/nea\">National Endowment for the Arts\u003c/a> have been canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cancellations affect a wide range of Bay Area arts organizations, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley-rep\">Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/frameline\">Frameline\u003c/a> film festival, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfjazz\">SFJAZZ\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-lab\">The Lab\u003c/a>. The emails stated that “the NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13975921']In a budget proposal released on May 2, \u003ca href=\"https://www.americantheatre.org/2025/05/02/trump-proposes-elimination-of-nea-and-neh/\">President Trump called for eliminating the NEA entirely\u003c/a>, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The grant terminations are effective as of May 31, 2025. Affected grantees now have until June 30, 2025 to make a final payment request — if they are able to complete their awarded projects by the end of May.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Trump’s new priorities\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The NEA’s Grants for the Arts, issued twice a year, historically range in value from $10,000 to $100,000 and support arts nonprofits in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. The most recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13970297/nea-grants-list-of-sf-bay-area-organizations-receiving-grants-in-2025\">grant announcement in January\u003c/a> totaled nearly $36.8 million, spread across 1,474 awards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bay Area National Endowment for the Arts Grantees\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-RKmYG\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/RKmYG/5/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"650\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previous NEA chair Maria Rosario Jackson, who had been appointed by former President Joe Biden, resigned on Jan. 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration. Mary Anne Carter, Trump’s NEA chair during his 2017-2020 administration, is currently overseeing the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The termination emails received by grantees list the updated priorities of the NEA as “projects that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13975664\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13975664\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000.jpg\" alt=\"gallery space with tables and sculptures, lights on floor\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1036\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-800x414.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-1020x528.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-160x83.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-768x398.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-1536x796.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-1920x995.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An installation view of ‘arcane transmissions,’ presented by The Lab and cloaca projects, based on an original conception by Peter Simensky. The exhibition and performance series was funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. \u003ccite>(Robert Divers Herrick)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While some of these are familiar to arts nonprofits who have previously applied for NEA grants, projects intended to “foster AI competency” and “make America healthy again” stood out as new additions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13971749']Confusingly, some organizations had funding rescinded for projects that, in fact, met the NEA’s new criteria. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiasymphony.org/\">California Symphony\u003c/a>, for instance, had $10,000 in grant funds terminated, resulting in the possible cancellation of a commission by its composer-in-residence, Saad Haddad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The unfortunate irony,” symphony director Donato Cabrara told KQED, “is that this final commission was to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, one of the new criteria listed by the NEA.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A ‘roller-coaster ride’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scrap-sf.org/\">SCRAP\u003c/a>, the San Francisco creative reuse center, was proud to announce its very first NEA grant in January. But since then, the $25,000 in funds have been effectively frozen. SCRAP received notice that their funding recommendation had been withdrawn on Friday. The grant was meant to support staff and teaching artists running a sustainable fashion design program for underserved youth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nonprofit now has seven calendar days to appeal the decision. SCRAP’s Director of Programs Danielle Grant says it’s unlikely they will appeal. “We don’t fit any of those ‘new priorities,’” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13974246']\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/\">Oakland Theater Project\u003c/a>, which received a $30,000 award in 2024 for the world premiere production of Erik Ehn’s \u003ci>Moby Dick\u003c/i>, was also among the affected nonprofits. Managing Director Colin Mandlin said they have received about half of the funds from the NEA, which were meant to cover a two-year granting period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just last month, Oakland Theater Project was hit by other federal funding cuts: Their $25,000 grant from California Humanities \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13974246/neh-funding-canceled-grants-california-humanities\">was canceled\u003c/a> when the National Endowment for the Humanities \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/03/nx-s1-5350994/neh-grants-cut-humanities-doge-trump\">canceled millions of dollars\u003c/a> in previously awarded federal grants to arts and cultural groups across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The roller-coaster ride continues,” Mandlin wrote in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Moby Dick\u003c/i> was scheduled to premiere in 2026; it’s unlikely Oakland Theater Project will be able to receive their full grant amount by the June deadline. Mandlin said they’ll have to revisit the extent of their plans for the production. “It’s more ambitious, world premieres, when we’re commissioning a piece from scratch,” Mandlin said. “Commissioning a play costs a substantial amount of funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Smith at The Lab in November 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Uncertainty in all sizes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The grant cancellations are particularly dire for smaller arts organizations with smaller operating budgets, for which an NEA grant can constitute substantial assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew Smith, executive director of the San Francisco experimental arts space \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937804/the-lab-new-lease-redstone-building-sf-labor-temple\">The Lab\u003c/a>, also received the notice-of-termination email — twice. Both projects, Smith said, have thankfully been completed and fully reimbursed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Expecting something like this grant termination to happen, Smith pushed NEA-funded programming from the fall to the spring in order to submit for reimbursement as quickly as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, the literary magazine \u003ci>ZYZZYVA\u003c/i>, the Richmond Art Center, the San Francisco International Arts Festival and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players all received emails that their ongoing NEA grants were canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://sfcmp.org/concerts/2024-2025-season/shared-rituals/\">Our program\u003c/a> is happening next Saturday, and the loss of $20K is a major fiscal blow to our organization,” Richard Aldag, executive director of SFCMP, wrote to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13973894']\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/womens-audio-mission\">Women’s Audio Mission\u003c/a> had been awarded $45,000 from the NEA to support Girls on the Mic, a free music and media arts training and mentorship program with a focus on girls and gender-diverse youth. Those funds were pulled Friday, executive director Terri Winston said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can understand changing priorities moving forward, but withdrawing funds after they had been approved is pretty cruel,” said Winston.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dance organizations ODC, Flyaway Productions and Dance Mission all had grant funds canceled, as did the Omnira Institute in Oakland, which had been awarded $10,000 to support a festival of Black music and art. The \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/bay-area-nea-cuts-trump-20308037.php\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>\u003c/em> reported Saturday that Circo Zero and New Conservatory Theatre Center had their funding canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Larger arts groups were not spared in Friday’s slashing of funds. A representative of both \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley-rep\">Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/act\">American Conservatory Theater\u003c/a> confirmed to KQED that the long-running theater companies received the cancellation email. The 42-year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfjazz\">SFJAZZ\u003c/a> and 55-year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/theatreworks-silicon-valley\">TheatreWorks Silicon Valley\u003c/a> also had their NEA grants canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both The Lab and Oakland Theater Project have submitted applications, currently pending, for future NEA grants. It’s uncertain if any grants submitted under the previous guidelines will be awarded.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>Updated 10:05 p.m. Monday.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than a dozen Bay Area arts nonprofits received emails the afternoon of May 2 that their grants from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/nea\">National Endowment for the Arts\u003c/a> have been canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cancellations affect a wide range of Bay Area arts organizations, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley-rep\">Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/frameline\">Frameline\u003c/a> film festival, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfjazz\">SFJAZZ\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-lab\">The Lab\u003c/a>. The emails stated that “the NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In a budget proposal released on May 2, \u003ca href=\"https://www.americantheatre.org/2025/05/02/trump-proposes-elimination-of-nea-and-neh/\">President Trump called for eliminating the NEA entirely\u003c/a>, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The grant terminations are effective as of May 31, 2025. Affected grantees now have until June 30, 2025 to make a final payment request — if they are able to complete their awarded projects by the end of May.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Trump’s new priorities\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The NEA’s Grants for the Arts, issued twice a year, historically range in value from $10,000 to $100,000 and support arts nonprofits in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. The most recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13970297/nea-grants-list-of-sf-bay-area-organizations-receiving-grants-in-2025\">grant announcement in January\u003c/a> totaled nearly $36.8 million, spread across 1,474 awards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bay Area National Endowment for the Arts Grantees\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-RKmYG\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/RKmYG/5/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"650\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previous NEA chair Maria Rosario Jackson, who had been appointed by former President Joe Biden, resigned on Jan. 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration. Mary Anne Carter, Trump’s NEA chair during his 2017-2020 administration, is currently overseeing the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The termination emails received by grantees list the updated priorities of the NEA as “projects that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13975664\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13975664\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000.jpg\" alt=\"gallery space with tables and sculptures, lights on floor\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1036\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-800x414.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-1020x528.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-160x83.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-768x398.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-1536x796.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/250221_TheLab_PeterSiminsky_ArcaneTransmissions_RDH_097-Smaller_2000-1920x995.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An installation view of ‘arcane transmissions,’ presented by The Lab and cloaca projects, based on an original conception by Peter Simensky. The exhibition and performance series was funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. \u003ccite>(Robert Divers Herrick)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While some of these are familiar to arts nonprofits who have previously applied for NEA grants, projects intended to “foster AI competency” and “make America healthy again” stood out as new additions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Confusingly, some organizations had funding rescinded for projects that, in fact, met the NEA’s new criteria. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.californiasymphony.org/\">California Symphony\u003c/a>, for instance, had $10,000 in grant funds terminated, resulting in the possible cancellation of a commission by its composer-in-residence, Saad Haddad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The unfortunate irony,” symphony director Donato Cabrara told KQED, “is that this final commission was to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, one of the new criteria listed by the NEA.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A ‘roller-coaster ride’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scrap-sf.org/\">SCRAP\u003c/a>, the San Francisco creative reuse center, was proud to announce its very first NEA grant in January. But since then, the $25,000 in funds have been effectively frozen. SCRAP received notice that their funding recommendation had been withdrawn on Friday. The grant was meant to support staff and teaching artists running a sustainable fashion design program for underserved youth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nonprofit now has seven calendar days to appeal the decision. SCRAP’s Director of Programs Danielle Grant says it’s unlikely they will appeal. “We don’t fit any of those ‘new priorities,’” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/\">Oakland Theater Project\u003c/a>, which received a $30,000 award in 2024 for the world premiere production of Erik Ehn’s \u003ci>Moby Dick\u003c/i>, was also among the affected nonprofits. Managing Director Colin Mandlin said they have received about half of the funds from the NEA, which were meant to cover a two-year granting period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just last month, Oakland Theater Project was hit by other federal funding cuts: Their $25,000 grant from California Humanities \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13974246/neh-funding-canceled-grants-california-humanities\">was canceled\u003c/a> when the National Endowment for the Humanities \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/03/nx-s1-5350994/neh-grants-cut-humanities-doge-trump\">canceled millions of dollars\u003c/a> in previously awarded federal grants to arts and cultural groups across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The roller-coaster ride continues,” Mandlin wrote in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Moby Dick\u003c/i> was scheduled to premiere in 2026; it’s unlikely Oakland Theater Project will be able to receive their full grant amount by the June deadline. Mandlin said they’ll have to revisit the extent of their plans for the production. “It’s more ambitious, world premieres, when we’re commissioning a piece from scratch,” Mandlin said. “Commissioning a play costs a substantial amount of funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/231108-TheLab-25-BL_2000-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Smith at The Lab in November 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Uncertainty in all sizes\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The grant cancellations are particularly dire for smaller arts organizations with smaller operating budgets, for which an NEA grant can constitute substantial assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew Smith, executive director of the San Francisco experimental arts space \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937804/the-lab-new-lease-redstone-building-sf-labor-temple\">The Lab\u003c/a>, also received the notice-of-termination email — twice. Both projects, Smith said, have thankfully been completed and fully reimbursed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Expecting something like this grant termination to happen, Smith pushed NEA-funded programming from the fall to the spring in order to submit for reimbursement as quickly as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, the literary magazine \u003ci>ZYZZYVA\u003c/i>, the Richmond Art Center, the San Francisco International Arts Festival and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players all received emails that their ongoing NEA grants were canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://sfcmp.org/concerts/2024-2025-season/shared-rituals/\">Our program\u003c/a> is happening next Saturday, and the loss of $20K is a major fiscal blow to our organization,” Richard Aldag, executive director of SFCMP, wrote to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/womens-audio-mission\">Women’s Audio Mission\u003c/a> had been awarded $45,000 from the NEA to support Girls on the Mic, a free music and media arts training and mentorship program with a focus on girls and gender-diverse youth. Those funds were pulled Friday, executive director Terri Winston said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I can understand changing priorities moving forward, but withdrawing funds after they had been approved is pretty cruel,” said Winston.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dance organizations ODC, Flyaway Productions and Dance Mission all had grant funds canceled, as did the Omnira Institute in Oakland, which had been awarded $10,000 to support a festival of Black music and art. The \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/bay-area-nea-cuts-trump-20308037.php\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>\u003c/em> reported Saturday that Circo Zero and New Conservatory Theatre Center had their funding canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Larger arts groups were not spared in Friday’s slashing of funds. A representative of both \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley-rep\">Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/act\">American Conservatory Theater\u003c/a> confirmed to KQED that the long-running theater companies received the cancellation email. The 42-year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfjazz\">SFJAZZ\u003c/a> and 55-year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/theatreworks-silicon-valley\">TheatreWorks Silicon Valley\u003c/a> also had their NEA grants canceled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both The Lab and Oakland Theater Project have submitted applications, currently pending, for future NEA grants. It’s uncertain if any grants submitted under the previous guidelines will be awarded.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>On Friday afternoon, April 4, recipients of California Humanities grants received an email announcing the sudden cancellation of their funding from the statewide nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are currently unable to issue any outstanding grant payments,” the email read. “All grants to state humanities and jurisdictions, including California Humanities have been suspended.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Humanities receives over 90% of its funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which on April 3 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/03/nx-s1-5350994/neh-grants-cut-humanities-doge-trump\">canceled millions of dollars\u003c/a> in previously awarded federal grants to arts and cultural groups across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hadn’t heard of the NEH, frankly, until last week,” said Matty Lynn Barnes, executive producer of the 30-minute documentary short \u003ci>Living Harriet Tubman\u003c/i>, which received a $30,000 \u003ca href=\"https://calhum.org/2024-california-documentary-project-awards/\">California Documentary Project grant\u003c/a> from Californa Humanities in 2024. “We had zero clue where Cal Humanities money comes from.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colin Mandlin, managing director of \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/\">Oakland Theater Project\u003c/a>, said he was similarly unaware his organization’s $25,000 grant could be in jeopardy from federal funding cuts. This was the theater’s first grant from California Humanities, which was to go towards environmental justice-focused civic debates, an exhibition, a school workshop series and a walking tour of West Oakland to accompany their 2026 season. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If no other funding comes through, then definitely we’ll have to cut some of these activities,” Mandlin said. Like the \u003ci>Living Harriet Tubman\u003c/i> team, Oakland Theater Project had only received an initial payment of half the grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13974253\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two Black men face each other, smiling and laughing\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13974253\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image from Maya Chupkov’s feature-length documentary, which follows Issac Bailey and Jay Jordan, two Black men who stutter and whose lives are largely shaped by their speech. The film received a $35,000 California Humanities grant in 2023. \u003ccite>(Brian Bowen Smith)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Maya Chupkov, a recipient of a 2023 California Documentary Project grant for \u003ca href=\"https://www.proudstutter.org/documentary\">a feature-length documentary\u003c/a> based on stories from the podcast \u003ci>Proud Stutter\u003c/i>, had just received her second check from California Humanities when the email came about her canceled award. California Humanities grants are disbursed in 50%, 40% and 10% chunks over the course of supported projects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel grateful that I was able to get the second installment,” she said, “but we’re gonna have to figure out how to fill that hole.” Without the final $3,500 of her grant, she said, she’ll need to reassess a major shoot and do more fundraising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The independent film world is just really tough right now,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13875290']Barnes and \u003ci>Living Harriet Tubman\u003c/i> director Brandon Tauszik immediately launched \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-doge-defunded-our-documentary\">a GoFundMe\u003c/a> for the remaining $15,000 they expected to receive for the film, which tells the story of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13875290/meet-the-civil-war-reenactor-upholding-harriet-tubmans-legacy\">Nancy Whittle\u003c/a>, a Fresno resident who spent 30 years portraying the abolitionist leader at Civil War reenactments across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal of the film is to “reveal the power of facing painful histories.” (The National Park Service only recently restored \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/what-is-the-underground-railroad.htm\">a web page about the Underground Railroad\u003c/a> that had been \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/harriet-tubman-park-service-trump-dei-a8dbb6fa252518d0598aad5f0ce6f1ab\">changed in February\u003c/a> to remove a large image of Tubman and quotations from her.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a devastating loss to our otherwise self-funded project,” the filmmakers wrote on the fundraising site. “The Trump administration’s cuts to humanities and DEI funding aren’t just budgetary — they’re ideological attempts to erase cultural memory and reshape history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13974252\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two people hold cameras pointed at an older Black woman in front of home\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13974252\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Theo Schear and Amelia Alemayehu filming Nancy Whittle outside her home in Fresno during the making of ‘Living Harriet Tubman.’ \u003ccite>(Brandon Tauszik)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California Humanities was established in 1975 as a nonpartisan affiliate of the NEH, and has awarded over $44 million in grants during its 50 years. In addition to the California Documentary Project, the organization currently funds the programs Humanities for All, the Library Innovation Lab, Literature & Medicine, and Emerging Journalist Fellowships. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, as they wrote in an \u003ca href=\"https://calhum.org/save-california-humanities-doge-cuts-to-the-neh-will-damage-cultural-organizaitons-in-our-state/\">April 4 press release\u003c/a>, “We give resources to the organizations and individuals who bring you family library programs, documentary films that uncover little-known CA histories, hospital staff who focus on their patients as people, not pathologies, and stories generated by local journalists, not AI.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Humanities staff could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. But in the April 4 press release, the organization said it had joined with 56 other state and jurisdictional councils “to strategize how to work together to ensure no humanities council will shut its doors.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether any of their grantees will receive the rest of their awards is up in the air. Mandlin notes it’s a difficult time for governmental funding at all levels. “Last year our state of California general operating grant was shrunk, our city of Oakland general operating grant was shrunk,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s another degree of challenge with money that’s already been promised,” Mandlin said. “It can really lead leaders to think about retracting, playing it safe and cutting back in a way that doesn’t serve anyone.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/sfaulise\">Shannon Faulise\u003c/a> contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On Friday afternoon, April 4, recipients of California Humanities grants received an email announcing the sudden cancellation of their funding from the statewide nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are currently unable to issue any outstanding grant payments,” the email read. “All grants to state humanities and jurisdictions, including California Humanities have been suspended.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Humanities receives over 90% of its funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which on April 3 \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/03/nx-s1-5350994/neh-grants-cut-humanities-doge-trump\">canceled millions of dollars\u003c/a> in previously awarded federal grants to arts and cultural groups across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hadn’t heard of the NEH, frankly, until last week,” said Matty Lynn Barnes, executive producer of the 30-minute documentary short \u003ci>Living Harriet Tubman\u003c/i>, which received a $30,000 \u003ca href=\"https://calhum.org/2024-california-documentary-project-awards/\">California Documentary Project grant\u003c/a> from Californa Humanities in 2024. “We had zero clue where Cal Humanities money comes from.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Colin Mandlin, managing director of \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/\">Oakland Theater Project\u003c/a>, said he was similarly unaware his organization’s $25,000 grant could be in jeopardy from federal funding cuts. This was the theater’s first grant from California Humanities, which was to go towards environmental justice-focused civic debates, an exhibition, a school workshop series and a walking tour of West Oakland to accompany their 2026 season. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If no other funding comes through, then definitely we’ll have to cut some of these activities,” Mandlin said. Like the \u003ci>Living Harriet Tubman\u003c/i> team, Oakland Theater Project had only received an initial payment of half the grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13974253\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two Black men face each other, smiling and laughing\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13974253\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/Proud_Stutter0385_2000-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image from Maya Chupkov’s feature-length documentary, which follows Issac Bailey and Jay Jordan, two Black men who stutter and whose lives are largely shaped by their speech. The film received a $35,000 California Humanities grant in 2023. \u003ccite>(Brian Bowen Smith)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Maya Chupkov, a recipient of a 2023 California Documentary Project grant for \u003ca href=\"https://www.proudstutter.org/documentary\">a feature-length documentary\u003c/a> based on stories from the podcast \u003ci>Proud Stutter\u003c/i>, had just received her second check from California Humanities when the email came about her canceled award. California Humanities grants are disbursed in 50%, 40% and 10% chunks over the course of supported projects. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel grateful that I was able to get the second installment,” she said, “but we’re gonna have to figure out how to fill that hole.” Without the final $3,500 of her grant, she said, she’ll need to reassess a major shoot and do more fundraising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The independent film world is just really tough right now,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Barnes and \u003ci>Living Harriet Tubman\u003c/i> director Brandon Tauszik immediately launched \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-doge-defunded-our-documentary\">a GoFundMe\u003c/a> for the remaining $15,000 they expected to receive for the film, which tells the story of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13875290/meet-the-civil-war-reenactor-upholding-harriet-tubmans-legacy\">Nancy Whittle\u003c/a>, a Fresno resident who spent 30 years portraying the abolitionist leader at Civil War reenactments across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal of the film is to “reveal the power of facing painful histories.” (The National Park Service only recently restored \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/undergroundrailroad/what-is-the-underground-railroad.htm\">a web page about the Underground Railroad\u003c/a> that had been \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/harriet-tubman-park-service-trump-dei-a8dbb6fa252518d0598aad5f0ce6f1ab\">changed in February\u003c/a> to remove a large image of Tubman and quotations from her.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a devastating loss to our otherwise self-funded project,” the filmmakers wrote on the fundraising site. “The Trump administration’s cuts to humanities and DEI funding aren’t just budgetary — they’re ideological attempts to erase cultural memory and reshape history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13974252\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000.jpg\" alt=\"two people hold cameras pointed at an older Black woman in front of home\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13974252\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/HarrietTubman_2000-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Theo Schear and Amelia Alemayehu filming Nancy Whittle outside her home in Fresno during the making of ‘Living Harriet Tubman.’ \u003ccite>(Brandon Tauszik)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California Humanities was established in 1975 as a nonpartisan affiliate of the NEH, and has awarded over $44 million in grants during its 50 years. In addition to the California Documentary Project, the organization currently funds the programs Humanities for All, the Library Innovation Lab, Literature & Medicine, and Emerging Journalist Fellowships. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, as they wrote in an \u003ca href=\"https://calhum.org/save-california-humanities-doge-cuts-to-the-neh-will-damage-cultural-organizaitons-in-our-state/\">April 4 press release\u003c/a>, “We give resources to the organizations and individuals who bring you family library programs, documentary films that uncover little-known CA histories, hospital staff who focus on their patients as people, not pathologies, and stories generated by local journalists, not AI.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Humanities staff could not be reached for comment on Tuesday. But in the April 4 press release, the organization said it had joined with 56 other state and jurisdictional councils “to strategize how to work together to ensure no humanities council will shut its doors.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether any of their grantees will receive the rest of their awards is up in the air. Mandlin notes it’s a difficult time for governmental funding at all levels. “Last year our state of California general operating grant was shrunk, our city of Oakland general operating grant was shrunk,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s another degree of challenge with money that’s already been promised,” Mandlin said. “It can really lead leaders to think about retracting, playing it safe and cutting back in a way that doesn’t serve anyone.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/sfaulise\">Shannon Faulise\u003c/a> contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Formidable Black Women Lead an Epic Theatrical Saga in ‘A Thousand Ships’",
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"content": "\u003cp>Walking into Oakland Theater Project’s \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/ships\">\u003cem>A Thousand Ships\u003c/em>\u003c/a> is like walking into an Oakland neighborhood hair salon just before business hours. Quite literally, in fact. The intimate set — designed by Randy Wong-Westbrooke and sumptuously lit by Dr. Stephanie Anne Johnson — encloses the assembled audience within the salon’s interior. Leatherette-covered swivel chairs extend into the seating arrangements. An assortment of framed photographs of notable Black women adorn the walls, spiraling around a small sandpit in the center of the room. This sandpit grounds the action from scene to scene — from 1944 to 2008 — from the banks of a baptismal river to the last car of a West-bound train. [aside postid='arts_13968828']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ever-present sand shifting beneath the feet of the actors provides a tangible symbol for so many of the play’s fleeting themes. Of arrival and departure. Of baptism and beauty. Of being cast upon a foreign shore and made to work the land. Of the longing to reclaim a piece of land lost for oneself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There must have been a moment during the development of Marcus Gardley’s script for \u003cem>A Thousand Ships\u003c/em> when its current storyline emerged — as it’s quite a departure from the original concept that garnered it a Hewlett 50 Arts Commission (in association with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966472/cal-shakes-to-close-down-citing-insurmountable-financial-impasse\">Cal Shakes\u003c/a>) in 2017. That production promised to revisit the Richmond shipyards during World War II through oral history and vernacular music, a concept Gardley explored in \u003cem>This World in a Woman’s Hands\u003c/em>, produced by Shotgun Players in 2009. But while there’s a single scene in the play that does take place in the shipyards (with choreography by Latanya d. Tigner and music by longtime Gardley collaborator Molly Holm), this play is mainly centered around an Oakland salon on the brink of foreclosure — and the decades-long friendship between its co-owners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13969609\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13969609\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1769\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-800x553.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-1020x705.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-768x531.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-1536x1061.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-2048x1415.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-1920x1327.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn L. Troupe as Laney Melrose Durant in ‘A Thousand Ships’ at Oakland Theater Project. \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gardley’s work frequently blurs the lines between the earthly and the epic, and threads of the metaphysical are woven throughout this piece. At the top, Adrian Roberts as the Father of Water delivers a stately, poetic monologue ruminating on the nature of water and the cycles of history. The play’s matriarchs bestow blessings upon their kin that simultaneously reach into the past for inspiration yet call on an unwritten future. Like mythic ancestors, the two protagonists — Adeline Merritt Lake (Halili Knox), and Laney Melrose Durant (Dawn L. Troupe) — represent so much of Oakland even in their names alone. They’re everywomen who are both enchantingly 100% themselves, but also the culmination of those who came before them and those yet to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knox and Troupe are equally charismatic, and their respective performances complement each other’s strengths (even if neither \u003cem>quite\u003c/em> pulls off a convincing octogenarian). But it might be Rolanda D. Bell who really steals the show as neighborhood gossip and unapologetic Republican, “First Lady” Bella Vista Montclair. From the instant she enters the room shaking a miniature tambourine, she grabs hold of our attention and does not let it go. Wonderfully worldly — yet deeply concerned with the matters of the spirit — Bell’s First Lady encompasses multitudes, and leaves an indelible impression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13969610\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13969610\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1832\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-1020x730.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-768x550.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-1536x1099.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-2048x1465.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-1920x1374.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rolanda D. Bell as First Lady in ‘A Thousand Ships’ at Oakland Theater Project. \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Somewhat less impactful, the play’s younger generation feel less fully realized as characters and more like filler foils for their storied elders. Two are Laney’s grown children — played by Sam Jackson and William Heartfield — and the third is First Lady’s personal assistant Dimond, played humorously by Jasmine Milan Williams, who exaggerates her character’s advancing pregnancy with much huffing and mincing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a disappointingly tepid embezzlement plot point that doesn’t really amp up the tension, and results in an even more lukewarm conflict between Jackson’s Laurel Durant Bancroft and Heartfield’s MacArthur Bancroft. It’s almost impossible to really root for either of them as written, although Jackson at least is given a transformative moment of music that hints at the emotional depths her character struggles to otherwise reveal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13969611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13969611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn L. Troupe (left) as Laney Melrose Durant, William Hartfield (center) as MacArthur Bancroft and Sam Jackson (right) as Laurel Durant Bancroft. \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It should be noted that despite the Dec. 15 show being originally billed as opening night, Oakland Theater Project made a last minute decision to extend their previews — but to still let press review that preview. So it’s to be expected that evident lags in momentum and memorization will be ironed out by their new official opening night, on Dec. 19. Director Michael Socrates Moran has been bringing Gardley’s work to life for ten years now, and has a keen ear for the distinctive rhythms of his work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What will likely not be addressed for this run is the puzzling disconnect between the play’s elders and their heirs, who stand to inherit their legacy, but who feel ill-suited to bear that weight. I’d love to see Gardley revisit these characters again when they’re better prepared to step into their own power, and shape a narrative of their own. With ancestors as magnificent as Adeline and Laney, they’ll have a solid foundation to build from, and plenty of forward momentum.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/ships\">A Thousand Ships\u003c/a>’ runs at Oakland Theater Project through Jan. 5. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Walking into Oakland Theater Project’s \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/ships\">\u003cem>A Thousand Ships\u003c/em>\u003c/a> is like walking into an Oakland neighborhood hair salon just before business hours. Quite literally, in fact. The intimate set — designed by Randy Wong-Westbrooke and sumptuously lit by Dr. Stephanie Anne Johnson — encloses the assembled audience within the salon’s interior. Leatherette-covered swivel chairs extend into the seating arrangements. An assortment of framed photographs of notable Black women adorn the walls, spiraling around a small sandpit in the center of the room. This sandpit grounds the action from scene to scene — from 1944 to 2008 — from the banks of a baptismal river to the last car of a West-bound train. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ever-present sand shifting beneath the feet of the actors provides a tangible symbol for so many of the play’s fleeting themes. Of arrival and departure. Of baptism and beauty. Of being cast upon a foreign shore and made to work the land. Of the longing to reclaim a piece of land lost for oneself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There must have been a moment during the development of Marcus Gardley’s script for \u003cem>A Thousand Ships\u003c/em> when its current storyline emerged — as it’s quite a departure from the original concept that garnered it a Hewlett 50 Arts Commission (in association with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966472/cal-shakes-to-close-down-citing-insurmountable-financial-impasse\">Cal Shakes\u003c/a>) in 2017. That production promised to revisit the Richmond shipyards during World War II through oral history and vernacular music, a concept Gardley explored in \u003cem>This World in a Woman’s Hands\u003c/em>, produced by Shotgun Players in 2009. But while there’s a single scene in the play that does take place in the shipyards (with choreography by Latanya d. Tigner and music by longtime Gardley collaborator Molly Holm), this play is mainly centered around an Oakland salon on the brink of foreclosure — and the decades-long friendship between its co-owners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13969609\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13969609\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1769\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-800x553.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-1020x705.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-768x531.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-1536x1061.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-2048x1415.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_113-1920x1327.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn L. Troupe as Laney Melrose Durant in ‘A Thousand Ships’ at Oakland Theater Project. \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gardley’s work frequently blurs the lines between the earthly and the epic, and threads of the metaphysical are woven throughout this piece. At the top, Adrian Roberts as the Father of Water delivers a stately, poetic monologue ruminating on the nature of water and the cycles of history. The play’s matriarchs bestow blessings upon their kin that simultaneously reach into the past for inspiration yet call on an unwritten future. Like mythic ancestors, the two protagonists — Adeline Merritt Lake (Halili Knox), and Laney Melrose Durant (Dawn L. Troupe) — represent so much of Oakland even in their names alone. They’re everywomen who are both enchantingly 100% themselves, but also the culmination of those who came before them and those yet to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knox and Troupe are equally charismatic, and their respective performances complement each other’s strengths (even if neither \u003cem>quite\u003c/em> pulls off a convincing octogenarian). But it might be Rolanda D. Bell who really steals the show as neighborhood gossip and unapologetic Republican, “First Lady” Bella Vista Montclair. From the instant she enters the room shaking a miniature tambourine, she grabs hold of our attention and does not let it go. Wonderfully worldly — yet deeply concerned with the matters of the spirit — Bell’s First Lady encompasses multitudes, and leaves an indelible impression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13969610\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13969610\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1832\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-1020x730.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-768x550.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-1536x1099.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-2048x1465.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_132-1-1920x1374.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rolanda D. Bell as First Lady in ‘A Thousand Ships’ at Oakland Theater Project. \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Somewhat less impactful, the play’s younger generation feel less fully realized as characters and more like filler foils for their storied elders. Two are Laney’s grown children — played by Sam Jackson and William Heartfield — and the third is First Lady’s personal assistant Dimond, played humorously by Jasmine Milan Williams, who exaggerates her character’s advancing pregnancy with much huffing and mincing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a disappointingly tepid embezzlement plot point that doesn’t really amp up the tension, and results in an even more lukewarm conflict between Jackson’s Laurel Durant Bancroft and Heartfield’s MacArthur Bancroft. It’s almost impossible to really root for either of them as written, although Jackson at least is given a transformative moment of music that hints at the emotional depths her character struggles to otherwise reveal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13969611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13969611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/1000_Ships_2024_197-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn L. Troupe (left) as Laney Melrose Durant, William Hartfield (center) as MacArthur Bancroft and Sam Jackson (right) as Laurel Durant Bancroft. \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It should be noted that despite the Dec. 15 show being originally billed as opening night, Oakland Theater Project made a last minute decision to extend their previews — but to still let press review that preview. So it’s to be expected that evident lags in momentum and memorization will be ironed out by their new official opening night, on Dec. 19. Director Michael Socrates Moran has been bringing Gardley’s work to life for ten years now, and has a keen ear for the distinctive rhythms of his work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What will likely not be addressed for this run is the puzzling disconnect between the play’s elders and their heirs, who stand to inherit their legacy, but who feel ill-suited to bear that weight. I’d love to see Gardley revisit these characters again when they’re better prepared to step into their own power, and shape a narrative of their own. With ancestors as magnificent as Adeline and Laney, they’ll have a solid foundation to build from, and plenty of forward momentum.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/ships\">A Thousand Ships\u003c/a>’ runs at Oakland Theater Project through Jan. 5. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-bay-area-theater-2024",
"title": "The Best Bay Area Theater We Saw in 2024",
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"content": "\u003cp>There’s no denying that theater continued to face massive obstacles in 2024. With audiences still choosing to stay home in large numbers, fundraising campaigns were often as common as season announcements, while consequential closures of legacy institutions stung the ecosystem as a whole.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, companies large and small continued to crank out successful, fantastic productions in the face of brutal headwinds — with some of the nation’s biggest touring productions adding cherries to our already massive regional theatrical sundae. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below, theater critics and regular KQED contributors Nicole Gluckstern and David John Chávez share their most significant Bay Area theater happenings of 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968854\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1248\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968854\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-800x499.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1020x636.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-768x479.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1920x1198.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jim (William Thomas Hodgson), Amanda (Susi Damilano), Laura (Nicole Javier) and Tom (Jomar Tagatac) in ‘The Glass Menagerie’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Truth of Illusion in ‘Glass Menagerie’ at SF Playhouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-playhouse\">San Francisco Playhouse\u003c/a> in May, \u003cem>The Glass Menagerie\u003c/em>, one of Tennessee Williams’ most produced and haunting plays, served a master class in how to modernize a classic. First, find themes of relevance in our modern world through the fraught existence of the Wingfield family and its illusory protagonist Tom. Second, collect a bang-up cast of terrific performers. Third, let them cook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This production wrangled such explosiveness out of the piercing text, extracting lessons of race, class and sexuality in flaring new ways. Jeffrey Lo’s direction of his diverse cast bubbled to a firmly unifying crescendo, easily making this one of the year’s most thrilling locally produced pieces of theater. The show blew me away at every turn.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968851\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1265\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968851\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-800x506.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-1020x645.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-768x486.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-1536x972.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-1920x1214.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Ramirez and the cast of ‘Angels in America.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A Soaring ‘Angels in America’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland-theater-project\">Oakland Theater Project\u003c/a>’s exquisitely distilled \u003cem>Angels in America\u003c/em> stomped, glided and soared across the stage at Marin Shakespeare Company’s new digs in San Rafael. Remounts of this heaving contemporary epic with deep Bay Area roots are always highly anticipated events around these parts, and OTP’s version was a welcome addition to the firmament. From the inspired casting (including company stalwarts J Jha as Prior, and Lisa Ramirez as the Angel) to the bare-bones but carefully curated design choices and the full-throated demand for \u003cem>more life\u003c/em>, this production felt utterly of this time. That’s despite ostensibly being set in an earlier, similarly fraught era, when public health, personal faith and political machination collided in generationally shifting ways. Kudos to director Michael Moran for taking a big swing, and hitting a theatrical home run.\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968847\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson in ‘Mexodus.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Solidarity Shined in Berkeley Rep’s ‘Mexodus’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If one of theater’s goals is to break new ground while bringing in a younger and more diverse patron base, then \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley-rep\">Berkeley Rep\u003c/a>’s production of \u003cem>Mexodus\u003c/em> was wildly successful. Channeling the art form of live looping in this two-hander, Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson fluttered and flew all over the stage while dropping sick beats everywhere. Their musical magic traversed multiple genres: hip-hop, reggaeton, bachata and classic Mexican bolero. In our fraught times, the message of unity between a Black slave and brown soldier through the Underground Railroad’s little known pathway into Mexico may be the show’s most hopeful lesson.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968855\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968855\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ai Yin Adelski, Laura Elaine Ellis and Jhia Jackson in Flyaway Productions’ ‘Ode to Jane.’ \u003ccite>(Brechin Flournoy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Dance Dance Revolution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Election years seem to generate desire for two very different kinds of works: the resolutely political, and the resolutely \u003cem>not\u003c/em>. For the former, I found solace and solidarity emanating from the dance community. Standouts included Flyaway Productions’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2024-2/10/4-12/ode-to-jane\">Ode to Jane\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, in which a fierce cohort of aerial performers scaled the walls of the Tenderloin’s Cadillac Hotel and soared over the streets to audio of abortion rights activists, community activators and a stirring score by Xoa Asa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the return of Dance Mission Theater’s \u003ca href=\"https://dancemissiontheater.org/2024/07/15/oct-13-nov-15-d-i-r-t-festival-2024/\">D.I.R.T. (Dance in Revolt-ing Times) Festival\u003c/a> included free outdoor activations in the form of embodied invocations led by Dance Brigade and guest artists, followed by pay-what-you-could indoor performances by powerhouse radicals such as the Embodiment Project, amara tabor-smith and Sara Shelton Mann. And over at Z Space, the barrier-breaking \u003ca href=\"https://seandorseydance.com/\">Sean Dorsey Dance\u003c/a> celebrated 20 years of cultivating trans and queer resistance via life-affirming, liberatory dance with a retrospective of early works.\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968852\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1548\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-800x619.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-1020x789.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-768x594.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-1536x1189.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-1920x1486.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Wiley Naman Strasser and Sam Jackson in ‘As You Like It’ at Cal Shakes — the final production in the company’s history. \u003ccite>(Craig Isaacs/BlueGoo photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Continued Rise (With One Tough Fall) of Outdoor Theater\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s temperate summer climate makes us the envy of those who sweat, swelter and shrink elsewhere in the country. Sure, it’s a little chilly at night, but the cool fog rolling in is the stuff from which legendary songs are made. This year, summertime shows like \u003cem>Jersey Boys\u003c/em> at Oakland’s picturesque Woodminster Summer Musicals or the San Francisco Chinatown-inspired production of \u003cem>The Comedy of Errors\u003c/em> at Silicon Valley Shakespeare were dazzling in both spectacle and scenery. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sadly, one of the Bay’s most perfect outdoor venues has officially \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966472/cal-shakes-to-close-down-citing-insurmountable-financial-impasse\">shut down for good\u003c/a>, and it’s impossible to overstate the impact on the Bay Area’s theater ecosystem. Many efforts were made to save \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/cal-shakes\">California Shakespeare Theater\u003c/a>, including a $350,000 fundraiser to bankroll its final production. Even a softening of the budget and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952927/zendaya-cal-shakes-north-star-fund-donation\">$100,000 gift from superstar (and Cal Shakes alum) Zendaya\u003c/a> could not stave off the inevitable. It’s depressing to think that Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre in Orinda, whose last production was \u003cem>As You Like It\u003c/em>, will now move forward only as a beautiful forest, “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968849\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968849\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Andre Amarotico, Michael Gene Sullivan, Mikki Johnson in the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s production of ‘American Dreams.’ \u003ccite>(Mike Melnyk)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Go Out(side) and Play\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Speaking of the great outdoors, it’s been a particularly good year to take in a performance al fresco. From the joys of witnessing a mesmerizing Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe wreak magical havoc in SF Shakes’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://sfshakes.org/performance/free-shakes/tempest/\">The Tempest\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, to the solace of SF Mime Troupe’s election-year production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmt.org/show-archive/american-dreams\">American Dreams\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, to a chance encounter with an afterlife-themed play — \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dayofthedeadsf.org/skateboarding-through-bardos\">Skateboarding Through Bardos\u003c/a>\u003c/em> — during the Día de Los Muertos celebrations at Potrero del Sol Park, there were more than enough opportunities to scratch the theatre-going itch outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of way-outside-the-black-box concepts that I hope make a comeback next year are San Francisco’s mid-Market block parties, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marketstreetarts.org/unstaged\">Unstaged\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which included a rollicking “jazz club” aboard the F-Market train, and the delightful, kid-oriented \u003ca href=\"https://www.pineconesandportals.com/aiw2024\">Pinecones and Portals\u003c/a> “Hiking Theater Company” which holds its performances in East Bay parks. Audiences follow the action literally along woodland trails, or huddle together around campfires for music, stories, and s’mores. How cool is that?\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1459\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968856\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-800x584.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-1020x744.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-768x560.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-1536x1121.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-1920x1401.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dyana Diaz and Iris Diaz in ‘Paradise’ at La Lengua Teatro en Español in September.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Manuel Orbegozo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Cinco Años de la Lengua\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Producing theater in San Francisco can be viciously difficult and cost-restrictive, often quickly turning grand openings in grand closings. Fortunately, Virginia M. Blanco didn’t get that message. Blanco’s company, La Lengua Teatro en Español, continues to find new ways forward, with a September run of their critically-acclaimed, world premiere production \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> by Tere Martínez playing to sold out houses at the Mission’s Brava Theater Center studio space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blanco, a native Argentinian and the executive artistic director and founder of the company, has poured heart and soul into the venture, surrounding herself with a terrific team of like-minded, passionate creatives who’ve tapped into the Bay’s massive Spanish-speaking citizenry. The company is celebrating their fifth year of existence, and are now in a \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/lalengua5years/davidmolina\">critical campaign\u003c/a> to secure funding for 2025. Despite the company being around since 2019, it certainly feels like they’re just getting started.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968850\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968850\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Lan (Sharon Omi) and Mai (Jenny Nguyen Nelson) are taken aback by consultant Vera (Rinabeth Apostol) in San Francisco Playhouse’s ‘My Home on the Moon.’ \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Future (Really) is Now\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It was a good year for staged speculative fictions, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-playhouse\">SF Playhouse\u003c/a>’s production of \u003cem>My Home on the Moon\u003c/em>, by Minna Lee, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/act\">ACT\u003c/a>’s \u003cem>Big Data\u003c/em>, by Kate Atwell (both world premieres). The former was set in a simulverse inside a woman-owned, struggling Phở shop, where a community development “grant” from a corporate benefactor comes with a suspiciously helpful “consultant” named Vera (played impeccably by Rinabeth Apostol). With seemingly unflagging optimism for novelty and aphorism, Vera is eventually revealed to be AI, and when the newly decorated walls of the restaurant begin to crack and eventually transform, reality itself is revealed to be a fragmenting hall of mirrors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in Atwell’s \u003cem>Big Data\u003c/em>, the suspiciously helpful character “M” (a magnetic BD Wong) was the embodiment of “the” algorithm that dominates so much of what we consciously and unconsciously consume. Casually embedded in the everyday routines of a cast of interrelated characters, M had an uncanny ability to simultaneously attack and affirm, flirt and fight, and the startling results of his capricious, relentless campaign flipped the script, quite literally, by the play’s end. That both productions had incredible sets designed by Tanya Orellana was a welcome detail.\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The world premiere of SFBATCO’s ‘Sign My Name to Freedom’ told the story of Bay Area icon Betty Reid Soskin, portrayed in four different phases of her life by (L–R) Cathleen Riddley, Aidaa Peerzada, Lucca Troutman and Tierra Allen.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Alexa 'LexMex' Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>SFBATCO Celebrates a Decade\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I first interviewed Rodney Earl Jackson, Jr. in 2014, when he was on tour in Motown: The Musical playing David Ruffin, which came with lead vocals on “My Girl.” That conversation with the native San Franciscan came around the same time his new theater venture, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO), was kicking off. Jackson and co-founder Marcelo Javier’s company has made huge strides in the past 10 years, and is now considered one of the most critical developers of new work in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, their New Roots Theatre Festival launched with a focus on developing new works from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices. And one of the company’s highlights in 2024 was their scintillating world premiere musical \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13955108/betty-reid-soskin-stage-play-z-space-sign-my-name-to-freedom-review\">Sign My Name to Freedom\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, telling the story of 103-year-old Betty Reid Soskin and her rich history in the Bay Area, including her retirement as a national park ranger at the age of 100.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "The Best Bay Area Theater We Saw in 2024 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>There’s no denying that theater continued to face massive obstacles in 2024. With audiences still choosing to stay home in large numbers, fundraising campaigns were often as common as season announcements, while consequential closures of legacy institutions stung the ecosystem as a whole.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, companies large and small continued to crank out successful, fantastic productions in the face of brutal headwinds — with some of the nation’s biggest touring productions adding cherries to our already massive regional theatrical sundae. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below, theater critics and regular KQED contributors Nicole Gluckstern and David John Chávez share their most significant Bay Area theater happenings of 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968854\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1248\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968854\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-800x499.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1020x636.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-768x479.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1920x1198.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jim (William Thomas Hodgson), Amanda (Susi Damilano), Laura (Nicole Javier) and Tom (Jomar Tagatac) in ‘The Glass Menagerie’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Truth of Illusion in ‘Glass Menagerie’ at SF Playhouse\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-playhouse\">San Francisco Playhouse\u003c/a> in May, \u003cem>The Glass Menagerie\u003c/em>, one of Tennessee Williams’ most produced and haunting plays, served a master class in how to modernize a classic. First, find themes of relevance in our modern world through the fraught existence of the Wingfield family and its illusory protagonist Tom. Second, collect a bang-up cast of terrific performers. Third, let them cook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This production wrangled such explosiveness out of the piercing text, extracting lessons of race, class and sexuality in flaring new ways. Jeffrey Lo’s direction of his diverse cast bubbled to a firmly unifying crescendo, easily making this one of the year’s most thrilling locally produced pieces of theater. The show blew me away at every turn.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968851\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1265\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968851\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-800x506.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-1020x645.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-160x101.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-768x486.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-1536x972.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-1-1920x1214.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Ramirez and the cast of ‘Angels in America.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>A Soaring ‘Angels in America’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland-theater-project\">Oakland Theater Project\u003c/a>’s exquisitely distilled \u003cem>Angels in America\u003c/em> stomped, glided and soared across the stage at Marin Shakespeare Company’s new digs in San Rafael. Remounts of this heaving contemporary epic with deep Bay Area roots are always highly anticipated events around these parts, and OTP’s version was a welcome addition to the firmament. From the inspired casting (including company stalwarts J Jha as Prior, and Lisa Ramirez as the Angel) to the bare-bones but carefully curated design choices and the full-throated demand for \u003cem>more life\u003c/em>, this production felt utterly of this time. That’s despite ostensibly being set in an earlier, similarly fraught era, when public health, personal faith and political machination collided in generationally shifting ways. Kudos to director Michael Moran for taking a big swing, and hitting a theatrical home run.\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968847\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mexodus_Production_2024_1581-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson in ‘Mexodus.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Solidarity Shined in Berkeley Rep’s ‘Mexodus’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If one of theater’s goals is to break new ground while bringing in a younger and more diverse patron base, then \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/berkeley-rep\">Berkeley Rep\u003c/a>’s production of \u003cem>Mexodus\u003c/em> was wildly successful. Channeling the art form of live looping in this two-hander, Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson fluttered and flew all over the stage while dropping sick beats everywhere. Their musical magic traversed multiple genres: hip-hop, reggaeton, bachata and classic Mexican bolero. In our fraught times, the message of unity between a Black slave and brown soldier through the Underground Railroad’s little known pathway into Mexico may be the show’s most hopeful lesson.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968855\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968855\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/01-Flyaway-Productions-Ode-to-Jane-Ai-Yin-Adelski-Laura-Elaine-Ellis-Jhia-Jackson-Photo-by-Brechin-Flournoy-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ai Yin Adelski, Laura Elaine Ellis and Jhia Jackson in Flyaway Productions’ ‘Ode to Jane.’ \u003ccite>(Brechin Flournoy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Dance Dance Revolution\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Election years seem to generate desire for two very different kinds of works: the resolutely political, and the resolutely \u003cem>not\u003c/em>. For the former, I found solace and solidarity emanating from the dance community. Standouts included Flyaway Productions’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/public-programs-2024-2/10/4-12/ode-to-jane\">Ode to Jane\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, in which a fierce cohort of aerial performers scaled the walls of the Tenderloin’s Cadillac Hotel and soared over the streets to audio of abortion rights activists, community activators and a stirring score by Xoa Asa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the return of Dance Mission Theater’s \u003ca href=\"https://dancemissiontheater.org/2024/07/15/oct-13-nov-15-d-i-r-t-festival-2024/\">D.I.R.T. (Dance in Revolt-ing Times) Festival\u003c/a> included free outdoor activations in the form of embodied invocations led by Dance Brigade and guest artists, followed by pay-what-you-could indoor performances by powerhouse radicals such as the Embodiment Project, amara tabor-smith and Sara Shelton Mann. And over at Z Space, the barrier-breaking \u003ca href=\"https://seandorseydance.com/\">Sean Dorsey Dance\u003c/a> celebrated 20 years of cultivating trans and queer resistance via life-affirming, liberatory dance with a retrospective of early works.\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968852\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1548\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-800x619.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-1020x789.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-768x594.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-1536x1189.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-3-1920x1486.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Wiley Naman Strasser and Sam Jackson in ‘As You Like It’ at Cal Shakes — the final production in the company’s history. \u003ccite>(Craig Isaacs/BlueGoo photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Continued Rise (With One Tough Fall) of Outdoor Theater\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s temperate summer climate makes us the envy of those who sweat, swelter and shrink elsewhere in the country. Sure, it’s a little chilly at night, but the cool fog rolling in is the stuff from which legendary songs are made. This year, summertime shows like \u003cem>Jersey Boys\u003c/em> at Oakland’s picturesque Woodminster Summer Musicals or the San Francisco Chinatown-inspired production of \u003cem>The Comedy of Errors\u003c/em> at Silicon Valley Shakespeare were dazzling in both spectacle and scenery. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sadly, one of the Bay’s most perfect outdoor venues has officially \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966472/cal-shakes-to-close-down-citing-insurmountable-financial-impasse\">shut down for good\u003c/a>, and it’s impossible to overstate the impact on the Bay Area’s theater ecosystem. Many efforts were made to save \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/cal-shakes\">California Shakespeare Theater\u003c/a>, including a $350,000 fundraiser to bankroll its final production. Even a softening of the budget and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13952927/zendaya-cal-shakes-north-star-fund-donation\">$100,000 gift from superstar (and Cal Shakes alum) Zendaya\u003c/a> could not stave off the inevitable. It’s depressing to think that Bruns Memorial Amphitheatre in Orinda, whose last production was \u003cem>As You Like It\u003c/em>, will now move forward only as a beautiful forest, “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968849\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968849\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Mimetroupe-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Andre Amarotico, Michael Gene Sullivan, Mikki Johnson in the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s production of ‘American Dreams.’ \u003ccite>(Mike Melnyk)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Go Out(side) and Play\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Speaking of the great outdoors, it’s been a particularly good year to take in a performance al fresco. From the joys of witnessing a mesmerizing Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe wreak magical havoc in SF Shakes’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://sfshakes.org/performance/free-shakes/tempest/\">The Tempest\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, to the solace of SF Mime Troupe’s election-year production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmt.org/show-archive/american-dreams\">American Dreams\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, to a chance encounter with an afterlife-themed play — \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dayofthedeadsf.org/skateboarding-through-bardos\">Skateboarding Through Bardos\u003c/a>\u003c/em> — during the Día de Los Muertos celebrations at Potrero del Sol Park, there were more than enough opportunities to scratch the theatre-going itch outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of way-outside-the-black-box concepts that I hope make a comeback next year are San Francisco’s mid-Market block parties, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.marketstreetarts.org/unstaged\">Unstaged\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which included a rollicking “jazz club” aboard the F-Market train, and the delightful, kid-oriented \u003ca href=\"https://www.pineconesandportals.com/aiw2024\">Pinecones and Portals\u003c/a> “Hiking Theater Company” which holds its performances in East Bay parks. Audiences follow the action literally along woodland trails, or huddle together around campfires for music, stories, and s’mores. How cool is that?\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1459\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968856\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-800x584.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-1020x744.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-768x560.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-1536x1121.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/Paradise_LaLengua_ManuelOrbegozo-150-1920x1401.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dyana Diaz and Iris Diaz in ‘Paradise’ at La Lengua Teatro en Español in September.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Manuel Orbegozo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Cinco Años de la Lengua\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Producing theater in San Francisco can be viciously difficult and cost-restrictive, often quickly turning grand openings in grand closings. Fortunately, Virginia M. Blanco didn’t get that message. Blanco’s company, La Lengua Teatro en Español, continues to find new ways forward, with a September run of their critically-acclaimed, world premiere production \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> by Tere Martínez playing to sold out houses at the Mission’s Brava Theater Center studio space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blanco, a native Argentinian and the executive artistic director and founder of the company, has poured heart and soul into the venture, surrounding herself with a terrific team of like-minded, passionate creatives who’ve tapped into the Bay’s massive Spanish-speaking citizenry. The company is celebrating their fifth year of existence, and are now in a \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/lalengua5years/davidmolina\">critical campaign\u003c/a> to secure funding for 2025. Despite the company being around since 2019, it certainly feels like they’re just getting started.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968850\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968850\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/SFP_MyHomeOnTheMoon_JessicaPalopoli_2-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L-R) Lan (Sharon Omi) and Mai (Jenny Nguyen Nelson) are taken aback by consultant Vera (Rinabeth Apostol) in San Francisco Playhouse’s ‘My Home on the Moon.’ \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>The Future (Really) is Now\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It was a good year for staged speculative fictions, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-playhouse\">SF Playhouse\u003c/a>’s production of \u003cem>My Home on the Moon\u003c/em>, by Minna Lee, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/act\">ACT\u003c/a>’s \u003cem>Big Data\u003c/em>, by Kate Atwell (both world premieres). The former was set in a simulverse inside a woman-owned, struggling Phở shop, where a community development “grant” from a corporate benefactor comes with a suspiciously helpful “consultant” named Vera (played impeccably by Rinabeth Apostol). With seemingly unflagging optimism for novelty and aphorism, Vera is eventually revealed to be AI, and when the newly decorated walls of the restaurant begin to crack and eventually transform, reality itself is revealed to be a fragmenting hall of mirrors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in Atwell’s \u003cem>Big Data\u003c/em>, the suspiciously helpful character “M” (a magnetic BD Wong) was the embodiment of “the” algorithm that dominates so much of what we consciously and unconsciously consume. Casually embedded in the everyday routines of a cast of interrelated characters, M had an uncanny ability to simultaneously attack and affirm, flirt and fight, and the startling results of his capricious, relentless campaign flipped the script, quite literally, by the play’s end. That both productions had incredible sets designed by Tanya Orellana was a welcome detail.\u003cem>—Nicole Gluckstern\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/unnamed-4-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The world premiere of SFBATCO’s ‘Sign My Name to Freedom’ told the story of Bay Area icon Betty Reid Soskin, portrayed in four different phases of her life by (L–R) Cathleen Riddley, Aidaa Peerzada, Lucca Troutman and Tierra Allen.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Alexa 'LexMex' Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>SFBATCO Celebrates a Decade\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>I first interviewed Rodney Earl Jackson, Jr. in 2014, when he was on tour in Motown: The Musical playing David Ruffin, which came with lead vocals on “My Girl.” That conversation with the native San Franciscan came around the same time his new theater venture, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO), was kicking off. Jackson and co-founder Marcelo Javier’s company has made huge strides in the past 10 years, and is now considered one of the most critical developers of new work in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, their New Roots Theatre Festival launched with a focus on developing new works from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices. And one of the company’s highlights in 2024 was their scintillating world premiere musical \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13955108/betty-reid-soskin-stage-play-z-space-sign-my-name-to-freedom-review\">Sign My Name to Freedom\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, telling the story of 103-year-old Betty Reid Soskin and her rich history in the Bay Area, including her retirement as a national park ranger at the age of 100.\u003cem>—David John Chávez\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-plays-musicals-bay-area-fall-2024-guide",
"title": "The Best Plays and Musicals to See This Fall in the Bay Area",
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"headTitle": "The Best Plays and Musicals to See This Fall in the Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>This past July is officially on record as the hottest California month in decades. And while cooler temperatures will be ushered into the Bay Area soon, theater companies are hoping that local stages continue to stay hot well into the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Companies are also gearing up to showcase their most artistic selves while continuing to find creative ways to achieve and maintain financial solvency. Here are 10 terrific shows from Labor Day to Thanksgiving one can start with to help support Bay Area theater companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963219\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1301\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963219\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-1020x691.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-1536x1041.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarita Ocón and Hugo E. Carbajal in ‘Private Lives.’ \u003ccite>(Tim Fuller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2024-25-season/private-lives/\">Private Lives\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Toni Rembe Theater, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 12–Oct. 6, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Loathsome couple Elyot and Amanda aren’t looking for a reunion when they embark on a French vacation with new spouses. Yet the pull of their prior passions proves to be too much to resist, and a humor-filled comedy of manners ensues, rich with Noël Coward’s exquisite use of prose. A reunion of sorts from an acclaimed bilingual production of \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at Cal Shakes in 2022, multiple cast members now move to American Conservatory Theater’s Toni Rembe Theater to be directed by KJ Sanchez. The play’s original setting of France, meanwhile, is swapped out for Argentina, where an exotic and sensual tango informs Coward’s narrative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963072\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963072\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After serving as artistic director of the Peninsula’s Pear Theatre since early 2020, Sinjin Jones is entering his final season helming the company, kicking off the 2024 campaign directing the musical ‘Once on This Island.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sinjin Jones)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.thepear.org/\">Once on This Island\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Pear Theatre, Palo Alto\u003cbr>\nSept. 13–Oct. 13, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story of a young Black peasant girl and the love she finds with a mixed-race aristocrat in Haiti is the basis for this one-act musical. While the show itself carries a history of consequential productions, its significance as the kickoff for The Pear Theatre season is tinted with an impending loss. Sinjin Jones, who took over as artistic director of the Palo Alto company in early 2020, will leave at the end of the 2025 season. Jones has played a vital role in leading the company through the pandemic, all while revitalizing the 22-year-old theater troupe by promoting diversity and equity in addition to strengthening the company’s educational and community programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1103\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963071\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-800x552.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-1020x703.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-768x529.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-1536x1059.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marie (Dominique Thorne) observes the wedding dress of Jaja (Somi Kakoma) in the Broadway production of ‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,’ heading to Berkeley this fall.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Matthew Murphy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/jaja-s-african-hair-braiding/\">Jaja’s African Hair Braiding\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nNov. 8–Dec. 15, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playwright Jocelyn Bioh is no stranger to Berkeley Rep, having premiered the musical \u003cem>Goddess\u003c/em> there in 2022. Her next visit to the East Bay is with Broadway’s sleeper hit of last fall, \u003cem>Jaja’s African Hair Braiding\u003c/em>, with Whitney White returning to the director’s chair in this co-production with Arena Stage and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Bioh’s play is an exercise in joy with serious themes about immigration and access to the American dream, all fused with a scorching Afrobeat soundtrack of the genre’s biggest stars. The play also features one of the coolest stage effects in recent memory throughout the entire show, culminating in some true theater magic at the end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963070\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963070\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TheatreWorks Silicon Valley artistic director Giovanna Sardelli and Pulitzer-finalist playwright Rajiv Joseph have developed a long collaboration over the years. Joseph’s play ‘King James’ kicks of TheatreWorks’s 54th season. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theatreworks.org/mainstage/king-james/\">King James\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Mountain View\u003cbr>\nOct. 9–Nov. 3, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the rousing success of the United States men’s national basketball team, capped by a thrilling finish and a gold medal, there’s no better time to dive into this story of two friends who enter into an unexpected connection. These men, whose fortunes run through the early, prodigious career of Lebron James, are the creation of Pulitzer-finalist playwright Rajiv Joseph. TheatreWorks’ artistic director Giovanna Sardelli, a frequent collaborator of Joseph, kicks off the company’s 54th season directing this tale of hoops and hopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963069\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1035\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963069\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-800x518.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-1020x660.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-768x497.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-1536x994.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The New Conservatory Theatre Center cast of ‘Ride the Cyclone,’ a show described as ‘weird and wondrous.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(New Conservatory Theatre Center)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://nctcsf.org/\">Ride the Cyclone\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 20–Oct. 20, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This grizzled and gritty musical follows a Canadian school choir group who perish on the Cyclone roller coaster — but, while in limbo, are offered a chance to return to life via a mechanical fortune teller. The piece has had a bit of a zany history since its 2008 premiere, created by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell. The musical’s success reached something of a zenith in 2022 – on TikTok, millions of Gen Z users began diving deep into \u003cem>Ride the Cyclone\u003c/em> songs, stories and lore. The musical is dark, but also quite fun, and its regional premiere gives the Bay Area a chance to see what the hype is all about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963068\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1020px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1020\" height=\"679\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963068\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sara Porkalob, seen here during the Marin Theatre Company production of ‘Dragon Lady’ in November of 2023, weaves a captivating tale of her grandmother’s perilous journey from Manila to the United States. Porkalob’s one-person show makes a return to the Bay Area via Walnut Creek at Center Rep. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.lesherartscenter.org/programs/center-repertory-company\">Dragon Lady\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Center Repertory Company, Walnut Creek\u003cbr>\nOct. 27–Nov. 24, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seattle’s Sara Porkalob is a piercing, shooting star, tackling the theater world on her own terms, and her trilogy of plays that chronicle the women in her life are produced all over the country. For those who missed her \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13938714/powerful-dragon-lady-weaves-tales-of-trauma-karaoke-and-a-very-memorable-matriarch\">critically acclaimed run\u003c/a> in Marin last fall of \u003cem>Dragon Lady\u003c/em>, where she morphs into multiple characters while showcasing her buttery singing voice, a second chance in Walnut Creek is a gift. Presented in association with Marin Theatre Company, Porkalob’s one-person show about her grandmother’s perilous and painful journey from Manila to the United States is a masterclass in how to command a theater space with splash and panache.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/TonyKushner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963076\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/TonyKushner.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/TonyKushner-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’ gets a reimagined production from the Oakland Theater Project. \u003ccite>(Maury Phillips/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/angels\">Angels in America, Parts I and II\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland Theater Project at Marin Shakespeare Company\u003cbr>\nSept. 27–Oct. 27, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this interpretation of one of theater’s greatest achievements, Tony Kushner’s two-part opus \u003cem>Angels in America\u003c/em>, Oakland Theater Project goes on the road to San Rafael at Marin Shakespeare Company’s new indoor space. Kushner is not known for writing pieces that are slim, and over two plays, \u003cem>Angels\u003c/em> easily surpasses seven hours. But what exists within those hours is incredibly powerful, raw and utterly thrilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are endless themes within this story about AIDS’ impact on multiple couples in 1985. The Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play encompasses the taboo of homosexuality in the 1980s, the AIDS crisis that disproportionately impacted gay couples, and the crisis of religious faith, all intersecting with appearances by historical figures. The Bay Area is home to \u003cem>Angels in America\u003c/em> in many ways, from its initial commission at the former Eureka Theatre in San Francisco in 1990 to a hugely consequential production at Berkeley Rep in 2018. (Lisa Ramirez, featured in OTP’s production, also played The Angel in Berkeley that year.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963077\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lizzie Borden case is fodder for a new punk musical. \u003ccite>(Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://6thstreetplayhouse.com/shows/2024-25/lizzie-the-musical/\">Lizzie: The Musical\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa\u003cbr>\nOct. 4–27, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her father and stepmother in 1892. In 1893, she was fully acquitted and lived the rest of her life in the same city the murders took place, Fall River, Massachusetts. And now, in Santa Rosa in 2024, her story is ready to shred at 6th Street Playhouse in the form of the 2009 rock musical. Expect all the components that make for a brutal tale of rage, sex, murder and mystery, plus power chords. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a precursor to the bloody delights of the visceral musical’s sharp rock score, some gentler fare is going down at 6th Street, with the musical \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://6thstreetplayhouse.com/shows/2024-25/four-guys-named-jose-and-una-mujer-named-maria/\">4 Guys Named José…and Una Mujer Named María\u003c/a>\u003c/em> opening at the end of August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1231\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-800x492.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-1020x628.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-768x473.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-1536x945.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-1920x1182.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sam Jackson, left, takes on the joyful role of Rosalind, pursuing the love of Orlando, played by Wiley Naman Strasser, in Cal Shakes’s 50th anniversary production of William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ in Orinda. \u003ccite>(Cal Shakes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://calshakes.org/asyoulikeit/\">As You Like It\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda\u003cbr>\nSept. 12–29, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Shakes faced some serious uphill battles to produce their first full production in two years, implementing a fundraising campaign that netted $365,000 — over their stated goal. While the future of the company is still fluid (the fundraiser is only supplementing the budget for this production), the company is firmly focused this 50th anniversary production of William Shakespeare’s classic at their picturesque outdoor space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elizabeth Carter directs this pastoral comedy with one of Shakespeare’s most beloved female characters, Rosalind, who flees persecution in search of safety and love in the Forest of Arden, with many colorful characters entering her world along the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13963079\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.zspace.org/murakami\">Murakami: The Strange Library\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Z Space and Word for Word, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nNov. 13–Dec. 8, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A library best described as a nightmare is the setting for Haruki Murakami’s short novel \u003cem>The Strange Library\u003c/em>. With a lonely young boy, a mysterious girl and a tortured sheep man, the story is brought to life by Word for Word, a program of Z Space. The program has performed more than 70 stories since 1996, bringing theatrical flair to written word of all types. Lead teaching artist with the Youth Theater Project Lisa Hori-Garcia collaborates with Bay Area actor and designer Keiko Shimosato Carreiro to direct Murakami’s popular children’s story.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Your Guide to the Best Plays and Musicals to See This Fall | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This past July is officially on record as the hottest California month in decades. And while cooler temperatures will be ushered into the Bay Area soon, theater companies are hoping that local stages continue to stay hot well into the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Companies are also gearing up to showcase their most artistic selves while continuing to find creative ways to achieve and maintain financial solvency. Here are 10 terrific shows from Labor Day to Thanksgiving one can start with to help support Bay Area theater companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963219\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1301\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963219\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-1020x691.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Opt_6B5A2580_Credit-Tim-Fuller-1536x1041.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarita Ocón and Hugo E. Carbajal in ‘Private Lives.’ \u003ccite>(Tim Fuller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2024-25-season/private-lives/\">Private Lives\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Toni Rembe Theater, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 12–Oct. 6, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Loathsome couple Elyot and Amanda aren’t looking for a reunion when they embark on a French vacation with new spouses. Yet the pull of their prior passions proves to be too much to resist, and a humor-filled comedy of manners ensues, rich with Noël Coward’s exquisite use of prose. A reunion of sorts from an acclaimed bilingual production of \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at Cal Shakes in 2022, multiple cast members now move to American Conservatory Theater’s Toni Rembe Theater to be directed by KJ Sanchez. The play’s original setting of France, meanwhile, is swapped out for Argentina, where an exotic and sensual tango informs Coward’s narrative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963072\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963072\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After serving as artistic director of the Peninsula’s Pear Theatre since early 2020, Sinjin Jones is entering his final season helming the company, kicking off the 2024 campaign directing the musical ‘Once on This Island.’ \u003ccite>(Courtesy Sinjin Jones)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.thepear.org/\">Once on This Island\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Pear Theatre, Palo Alto\u003cbr>\nSept. 13–Oct. 13, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story of a young Black peasant girl and the love she finds with a mixed-race aristocrat in Haiti is the basis for this one-act musical. While the show itself carries a history of consequential productions, its significance as the kickoff for The Pear Theatre season is tinted with an impending loss. Sinjin Jones, who took over as artistic director of the Palo Alto company in early 2020, will leave at the end of the 2025 season. Jones has played a vital role in leading the company through the pandemic, all while revitalizing the 22-year-old theater troupe by promoting diversity and equity in addition to strengthening the company’s educational and community programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1103\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963071\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-800x552.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-1020x703.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-768x529.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-2-1536x1059.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marie (Dominique Thorne) observes the wedding dress of Jaja (Somi Kakoma) in the Broadway production of ‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,’ heading to Berkeley this fall.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Matthew Murphy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/jaja-s-african-hair-braiding/\">Jaja’s African Hair Braiding\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nNov. 8–Dec. 15, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playwright Jocelyn Bioh is no stranger to Berkeley Rep, having premiered the musical \u003cem>Goddess\u003c/em> there in 2022. Her next visit to the East Bay is with Broadway’s sleeper hit of last fall, \u003cem>Jaja’s African Hair Braiding\u003c/em>, with Whitney White returning to the director’s chair in this co-production with Arena Stage and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Bioh’s play is an exercise in joy with serious themes about immigration and access to the American dream, all fused with a scorching Afrobeat soundtrack of the genre’s biggest stars. The play also features one of the coolest stage effects in recent memory throughout the entire show, culminating in some true theater magic at the end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963070\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1065\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963070\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-3-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TheatreWorks Silicon Valley artistic director Giovanna Sardelli and Pulitzer-finalist playwright Rajiv Joseph have developed a long collaboration over the years. Joseph’s play ‘King James’ kicks of TheatreWorks’s 54th season. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theatreworks.org/mainstage/king-james/\">King James\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Mountain View\u003cbr>\nOct. 9–Nov. 3, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the rousing success of the United States men’s national basketball team, capped by a thrilling finish and a gold medal, there’s no better time to dive into this story of two friends who enter into an unexpected connection. These men, whose fortunes run through the early, prodigious career of Lebron James, are the creation of Pulitzer-finalist playwright Rajiv Joseph. TheatreWorks’ artistic director Giovanna Sardelli, a frequent collaborator of Joseph, kicks off the company’s 54th season directing this tale of hoops and hopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963069\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1035\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963069\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-800x518.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-1020x660.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-768x497.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-4-1536x994.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The New Conservatory Theatre Center cast of ‘Ride the Cyclone,’ a show described as ‘weird and wondrous.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(New Conservatory Theatre Center)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://nctcsf.org/\">Ride the Cyclone\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nSept. 20–Oct. 20, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This grizzled and gritty musical follows a Canadian school choir group who perish on the Cyclone roller coaster — but, while in limbo, are offered a chance to return to life via a mechanical fortune teller. The piece has had a bit of a zany history since its 2008 premiere, created by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell. The musical’s success reached something of a zenith in 2022 – on TikTok, millions of Gen Z users began diving deep into \u003cem>Ride the Cyclone\u003c/em> songs, stories and lore. The musical is dark, but also quite fun, and its regional premiere gives the Bay Area a chance to see what the hype is all about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963068\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1020px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1020\" height=\"679\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963068\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/unnamed-5-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sara Porkalob, seen here during the Marin Theatre Company production of ‘Dragon Lady’ in November of 2023, weaves a captivating tale of her grandmother’s perilous journey from Manila to the United States. Porkalob’s one-person show makes a return to the Bay Area via Walnut Creek at Center Rep. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.lesherartscenter.org/programs/center-repertory-company\">Dragon Lady\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Center Repertory Company, Walnut Creek\u003cbr>\nOct. 27–Nov. 24, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seattle’s Sara Porkalob is a piercing, shooting star, tackling the theater world on her own terms, and her trilogy of plays that chronicle the women in her life are produced all over the country. For those who missed her \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13938714/powerful-dragon-lady-weaves-tales-of-trauma-karaoke-and-a-very-memorable-matriarch\">critically acclaimed run\u003c/a> in Marin last fall of \u003cem>Dragon Lady\u003c/em>, where she morphs into multiple characters while showcasing her buttery singing voice, a second chance in Walnut Creek is a gift. Presented in association with Marin Theatre Company, Porkalob’s one-person show about her grandmother’s perilous and painful journey from Manila to the United States is a masterclass in how to command a theater space with splash and panache.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/TonyKushner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963076\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/TonyKushner.jpg 640w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/TonyKushner-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’ gets a reimagined production from the Oakland Theater Project. \u003ccite>(Maury Phillips/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/angels\">Angels in America, Parts I and II\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland Theater Project at Marin Shakespeare Company\u003cbr>\nSept. 27–Oct. 27, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this interpretation of one of theater’s greatest achievements, Tony Kushner’s two-part opus \u003cem>Angels in America\u003c/em>, Oakland Theater Project goes on the road to San Rafael at Marin Shakespeare Company’s new indoor space. Kushner is not known for writing pieces that are slim, and over two plays, \u003cem>Angels\u003c/em> easily surpasses seven hours. But what exists within those hours is incredibly powerful, raw and utterly thrilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are endless themes within this story about AIDS’ impact on multiple couples in 1985. The Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play encompasses the taboo of homosexuality in the 1980s, the AIDS crisis that disproportionately impacted gay couples, and the crisis of religious faith, all intersecting with appearances by historical figures. The Bay Area is home to \u003cem>Angels in America\u003c/em> in many ways, from its initial commission at the former Eureka Theatre in San Francisco in 1990 to a hugely consequential production at Berkeley Rep in 2018. (Lisa Ramirez, featured in OTP’s production, also played The Angel in Berkeley that year.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963077\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/GettyImages-141199711-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Lizzie Borden case is fodder for a new punk musical. \u003ccite>(Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://6thstreetplayhouse.com/shows/2024-25/lizzie-the-musical/\">Lizzie: The Musical\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa\u003cbr>\nOct. 4–27, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her father and stepmother in 1892. In 1893, she was fully acquitted and lived the rest of her life in the same city the murders took place, Fall River, Massachusetts. And now, in Santa Rosa in 2024, her story is ready to shred at 6th Street Playhouse in the form of the 2009 rock musical. Expect all the components that make for a brutal tale of rage, sex, murder and mystery, plus power chords. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a precursor to the bloody delights of the visceral musical’s sharp rock score, some gentler fare is going down at 6th Street, with the musical \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://6thstreetplayhouse.com/shows/2024-25/four-guys-named-jose-and-una-mujer-named-maria/\">4 Guys Named José…and Una Mujer Named María\u003c/a>\u003c/em> opening at the end of August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963078\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1231\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-800x492.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-1020x628.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-160x98.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-768x473.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-1536x945.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/AsYouLikeIt-1-1920x1182.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sam Jackson, left, takes on the joyful role of Rosalind, pursuing the love of Orlando, played by Wiley Naman Strasser, in Cal Shakes’s 50th anniversary production of William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ in Orinda. \u003ccite>(Cal Shakes)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://calshakes.org/asyoulikeit/\">As You Like It\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda\u003cbr>\nSept. 12–29, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cal Shakes faced some serious uphill battles to produce their first full production in two years, implementing a fundraising campaign that netted $365,000 — over their stated goal. While the future of the company is still fluid (the fundraiser is only supplementing the budget for this production), the company is firmly focused this 50th anniversary production of William Shakespeare’s classic at their picturesque outdoor space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elizabeth Carter directs this pastoral comedy with one of Shakespeare’s most beloved female characters, Rosalind, who flees persecution in search of safety and love in the Forest of Arden, with many colorful characters entering her world along the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-13963079\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/Murakami-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.zspace.org/murakami\">Murakami: The Strange Library\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Z Space and Word for Word, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nNov. 13–Dec. 8, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A library best described as a nightmare is the setting for Haruki Murakami’s short novel \u003cem>The Strange Library\u003c/em>. With a lonely young boy, a mysterious girl and a tortured sheep man, the story is brought to life by Word for Word, a program of Z Space. The program has performed more than 70 stories since 1996, bringing theatrical flair to written word of all types. Lead teaching artist with the Youth Theater Project Lisa Hori-Garcia collaborates with Bay Area actor and designer Keiko Shimosato Carreiro to direct Murakami’s popular children’s story.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Your Guide to the Best Plays and Musicals in the Bay Area This Summer",
"headTitle": "Your Guide to the Best Plays and Musicals in the Bay Area This Summer | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>This summer, Bay Area theater offers something for everyone. Whether you’re seeking out experimental offerings, a tried-and-true Shakespeare classic under the stars, or some hefty song and dance Broadway style, the Bay Area’s summer has you covered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 10 shows in the Bay Area from June to early September that are not to be missed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1432\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957713\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-800x597.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-1020x761.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-768x573.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-1536x1146.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fact-checking and copy editing take center stage in ‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ at Aurora Theatre this summer. \u003ccite>(Aurora Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.auroratheatre.org/fact\">The Lifespan of a Fact\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Aurora Theatre, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nJune 21–July 25, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Fingal is a newly minted Harvard grad who takes a job at a consequential magazine as a fact-checker. That consequence has softened, however, since the magazine is now hanging by a thread. An essay from mega-talent John D’Agata, about a teen boy’s suicide, could change the magazine’s fortunes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s one major problem — the actual facts of the story are shaky at best, placing both characters into a battle between truth and fiction. (The play’s heralded 2018 Broadway run featured actors Bobby Cannavale, Daniel Radcliffe and Cherry Jones.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no better time to support Aurora, a gem of a small theater in Berkeley. Like many theaters post-pandemic, the company faces a major funding shortfall, and are in \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/AuroraSpring24\">an active campaign\u003c/a> to save their artistic outlet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957720\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1665px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1665\" height=\"1143\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych.jpg 1665w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-800x549.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-1020x700.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-768x527.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-1536x1054.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1665px) 100vw, 1665px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonathan Rhys Williams is Lawrence Jameson and Keith Pinto is Freddy Benson in the San Jose Stage production of ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.’ \u003ccite>(San Jose Stage)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.thestage.org/\">Dirty Rotten Scoundrels\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>San Jose Stage\u003cbr>\nJune 5–30, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on the popular 1988 film and directed by Stage Associate Artist Johnny Moreno, this French Riviera con caper follows two men who compete for the heart of a wealthy American heiress. Featuring a jazzy score from composer David Yazbek (\u003cem>The Full Monty\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Band’s Visit\u003c/em>), the Stage is digging into another example of what they do so well — the quirky summer musical. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957712\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bridgette Loriaux is Beatrice and Johnny Moreno is Benedick in ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Marin Shakespeare Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinshakespeare.org/\">Much Ado About Nothing\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Marin Shakespeare Company, San Rafael\u003cbr>\nJune 28–July 28, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this wild Shakespearean romp, Beatrice and Benedick engage in a war of words while the soldier Claudio falls for the fair Hero. After the requisite bickering commences, love is discovered, vows are exchanged and all is well. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Popular Bay Area director and educator Domenique Lozano handles the direction, with Bridgette Loriaux playing Beatrice and Johnny Moreno tackling Benedick. And while the play’s the thing, renting some cushions and plopping them down inside the spacious seating area for a show under the North Bay stars can’t be beat. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Preshow pro tip – enjoy a Cubano sandwich at Sol Food down the street while taking in some salsa beats from the live band that plays on the sidewalk.\u003cbr>\nAnd if you’re looking for even more Shakespearean comedy under the summer stars, the return of Cal Shakes in Orinda to regular theater programming includes the 50th anniversary production of \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://calshakes.org/as-you-like-it-2024/\">As You Like It\u003c/a>\u003c/em> at Bruns Memorial Amphitheater in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1885\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-800x785.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-1020x1001.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-160x157.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-768x754.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-1536x1508.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan Williams comes to Oakland for the role of Tommy DeVito in the Woodminster Summer Musicals production ‘Jersey Boys’ in July.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ryan J. Zirngibl)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.woodminster.com/\">Jersey Boys\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Woodminster Summer Musicals, Oakland\u003cbr>\nJuly 12–21, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons has had productions all over the world, with Broadway and off-Broadway productions still running while multiple national tours stop often in the Bay Area. (The production made its regional premiere via the first national tour in December of 2006 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are several reasons for the production’s popularity, namely the non-stop hit parade that is the music of Valli and songwriter Bob Gaudio, whose handshake agreement lasting decades is the stuff of legend. But the one thing that could usurp the show’s quality is the venue itself, nestled neatly within Joaquin Miller Park in the idyllic Oakland hills. When night falls, it’s one of the most picturesque views in the Bay. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957715\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1180px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957715\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1180px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Octavio Solis’ ‘Mother Road,’an adaptation of ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ explores the story of Martín, a descendant of the Joad family. \u003ccite>(Anne Hamersky)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/mother-road/\">Mother Road\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003cbr>\nJune 14–July 21, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Octavio Solis, who spent decades in the Bay Area before moving to Oregon, makes one of his frequent Bay Area returns with \u003cem>Mother Road\u003c/em>. The story is a spinoff of \u003cem>The Grapes of Wrath\u003c/em>, taking the story’s iconic blue-collar hero Tom Joad and offering the new narrative of his descendant named Martín, a Mexican-American migrant worker. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terminally ill William Joad learns of Martín as an heir to the family farm, and together they return to Oklahoma, the site of the Joad family’s perilous journey that serves as the soul of the original source material. Solis’ realism and poetic sensibilities are placed in the hands of the Rep’s associate artistic director David Mendizábal, who will direct the piece.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1417\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-800x590.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-1020x753.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-768x567.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-1536x1134.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Naomi Iizuka is spending the bulk of her summer in San Francisco, with the world premiere of her play ‘Garuda’s Wing’ debuting in June, and her translation of Shakespeare’s ‘Richard II’ opening in August.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Magic Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://magictheatre.org/calendar/garudas-wing\">Garuda’s Wing\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Magic Theatre, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 5–July 23, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playwright Naomi Iizuka is getting cozy inside the iconic theater space at Fort Mason for the entire summer, kicking things off with a ghost play. It’s an international investigation, and an intergenerational exploration, set across locales such as Jakarta and Borneo. A search unearths murder, while exposing the effects of revolution and colonialism. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre artistic director Margo Hall directs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To further expand on Iizuka’s time in San Francisco, her translation of the intense and timely \u003cem>Richard II\u003c/em>, directed by Santa Clara University professor Karina Gutierrez, follows in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957708\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1272\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957708\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former TheatreWorks Silicon Valley artistic director Robert Kelley returns for the world premiere of ‘Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration’ this June in Mountain View. \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://theatreworks.org/mainstage/being-alive/\">Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Mountain View\u003cbr>\nJune 5–30, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Stephen Sondheim’s passing in November of 2021, the master composer and lyricist has continued his dominance over every ounce of the musical theater landscape. Now, longtime collaborators Robert Kelley, who served TheatreWorks as artistic director for 50 years, and resident musical director William Liberatore are offering up another new take on Sondheim’s wonderful life. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TheatreWorks is a perfect spot for this world premiere, considering Sondheim is the company’s most produced composer. Expect many of Sondheim’s most iconic hits to make their way onto the stage, performed by a stellar six-person cast. (And for those who need even more Sondheim, the 2022 Broadway revival of \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.broadwaysf.com/events/company/\">Company\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, in which the single 35-year-old Bobbie is gender-swapped for a woman, lunches at BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco for the month of June.) \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1224\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957710\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-800x510.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-1020x650.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-768x490.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-1536x979.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Michael Wayne Turner III will perform as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in ‘The Ghost of King’ in Oakland.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Oakland Theater Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/\">The Ghost of King\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland Theater Project\u003cbr>\nJune 6–23, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Wayne Turner III is both the creator and featured performer of this exploration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., digging into the famed civil rights leader and his tireless advocacy to ensure that the underclass are given justice and opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Theater Project is doing what they do very well — develop, develop, develop — and Turner weaves the life and conflicts of King together with his poetry and most memorable speeches. Details and research inform this insightful deep dive into the iconic leader and orator, gunned down in 1968 a few months past his 39th birthday. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957704\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Heikki Koskinen and Nan Busse in “Happened Change,” an entry in this year’s San Francisco Fringe Festival, running at the Exit Theatre in August.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Steve Bronson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theexit.org/\">San Francisco Fringe Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Exit Theatre, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 9–25, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 33rd installment of San Francisco Fringe is all about quirky, poignant fun that exists off the beaten path from run-of-the-mill theatrical fare. Many of the shows are of the solo variety, and Exit Theatre’s festival continues to provide voices and opportunity for theater makers to sharpen both their art and their voices. This year’s festival features a whopping 45 performances of 15 different shows. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957703\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1279\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,’ Romelo Urbi plays the title role of Jamie, a 16-year-old high schooler in Sheffield who privately dreams of drag queen stardom. \u003ccite>(Shane Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.rayoflighttheatre.com/jamie\">Everybody’s Talking About Jamie\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ray of Light Theatre, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 1–23, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>British denizens fell in love with the luminous 16-year-old gay teen Jamie, who was a fixture on London’s West End toward the end of the past decade. Sadly, Americans had to wait. Despite a critically acclaimed 2021 film version, productions of the musical in the United States have been scarce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, Ray of Light Theatre gives the Bay an opportunity to fall head over stiletto heels for Jamie, an outcast who dreams of becoming a fabulous drag queen and finding superstar status on the biggest stages. It’s a tender story that shows what allyship and acceptance can mean to a young person looking to soar within their individuality in every aspect of life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A delightful local cast steps in for this one, with Romelo Urbi taking on the title role, and the entire production is led by director Alex Kirschner. Fittingly, the show’s opening night coincides with the annual start to Pride month across the nation. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This summer, Bay Area theater offers something for everyone. Whether you’re seeking out experimental offerings, a tried-and-true Shakespeare classic under the stars, or some hefty song and dance Broadway style, the Bay Area’s summer has you covered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 10 shows in the Bay Area from June to early September that are not to be missed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1432\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957713\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-800x597.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-1020x761.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-768x573.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lifespan.rev_-1536x1146.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fact-checking and copy editing take center stage in ‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ at Aurora Theatre this summer. \u003ccite>(Aurora Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.auroratheatre.org/fact\">The Lifespan of a Fact\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Aurora Theatre, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nJune 21–July 25, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Fingal is a newly minted Harvard grad who takes a job at a consequential magazine as a fact-checker. That consequence has softened, however, since the magazine is now hanging by a thread. An essay from mega-talent John D’Agata, about a teen boy’s suicide, could change the magazine’s fortunes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s one major problem — the actual facts of the story are shaky at best, placing both characters into a battle between truth and fiction. (The play’s heralded 2018 Broadway run featured actors Bobby Cannavale, Daniel Radcliffe and Cherry Jones.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s no better time to support Aurora, a gem of a small theater in Berkeley. Like many theaters post-pandemic, the company faces a major funding shortfall, and are in \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/AuroraSpring24\">an active campaign\u003c/a> to save their artistic outlet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957720\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1665px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1665\" height=\"1143\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957720\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych.jpg 1665w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-800x549.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-1020x700.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-768x527.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Pino.diptych-1536x1054.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1665px) 100vw, 1665px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonathan Rhys Williams is Lawrence Jameson and Keith Pinto is Freddy Benson in the San Jose Stage production of ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.’ \u003ccite>(San Jose Stage)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.thestage.org/\">Dirty Rotten Scoundrels\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>San Jose Stage\u003cbr>\nJune 5–30, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Based on the popular 1988 film and directed by Stage Associate Artist Johnny Moreno, this French Riviera con caper follows two men who compete for the heart of a wealthy American heiress. Featuring a jazzy score from composer David Yazbek (\u003cem>The Full Monty\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Band’s Visit\u003c/em>), the Stage is digging into another example of what they do so well — the quirky summer musical. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957712\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Untitled-design-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bridgette Loriaux is Beatrice and Johnny Moreno is Benedick in ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Marin Shakespeare Company)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinshakespeare.org/\">Much Ado About Nothing\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Marin Shakespeare Company, San Rafael\u003cbr>\nJune 28–July 28, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this wild Shakespearean romp, Beatrice and Benedick engage in a war of words while the soldier Claudio falls for the fair Hero. After the requisite bickering commences, love is discovered, vows are exchanged and all is well. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Popular Bay Area director and educator Domenique Lozano handles the direction, with Bridgette Loriaux playing Beatrice and Johnny Moreno tackling Benedick. And while the play’s the thing, renting some cushions and plopping them down inside the spacious seating area for a show under the North Bay stars can’t be beat. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Preshow pro tip – enjoy a Cubano sandwich at Sol Food down the street while taking in some salsa beats from the live band that plays on the sidewalk.\u003cbr>\nAnd if you’re looking for even more Shakespearean comedy under the summer stars, the return of Cal Shakes in Orinda to regular theater programming includes the 50th anniversary production of \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://calshakes.org/as-you-like-it-2024/\">As You Like It\u003c/a>\u003c/em> at Bruns Memorial Amphitheater in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1885\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957709\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-800x785.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-1020x1001.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-160x157.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-768x754.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Ryan-Williams-4-1536x1508.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan Williams comes to Oakland for the role of Tommy DeVito in the Woodminster Summer Musicals production ‘Jersey Boys’ in July.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Ryan J. Zirngibl)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.woodminster.com/\">Jersey Boys\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Woodminster Summer Musicals, Oakland\u003cbr>\nJuly 12–21, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons has had productions all over the world, with Broadway and off-Broadway productions still running while multiple national tours stop often in the Bay Area. (The production made its regional premiere via the first national tour in December of 2006 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are several reasons for the production’s popularity, namely the non-stop hit parade that is the music of Valli and songwriter Bob Gaudio, whose handshake agreement lasting decades is the stuff of legend. But the one thing that could usurp the show’s quality is the venue itself, nestled neatly within Joaquin Miller Park in the idyllic Oakland hills. When night falls, it’s one of the most picturesque views in the Bay. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957715\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1180px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1180\" height=\"664\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957715\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/OctavioSolisAnneHamerskycropped-1180x664-1-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1180px) 100vw, 1180px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Octavio Solis’ ‘Mother Road,’an adaptation of ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ explores the story of Martín, a descendant of the Joad family. \u003ccite>(Anne Hamersky)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/mother-road/\">Mother Road\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003cbr>\nJune 14–July 21, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Octavio Solis, who spent decades in the Bay Area before moving to Oregon, makes one of his frequent Bay Area returns with \u003cem>Mother Road\u003c/em>. The story is a spinoff of \u003cem>The Grapes of Wrath\u003c/em>, taking the story’s iconic blue-collar hero Tom Joad and offering the new narrative of his descendant named Martín, a Mexican-American migrant worker. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Terminally ill William Joad learns of Martín as an heir to the family farm, and together they return to Oklahoma, the site of the Joad family’s perilous journey that serves as the soul of the original source material. Solis’ realism and poetic sensibilities are placed in the hands of the Rep’s associate artistic director David Mendizábal, who will direct the piece.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1417\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-800x590.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-1020x753.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-160x118.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-768x567.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/naomi_iizuka-1536x1134.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Naomi Iizuka is spending the bulk of her summer in San Francisco, with the world premiere of her play ‘Garuda’s Wing’ debuting in June, and her translation of Shakespeare’s ‘Richard II’ opening in August.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Magic Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://magictheatre.org/calendar/garudas-wing\">Garuda’s Wing\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Magic Theatre, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 5–July 23, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playwright Naomi Iizuka is getting cozy inside the iconic theater space at Fort Mason for the entire summer, kicking things off with a ghost play. It’s an international investigation, and an intergenerational exploration, set across locales such as Jakarta and Borneo. A search unearths murder, while exposing the effects of revolution and colonialism. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre artistic director Margo Hall directs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To further expand on Iizuka’s time in San Francisco, her translation of the intense and timely \u003cem>Richard II\u003c/em>, directed by Santa Clara University professor Karina Gutierrez, follows in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957708\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1272\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957708\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-800x530.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1020x676.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-768x509.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Robert-Kelley3_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1536x1018.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former TheatreWorks Silicon Valley artistic director Robert Kelley returns for the world premiere of ‘Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration’ this June in Mountain View. \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://theatreworks.org/mainstage/being-alive/\">Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Mountain View\u003cbr>\nJune 5–30, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since Stephen Sondheim’s passing in November of 2021, the master composer and lyricist has continued his dominance over every ounce of the musical theater landscape. Now, longtime collaborators Robert Kelley, who served TheatreWorks as artistic director for 50 years, and resident musical director William Liberatore are offering up another new take on Sondheim’s wonderful life. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TheatreWorks is a perfect spot for this world premiere, considering Sondheim is the company’s most produced composer. Expect many of Sondheim’s most iconic hits to make their way onto the stage, performed by a stellar six-person cast. (And for those who need even more Sondheim, the 2022 Broadway revival of \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.broadwaysf.com/events/company/\">Company\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, in which the single 35-year-old Bobbie is gender-swapped for a woman, lunches at BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco for the month of June.) \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1224\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957710\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-800x510.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-1020x650.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-768x490.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/The_Ghost_of_King_2024_8649_cropped-1536x979.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Michael Wayne Turner III will perform as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in ‘The Ghost of King’ in Oakland.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Oakland Theater Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/\">The Ghost of King\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oakland Theater Project\u003cbr>\nJune 6–23, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Wayne Turner III is both the creator and featured performer of this exploration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., digging into the famed civil rights leader and his tireless advocacy to ensure that the underclass are given justice and opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Theater Project is doing what they do very well — develop, develop, develop — and Turner weaves the life and conflicts of King together with his poetry and most memorable speeches. Details and research inform this insightful deep dive into the iconic leader and orator, gunned down in 1968 a few months past his 39th birthday. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957704\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Left-to-right-Heikki-Koskinen-and-Nan-Busse-in-Happened-Change-Photo-credit-Steve-Bronson-1152x1536.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Heikki Koskinen and Nan Busse in “Happened Change,” an entry in this year’s San Francisco Fringe Festival, running at the Exit Theatre in August.\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Steve Bronson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.theexit.org/\">San Francisco Fringe Festival\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Exit Theatre, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 9–25, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 33rd installment of San Francisco Fringe is all about quirky, poignant fun that exists off the beaten path from run-of-the-mill theatrical fare. Many of the shows are of the solo variety, and Exit Theatre’s festival continues to provide voices and opportunity for theater makers to sharpen both their art and their voices. This year’s festival features a whopping 45 performances of 15 different shows. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13957703\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1279\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13957703\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Jamie-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,’ Romelo Urbi plays the title role of Jamie, a 16-year-old high schooler in Sheffield who privately dreams of drag queen stardom. \u003ccite>(Shane Ray)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.rayoflighttheatre.com/jamie\">Everybody’s Talking About Jamie\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ray of Light Theatre, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 1–23, 2024\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>British denizens fell in love with the luminous 16-year-old gay teen Jamie, who was a fixture on London’s West End toward the end of the past decade. Sadly, Americans had to wait. Despite a critically acclaimed 2021 film version, productions of the musical in the United States have been scarce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In June, Ray of Light Theatre gives the Bay an opportunity to fall head over stiletto heels for Jamie, an outcast who dreams of becoming a fabulous drag queen and finding superstar status on the biggest stages. It’s a tender story that shows what allyship and acceptance can mean to a young person looking to soar within their individuality in every aspect of life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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