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"content": "\u003cp>This week, the San Francisco Playhouse stage will be transformed into a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/tag/basketball\">basketball\u003c/a> court. And instead of acts, the drama will unfold in quarters for \u003ca href=\"https://sfplayhouse.org/2025-2026-season/flex/\">\u003cem>Flex\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a new play about high school girls with hoop dreams. The action-packed production gets its West Coast premiere on March 26 and features a good amount of game play, but it’s really all about the aspirations and struggles that drive the girls to leave it all on the court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Directed by Bay Area theater veteran \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/margo-hall\">Margo Hall\u003c/a>, \u003cem>Flex\u003c/em> takes place in Arkansas, the home state of playwright Candrice Jones. She began developing the play in the Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Ground Floor program for experimental new works a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set in 1998, the action in \u003cem>Flex\u003c/em> unfolds just after the formation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wnba\">WNBA\u003c/a>. “It’s about dreaming of being a champion,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/video/1747379\">Hall told KTVU\u003c/a> in a recent interview. “It’s also an opportunity for these young girls to get out of Arkansas, to have a life beyond this rural life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987903\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2450px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987903\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2450\" height=\"1630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10.jpg 2450w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2450px) 100vw, 2450px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Camille Collaço, Emma Gardner, Santeon Brown, Courtney Gabrielle Williams, and Paige Mayes are the Lady Train high school basketball team in San Francisco Playhouse’s ‘Flex,’ performing March 26–May 2.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The play arrives in the Bay Area as all eyes are on women’s basketball. Last year, the WNBA had its most popular season to date, and the Bay’s own Golden State Valkyries exceeded expectations as the first expansion team to make it to the playoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, the WNBA made history once again: After contentious negotiations, players signed a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/48243808/wnba-cba-2026-collective-bargaining-agreement-news-line-salaries-schedule\">collective bargaining agreement\u003c/a>. It raises their minimum salary from $66,000 to $300,000, and gives players more opportunities to share in the wealth they’re generating for the league. Experts have called it a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/new-wnba-cba-massive-step-forward-womens-sports/\">massive step forward\u003c/a> for women athletes, who have spent decades fighting for access, recognition and fair compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The WNBA has come a long way from its beginnings in the late ’90s, when players were pressured to fit into a narrow definition of femininity, supposedly to make the league more marketable. \u003cem>Flex\u003c/em> also deals with the conflicting pressures of young womanhood, as the high school girls navigate teen pregnancy, queerness and tensions around religious upbringing. Throughout it all, it’s female friendship that comes in clutch at the final buzzer.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://sfplayhouse.org/2025-2026-season/flex/\">Flex\u003c/a>’ plays at the San Francisco Playhouse (450 Post St., San Francisco) March 26–May 2, 2026.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This week, the San Francisco Playhouse stage will be transformed into a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/tag/basketball\">basketball\u003c/a> court. And instead of acts, the drama will unfold in quarters for \u003ca href=\"https://sfplayhouse.org/2025-2026-season/flex/\">\u003cem>Flex\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a new play about high school girls with hoop dreams. The action-packed production gets its West Coast premiere on March 26 and features a good amount of game play, but it’s really all about the aspirations and struggles that drive the girls to leave it all on the court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Directed by Bay Area theater veteran \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/margo-hall\">Margo Hall\u003c/a>, \u003cem>Flex\u003c/em> takes place in Arkansas, the home state of playwright Candrice Jones. She began developing the play in the Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Ground Floor program for experimental new works a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Set in 1998, the action in \u003cem>Flex\u003c/em> unfolds just after the formation of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wnba\">WNBA\u003c/a>. “It’s about dreaming of being a champion,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/video/1747379\">Hall told KTVU\u003c/a> in a recent interview. “It’s also an opportunity for these young girls to get out of Arkansas, to have a life beyond this rural life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13987903\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2450px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13987903\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2450\" height=\"1630\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10.jpg 2450w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/SFP_Flex_JessicaPalopoli10-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2450px) 100vw, 2450px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Camille Collaço, Emma Gardner, Santeon Brown, Courtney Gabrielle Williams, and Paige Mayes are the Lady Train high school basketball team in San Francisco Playhouse’s ‘Flex,’ performing March 26–May 2.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The play arrives in the Bay Area as all eyes are on women’s basketball. Last year, the WNBA had its most popular season to date, and the Bay’s own Golden State Valkyries exceeded expectations as the first expansion team to make it to the playoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, the WNBA made history once again: After contentious negotiations, players signed a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/48243808/wnba-cba-2026-collective-bargaining-agreement-news-line-salaries-schedule\">collective bargaining agreement\u003c/a>. It raises their minimum salary from $66,000 to $300,000, and gives players more opportunities to share in the wealth they’re generating for the league. Experts have called it a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/new-wnba-cba-massive-step-forward-womens-sports/\">massive step forward\u003c/a> for women athletes, who have spent decades fighting for access, recognition and fair compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The WNBA has come a long way from its beginnings in the late ’90s, when players were pressured to fit into a narrow definition of femininity, supposedly to make the league more marketable. \u003cem>Flex\u003c/em> also deals with the conflicting pressures of young womanhood, as the high school girls navigate teen pregnancy, queerness and tensions around religious upbringing. Throughout it all, it’s female friendship that comes in clutch at the final buzzer.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://sfplayhouse.org/2025-2026-season/flex/\">Flex\u003c/a>’ plays at the San Francisco Playhouse (450 Post St., San Francisco) March 26–May 2, 2026.\u003c/em>\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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"headTitle": "How Can We Save Bay Area Theater From Collapse? 11 Local Experts Weigh In | KQED",
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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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"title": "How to Debunk MSG Myths? Go Back in Time and Alter History, Of Course",
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"content": "\u003cp>When playwright Keiko Green was in her early teens, she learned that her grandfather — her ojiichan — had worked as a food scientist for Ajinomoto, the Tokyo-based company best known for inventing monosodium glutamate, a.k.a. MSG. In that moment, Green recalls, she didn’t feel a sense of pride in her family’s contribution to culinary history. Instead, she felt something more akin to shame. For a biracial \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/japanese-american\">Japanese American\u003c/a> kid growing up in a predominantly white suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, the MSG link was just one more thing that made her different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just felt like I was sticking out so much,” she recalls. “And there was that teenage part of you that wants to just disappear into the background and be a little invisible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And anyway, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966489/asian-american-chefs-msg-event-series-sf-chinatown-edge-on-the-square\">wasn’t MSG \u003ci>bad\u003c/i>\u003c/a>?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, no. Years later — long after Green had learned that those old “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-rotten-science-behind-the-msg-scare/\">Chinese Restaurant Syndrome\u003c/a>” campaigns were based on \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/an-msg-convert-visits-the-high-church-of-umami\">bad science\u003c/a> and, often, blatant \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/eddie-huang-racial-insensitivities-behind-msg-chinese-food-criticisms-n1115386\">racism\u003c/a> — the playwright recreated this moment of racialized teen angst in her play \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2024-2025-season/exotic-deadly-or-the-msg-play/\">\u003ci>Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, which opens at San Francisco Playhouse on Jan. 30, directed by Jesca Prudencio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13970888\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13970888\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in a baseball cap seated in a theater with her arms outstretched. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keiko Green wrote ‘Exotic Deadly’ during the pandemic, drawing on her own family connection to the Japanese company that invented MSG. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Like Green, the protagonist, Ami (played by Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer), is an Asian American teen growing up in the late ’90s. Ami first hears about MSG from a doctor on TV who warns about the flavor enhancer “poisoning America.” When she learns that her grandfather was the Japanese scientist who invented the headache-inducing powder, it’s like finding out that her own blood is tainted. She, too, wishes she could just make herself invisible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where the play deviates a bit from personal biography. Ami decides that the best thing to do is to travel back in time to prevent her ojiichan from ever inventing MSG, thus redeeming her family’s reputation and saving the entire world in the process. As you do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Madcap sci-fi twists notwithstanding, Green says \u003ci>Exotic Deadly\u003c/i> draws on her own adolescent experience more than any of her previous work. The play taps into the self-consciousness that Green felt about her Asian identity, especially when it came to the “lovely, nutritious bento” lunches that her mother packed for her every day. Those lunchboxes became a daily battle, Green recalls, even though she \u003ci>loved \u003c/i>her mother’s cooking. She especially relished her traditional Japanese breakfasts: a full spread of grilled fish, rice, miso soup, pickled plums and, her favorite, the sticky, funky fermented soybeans known as natto. (“I would obviously never take natto to school,” she says.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green remembers having bottles of the MSG seasoning powder at home, but her mom kept them hidden in a little cupboard — as though she, too, believed there was something shameful about the stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Later on, when I thought about that shame of internalized racism, I really thought back to the image of my mom keeping that bottle hidden away,” Green says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13970890\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13970890\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Director Jesca Prudencio (left) and Green at a workshop for SF Playhouse’s production of ‘Exotic Deadly.’ \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Green, whose recent work includes a writing credit on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/11/29/1215793965/interior-chinatown-is-a-genre-bending-exploration-of-asian-american-identity\">Hulu’s genre-bending adaptation of Charles Yu’s \u003ci>Interior Chinatown\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, knew she wanted to write a play about her family connection to MSG. But every time she tried, it always felt a little bit too clichéd. It was only after the COVID shutdown hit, she says, that she stopped worrying about whether the “gatekeepers” of the theater world would approve of the play. She wrote \u003ci>Exotic Deadly \u003c/i>mainly just to make herself laugh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though the play does deal with heavy themes of racism, Green says, it’s also by far the “craziest” play she’s ever written. “It breaks every rule,” she says. “It has a bajillion characters. Sometimes we change locations three times on a page.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And since pseudoscience had imbued MSG with so many fake, insidious properties, Green thought it would be fun to give MSG even \u003ci>more \u003c/i>fake effects: “In this play, MSG makes you really good at kung fu fighting. It can make you time travel. It heals your bones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s the character who goes by “Exotic Deadly” (played by Francesca Fernandez) — a phrase that Green took directly from an old article about MSG. The name also evokes her memories of her early days as a stage actress, when every role for Asian American women seemed overtly sexualized. “Even in Shakespeare, they wanted you to play the prostitute,” she recalls. In the play, Exotic Deadly is the new girl from Japan who serves as Ami’s foil — who loves MSG, is proud of her Asian identity, and is full of rage toward the systems and stereotypes that oppress her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play ends with a big spectacle, and the idea, Green says, is for the climactic moment to \u003ci>feel\u003c/i> the way that MSG tastes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13966489,arts_13934852,arts_13920714']\u003c/span>\u003c/span>For Asian Americans who grew up in the heyday of \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/aznidentity/comments/qhxho4/what_are_all_the_azn_pride_people_back_in_the/\">AZN Pride\u003c/a>, the reclamation of MSG has been a major project of the past dozen years, championed by chefs like David Chang and Anthony Bourdain, and food scientists like \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20150115205527/https://luckypeach.com/on-msg-and-chinese-restaurant-syndrome/\">Harold McGee\u003c/a>. These days, MSG pride is as mainstream — and as widely \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@iantedy/video/7056639071141121306\">memeified\u003c/a> — as boba pride, and “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” has been thoroughly debunked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even still, Green says that every time she wonders if a play like \u003ci>Exotic Deadly \u003c/i>is still relevant after such a sea change, she’ll see a comment from a theater colleague or a random poster on the internet who says, in full earnestness, “Finally, someone is talking about how deadly [MSG] is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while COVID helped birth the play, it also set off a wave of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S. In March 2021, when Green was preparing for the first big stage reading for \u003ci>Exotic Deadly\u003c/i> at The Old Globe in San Diego, the Atlanta spa shootings happened — eight people, including six women of Asian descent, shot and killed by a young man who told police he had a sex addiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Exotic Deadly\u003c/i> doesn’t deal directly with the violent side of exotification — to be clear, by Green’s own account, the play is a pure comedy. But the spate of anti-Asian hate crimes in the past few years has made her think about how for so many immigrants, their culture’s food is often the very first thing they’re made to feel ashamed of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re taught at such a young age that it’s okay to ‘other’ certain kinds of culture and food,” she says. “So when I see violence, when I see anti-Asian hate, I actually feel like it’s all extremely connected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2024-2025-season/exotic-deadly-or-the-msg-play/\">Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play\u003c/a>\u003ci> runs from Jan. 30 through March 8 at SF Playhouse (450 Post St., San Francisco).\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When playwright Keiko Green was in her early teens, she learned that her grandfather — her ojiichan — had worked as a food scientist for Ajinomoto, the Tokyo-based company best known for inventing monosodium glutamate, a.k.a. MSG. In that moment, Green recalls, she didn’t feel a sense of pride in her family’s contribution to culinary history. Instead, she felt something more akin to shame. For a biracial \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/japanese-american\">Japanese American\u003c/a> kid growing up in a predominantly white suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, the MSG link was just one more thing that made her different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just felt like I was sticking out so much,” she recalls. “And there was that teenage part of you that wants to just disappear into the background and be a little invisible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And anyway, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13966489/asian-american-chefs-msg-event-series-sf-chinatown-edge-on-the-square\">wasn’t MSG \u003ci>bad\u003c/i>\u003c/a>?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, no. Years later — long after Green had learned that those old “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-rotten-science-behind-the-msg-scare/\">Chinese Restaurant Syndrome\u003c/a>” campaigns were based on \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/an-msg-convert-visits-the-high-church-of-umami\">bad science\u003c/a> and, often, blatant \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/eddie-huang-racial-insensitivities-behind-msg-chinese-food-criticisms-n1115386\">racism\u003c/a> — the playwright recreated this moment of racialized teen angst in her play \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2024-2025-season/exotic-deadly-or-the-msg-play/\">\u003ci>Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, which opens at San Francisco Playhouse on Jan. 30, directed by Jesca Prudencio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13970888\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13970888\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in a baseball cap seated in a theater with her arms outstretched. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli4-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keiko Green wrote ‘Exotic Deadly’ during the pandemic, drawing on her own family connection to the Japanese company that invented MSG. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Like Green, the protagonist, Ami (played by Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer), is an Asian American teen growing up in the late ’90s. Ami first hears about MSG from a doctor on TV who warns about the flavor enhancer “poisoning America.” When she learns that her grandfather was the Japanese scientist who invented the headache-inducing powder, it’s like finding out that her own blood is tainted. She, too, wishes she could just make herself invisible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where the play deviates a bit from personal biography. Ami decides that the best thing to do is to travel back in time to prevent her ojiichan from ever inventing MSG, thus redeeming her family’s reputation and saving the entire world in the process. As you do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Madcap sci-fi twists notwithstanding, Green says \u003ci>Exotic Deadly\u003c/i> draws on her own adolescent experience more than any of her previous work. The play taps into the self-consciousness that Green felt about her Asian identity, especially when it came to the “lovely, nutritious bento” lunches that her mother packed for her every day. Those lunchboxes became a daily battle, Green recalls, even though she \u003ci>loved \u003c/i>her mother’s cooking. She especially relished her traditional Japanese breakfasts: a full spread of grilled fish, rice, miso soup, pickled plums and, her favorite, the sticky, funky fermented soybeans known as natto. (“I would obviously never take natto to school,” she says.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Green remembers having bottles of the MSG seasoning powder at home, but her mom kept them hidden in a little cupboard — as though she, too, believed there was something shameful about the stuff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Later on, when I thought about that shame of internalized racism, I really thought back to the image of my mom keeping that bottle hidden away,” Green says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13970890\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13970890\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/SFP_ExoticDeadlyWorkshop_JessicaPalopoli2-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Director Jesca Prudencio (left) and Green at a workshop for SF Playhouse’s production of ‘Exotic Deadly.’ \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Green, whose recent work includes a writing credit on \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/11/29/1215793965/interior-chinatown-is-a-genre-bending-exploration-of-asian-american-identity\">Hulu’s genre-bending adaptation of Charles Yu’s \u003ci>Interior Chinatown\u003c/i>\u003c/a>, knew she wanted to write a play about her family connection to MSG. But every time she tried, it always felt a little bit too clichéd. It was only after the COVID shutdown hit, she says, that she stopped worrying about whether the “gatekeepers” of the theater world would approve of the play. She wrote \u003ci>Exotic Deadly \u003c/i>mainly just to make herself laugh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though the play does deal with heavy themes of racism, Green says, it’s also by far the “craziest” play she’s ever written. “It breaks every rule,” she says. “It has a bajillion characters. Sometimes we change locations three times on a page.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And since pseudoscience had imbued MSG with so many fake, insidious properties, Green thought it would be fun to give MSG even \u003ci>more \u003c/i>fake effects: “In this play, MSG makes you really good at kung fu fighting. It can make you time travel. It heals your bones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there’s the character who goes by “Exotic Deadly” (played by Francesca Fernandez) — a phrase that Green took directly from an old article about MSG. The name also evokes her memories of her early days as a stage actress, when every role for Asian American women seemed overtly sexualized. “Even in Shakespeare, they wanted you to play the prostitute,” she recalls. In the play, Exotic Deadly is the new girl from Japan who serves as Ami’s foil — who loves MSG, is proud of her Asian identity, and is full of rage toward the systems and stereotypes that oppress her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play ends with a big spectacle, and the idea, Green says, is for the climactic moment to \u003ci>feel\u003c/i> the way that MSG tastes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"color: #2b2b2b;font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/span>For Asian Americans who grew up in the heyday of \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/aznidentity/comments/qhxho4/what_are_all_the_azn_pride_people_back_in_the/\">AZN Pride\u003c/a>, the reclamation of MSG has been a major project of the past dozen years, championed by chefs like David Chang and Anthony Bourdain, and food scientists like \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20150115205527/https://luckypeach.com/on-msg-and-chinese-restaurant-syndrome/\">Harold McGee\u003c/a>. These days, MSG pride is as mainstream — and as widely \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@iantedy/video/7056639071141121306\">memeified\u003c/a> — as boba pride, and “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” has been thoroughly debunked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even still, Green says that every time she wonders if a play like \u003ci>Exotic Deadly \u003c/i>is still relevant after such a sea change, she’ll see a comment from a theater colleague or a random poster on the internet who says, in full earnestness, “Finally, someone is talking about how deadly [MSG] is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while COVID helped birth the play, it also set off a wave of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S. In March 2021, when Green was preparing for the first big stage reading for \u003ci>Exotic Deadly\u003c/i> at The Old Globe in San Diego, the Atlanta spa shootings happened — eight people, including six women of Asian descent, shot and killed by a young man who told police he had a sex addiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Exotic Deadly\u003c/i> doesn’t deal directly with the violent side of exotification — to be clear, by Green’s own account, the play is a pure comedy. But the spate of anti-Asian hate crimes in the past few years has made her think about how for so many immigrants, their culture’s food is often the very first thing they’re made to feel ashamed of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re taught at such a young age that it’s okay to ‘other’ certain kinds of culture and food,” she says. “So when I see violence, when I see anti-Asian hate, I actually feel like it’s all extremely connected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2024-2025-season/exotic-deadly-or-the-msg-play/\">Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play\u003c/a>\u003ci> runs from Jan. 30 through March 8 at SF Playhouse (450 Post St., San Francisco).\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-bay-area-theater-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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"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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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> is not a holiday musical, and I won’t try to \u003ca href=\"https://parade.com/1288946/samuelmurrian/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/\">boorishly\u003c/a> argue so. But it \u003cem>is\u003c/em> a story about love, and family, and muddling through somehow, with a wholesome and sweet payoff — a salve for the cold winter months. Plus, it’s about baking pies (he types, flecks of Thanksgiving flour still lining his cuticles).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Running through Jan. 18 at San Francisco Playhouse, \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> follows the travails of Jenna, a small-town diner waitress with an abusive husband who dreams of a better life. By inventing daily pie recipes based on her predicaments, she projects an alternate future for herself — one that derails when she absentmindedly sleeps with her husband and gets pregnant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenna (Ruby Day) is trapped by economic, matrimonial and prenatal circumstances. Her fellow waitresses at the diner are trapped, too: the tottering Dawn (Sharon Shao) by self-doubt, the wisecracking Becky (Tanika Baptiste) by weary cynicism. Enter Jenna’s new-in-town gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Zeke Edmonds), add a dash of romantic spark, and you see where this recipe is leading. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968690\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968690\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sparks fly between Jenna (Ruby Day) and Dr. Pomatter (Zeke Edmonds) in ‘Waitress’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Jenna, Day strikes the right blend of folksy and inventive; she’s content and traditional but goes rogue when needed. Around Dawn and Becky, she’s open and supportive; around her doctor, she cautiously tries to avoid hopping out of one trap and into another. Only one man seems to fully loosen her guard: Joe (Louis Parnell), the elderly owner of the diner, an exacting curmudgeon who offers sagely bromides over the formica tabletop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Dawn longs for someone who understands her, and Shao sings the number “When He Sees Me” with a wonderful zig-zag between self-consciousness and hope. That person arrives in the form of Ogie (Michael Parrott), an amateur magician and clog dancer in bad pants who love-bombs Dawn; she runs toward rather than away from his red flags, and eventually, the audience does, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968693\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn (Sharon Shao) is ambushed by overeager Ogie (Michael Parrott) in ‘Waitress,’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Interplay between the employees of Joe’s Pie Diner is crucial to \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em>, and director Susi Damilano maximizes the friction and synergies inherent to a powder-keg working environment. It wouldn’t be a true lunch counter without witty repartee, provided by Becky and line cook Cal (Dorian Lockett), who tear at each other’s throats. But if the diner staff can agree on one thing, it’s their disdain of Earl, Jenna’s husband. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earl is your typical insecure jerk — he drinks, pockets Jenna’s tips and demands she never love their baby more than him. He’s also not jerky enough; the character is a man-baby, yes, but Ben Euphrat could play it with even more bullheaded toxicity, or at least wear less fashionable jeans. (As Joe, Parnell could be more grouchy, too.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968689\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968689\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Earl (Ben Euphrat) visits his wife Jenna (Ruby Day) at the diner in ‘Waitress’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Day and Edmonds both blossom here, as Jenna dives deeper in lust with her married doctor. In the second act, just as the show starts to drag, Day brings the house down with “She Used to Be Mine,” singing it as if she’s sung it for three lifetimes, tearing every ounce of emotion from what’s left of Jenna’s soul. It’s a dam that’s finally burst, and on opening night, it got the longest applause. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been six years since the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13843169/if-you-love-the-film-waitress-the-musical-is-a-side-dish-worth-ordering\">Broadway tour of \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> came to town\u003c/a>, and San Francisco Playhouse has bet on audience’s appetites by investing in a stellar set by Jacquelyn Scott and a full onstage live band. The choreography by Nicole Helfer isn’t flashy — there are no razzle-dazzle synchronized dance numbers — but watching its careful precision unfold is like viewing a cross-section of a humming V8 engine with dozens of moving parts. A drum line is played on the lunch counter with wooden spoons. Jenna and Dr. Pomatter float through the air. Pies hover in circles like a reverie. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968691\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1247\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968691\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-800x499.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-1020x636.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-768x479.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-1920x1197.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jenna (Ruby Day) dreams of Dr. Pomatter (Zeke Edmonds) in ‘Waitress’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> was written by women (the 2007 Adrienne Shelly movie was adapted for the stage by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles), and it shows. Nestled within its well-worn small-town-diner tropes is a perspective that just \u003cem>feels\u003c/em> different, and not only in the dialogue. Jenna is a woman who chooses to have a baby but isn’t at all happy about it, a common dilemma not reflected enough in entertainment. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is refreshing. It also lends the final scenes of \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> extra emotional weight, capturing the warmth \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the complexity inherent to the holiday season.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Waitress’ runs through Saturday, Jan. 18 at San Francisco Playhouse (450 Post St., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2024-2025-season/waitress/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> is not a holiday musical, and I won’t try to \u003ca href=\"https://parade.com/1288946/samuelmurrian/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/\">boorishly\u003c/a> argue so. But it \u003cem>is\u003c/em> a story about love, and family, and muddling through somehow, with a wholesome and sweet payoff — a salve for the cold winter months. Plus, it’s about baking pies (he types, flecks of Thanksgiving flour still lining his cuticles).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Running through Jan. 18 at San Francisco Playhouse, \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> follows the travails of Jenna, a small-town diner waitress with an abusive husband who dreams of a better life. By inventing daily pie recipes based on her predicaments, she projects an alternate future for herself — one that derails when she absentmindedly sleeps with her husband and gets pregnant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenna (Ruby Day) is trapped by economic, matrimonial and prenatal circumstances. Her fellow waitresses at the diner are trapped, too: the tottering Dawn (Sharon Shao) by self-doubt, the wisecracking Becky (Tanika Baptiste) by weary cynicism. Enter Jenna’s new-in-town gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Zeke Edmonds), add a dash of romantic spark, and you see where this recipe is leading. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968690\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968690\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli2-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sparks fly between Jenna (Ruby Day) and Dr. Pomatter (Zeke Edmonds) in ‘Waitress’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Jenna, Day strikes the right blend of folksy and inventive; she’s content and traditional but goes rogue when needed. Around Dawn and Becky, she’s open and supportive; around her doctor, she cautiously tries to avoid hopping out of one trap and into another. Only one man seems to fully loosen her guard: Joe (Louis Parnell), the elderly owner of the diner, an exacting curmudgeon who offers sagely bromides over the formica tabletop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Dawn longs for someone who understands her, and Shao sings the number “When He Sees Me” with a wonderful zig-zag between self-consciousness and hope. That person arrives in the form of Ogie (Michael Parrott), an amateur magician and clog dancer in bad pants who love-bombs Dawn; she runs toward rather than away from his red flags, and eventually, the audience does, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968693\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli12-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dawn (Sharon Shao) is ambushed by overeager Ogie (Michael Parrott) in ‘Waitress,’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Interplay between the employees of Joe’s Pie Diner is crucial to \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em>, and director Susi Damilano maximizes the friction and synergies inherent to a powder-keg working environment. It wouldn’t be a true lunch counter without witty repartee, provided by Becky and line cook Cal (Dorian Lockett), who tear at each other’s throats. But if the diner staff can agree on one thing, it’s their disdain of Earl, Jenna’s husband. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earl is your typical insecure jerk — he drinks, pockets Jenna’s tips and demands she never love their baby more than him. He’s also not jerky enough; the character is a man-baby, yes, but Ben Euphrat could play it with even more bullheaded toxicity, or at least wear less fashionable jeans. (As Joe, Parnell could be more grouchy, too.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968689\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968689\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli6-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Earl (Ben Euphrat) visits his wife Jenna (Ruby Day) at the diner in ‘Waitress’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Day and Edmonds both blossom here, as Jenna dives deeper in lust with her married doctor. In the second act, just as the show starts to drag, Day brings the house down with “She Used to Be Mine,” singing it as if she’s sung it for three lifetimes, tearing every ounce of emotion from what’s left of Jenna’s soul. It’s a dam that’s finally burst, and on opening night, it got the longest applause. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been six years since the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13843169/if-you-love-the-film-waitress-the-musical-is-a-side-dish-worth-ordering\">Broadway tour of \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> came to town\u003c/a>, and San Francisco Playhouse has bet on audience’s appetites by investing in a stellar set by Jacquelyn Scott and a full onstage live band. The choreography by Nicole Helfer isn’t flashy — there are no razzle-dazzle synchronized dance numbers — but watching its careful precision unfold is like viewing a cross-section of a humming V8 engine with dozens of moving parts. A drum line is played on the lunch counter with wooden spoons. Jenna and Dr. Pomatter float through the air. Pies hover in circles like a reverie. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13968691\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1247\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13968691\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-800x499.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-1020x636.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-768x479.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-1536x958.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/SFP_Waitress_JessicaPalopoli14-1920x1197.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jenna (Ruby Day) dreams of Dr. Pomatter (Zeke Edmonds) in ‘Waitress’ at San Francisco Playhouse. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> was written by women (the 2007 Adrienne Shelly movie was adapted for the stage by Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles), and it shows. Nestled within its well-worn small-town-diner tropes is a perspective that just \u003cem>feels\u003c/em> different, and not only in the dialogue. Jenna is a woman who chooses to have a baby but isn’t at all happy about it, a common dilemma not reflected enough in entertainment. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is refreshing. It also lends the final scenes of \u003cem>Waitress\u003c/em> extra emotional weight, capturing the warmth \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the complexity inherent to the holiday season.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Waitress’ runs through Saturday, Jan. 18 at San Francisco Playhouse (450 Post St., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2024-2025-season/waitress/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-plays-musicals-summer",
"title": "10 Hot Tickets to Bay Area Plays and Musicals This Summer",
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"headTitle": "10 Hot Tickets to Bay Area Plays and Musicals This Summer | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/summerguide2023\">2023 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/strong> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theater companies typically grind hard from September to June, and as a result, the summer months ease up a bit before the cycle starts again in the fall. This doesn’t mean the Bay Area theater scene is a barren wasteland over the summer; quite the opposite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area stages this summer host a healthy mix of the classic and contemporary, along with world premieres and hearty musicals. Here are 10 shows from late May to early September that you don’t want to miss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929271\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929271\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-800x818.jpg\" alt=\"a photo of three people posed in front of a wooden door, two youngish Latino-appearing men with a Latina woman in an orange standing between them, looking at the camera\" width=\"800\" height=\"818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-800x818.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-1020x1043.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-768x785.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-1502x1536.jpg 1502w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-1920x1963.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caleb Cabrera and Regina Morones and Samuel Prince in ‘Yerma.’ \u003ccite>(Robbie Sweeny)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://shotgunplayers.org/Online/default.asp\">Yerma\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashby Stage, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nMay 27–June 18, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, whose passion explodes from the ink, has a special quality that knows no end. Lorca’s characters are not simply products of circumstance; they are wholly consumed by fate. His ideas and word combinations are incredibly thrilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Yerma\u003c/em>, a play not as frequently produced as the two others in his Rural Trilogy, the title character is childless, desperately yearning to be a mother. Her desperation leads to her self-destruction, which parallels the tragedy of Lorca himself, killed in 1936 at the hands of a firing squad at age 38. \u003cem>Yerma\u003c/em> is the type of play that Shotgun Players does beautifully, with the immeasurable benefit of one of Spain’s greatest voices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929279\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"three people, a white woman, a Black man and a Japanese-American man in colorful outfits, perform on a stage with a fake animal skeleton of some kind\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aymee Garcia, Cole Thompson and Kennedy Kanagawa in ‘Into the Woods’ \u003ccite>(Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://sfcurran.com/\">Into the Woods\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Curran, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 20–25, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is a regular stop for national tours, but \u003cem>Into the Woods\u003c/em> offers an added bonus: multiple original cast members from the critically acclaimed Broadway production. The show opened in May of 2022 as a two-week run at the New York City Center before a Broadway transfer led to multiple extensions and six Tony Award nominations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The masterpiece from James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim joins together multiple plots of various fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm — often with much darker consequences than their Disney counterparts. Making its way out West as well is the melancholy cow puppet Milky White, an aspect of the show that was all the rage in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929281\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"a young Black woman with curly hair poses for a portrait in a red dress\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Longtime Bay Area performer Elizabeth Carter makes her TheatreWorks directorial debut with ‘Steel Magnolias.’ \u003ccite>(Jenny Graham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://theatreworks.org/\">Steel Magnolias\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts\u003cbr>\nJune 7–July 2, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has been crafting great, innovative artistry for its recent productions, rethinking what a classic can be and infusing the work with components that expand a show’s inclusivity. (Exhibit A: their \u003cem>Little Shop of Horrors\u003c/em>, placed in San Francisco’s Chinatown, this past December.) This year, a play set in the South, which featured an all-white cast in the popular 1989 film, adapts the action into a Black-owned salon. Longtime Bay Area performer Elizabeth Carter directs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929283\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"a large group of people in top hats and shiny outfits perform a dance in a chorus line on stage\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘A Chorus Line’ at the London Palladium. San Francisco Playhouse closes its 20th anniversary season with the musical starting June 22. \u003ccite>(Alamy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2022-2023-season/a-chorus-line/\">A Chorus Line\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>San Francisco Playhouse\u003cbr>\nJune 22–Sept. 9, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Playhouse is going all in with its collection of musicals, offering up three in a 12-month span. One of the most decorated musicals in history, winning nine Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1976, \u003cem>A Chorus Line\u003c/em> follows a colorful group of dancers vying for a coveted spot on a Broadway chorus line. Each dancer brings deep, personal stories with lots of humor and heartbreak. Despite their variety of backgrounds, each of the dancers ultimately asks the same question — if the dream were to end instantly after so much sacrifice, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwk0Sh3id4w\">are there any regrets\u003c/a>?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929284\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-800x450.png\" alt=\"a group of four people, three Black women and one Black man, Questlove, smile for the camera\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0.png 970w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The team behind ‘Hippest Trip’: Dominique Morrisseau (book), Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson (executive producer), Camille A. Brown (choreography), Kamilah Forbes (director). \u003ccite>(Nicola Goode)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2023-24-season/soul-train/\">Hippest Trip — The Soul Train Musical\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Toni Rembe Theater, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 25–Oct. 1, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Chicago disc jockey Joe Cobb pierced the television speaker with his dulcet falsetto screaming, “The soooooouuulllll train,” followed by Sid McCoy smoothly introducing “the hippest trip in America” while a colorful train \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8osiVlz6Ws\">bounced along outer space\u003c/a>, you knew that Saturday morning was ready to commence with unbridled Black joy. Every ounce of \u003cem>Soul Train\u003c/em> is iconic — dapper host Don Cornelius, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lODBVM802H8\">Soul Train line\u003c/a>, prime fashion, and the show’s indelible role in popular culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This new musical, which finally premieres at A.C.T. after plenty of delays, is led by a dream team, including playwright Dominique Morrisseau and musician/Soul Train savant Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. A long-anticipated world premiere, it’s poised to become the theatre event of the summer with high ambitions beyond the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929285\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929285\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a glass of water on a table in front of a woman's face, lit darkly; she has brown skin and black hair and is wearing dark lipstick\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Ramirez in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.’ \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/virginia\">Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Flax Art & Design, Oakland\u003cbr>\nMay 26–June 18, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long considered a masterpiece of the American theater, this unflinchingly comedic and profound work from Edward Albee follows middle-aged couple George and Martha, who invite a young professor and his wife over to their place for a nightcap; a dangerous round of fun and games ensues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Theater Project is on a roll of late, producing gritty narratives from fresh playwrights while continuing to build upon a healthy repertory company of terrific artists. Popular company members Lisa Ramirez and Michael Socrates Moran perform and direct, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929286\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929286\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-800x1201.jpg\" alt=\"a portrait of a man with light brown skin and a very short beard wearing a black t-shirt\" width=\"800\" height=\"1201\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-800x1201.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-1020x1531.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-1023x1536.jpg 1023w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello.jpg 1066w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ari’el Stachel in ‘Out of Character’ \u003ccite>(Sergio Pasquariello)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/out-of-character/\">Out of Character\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003cbr>\nJune 23–July 20, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seeing the beautiful musical \u003cem>The Band’s Visit\u003c/em> in 2017 was to witness an incredible set of performances from an all-star cast. One of those performers, the handsome Berkeley-raised talent Ari’el Stachel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUW-yM2y53s\">made audiences swoon\u003c/a> as the confident musician Haled. That swooning was no accident; his performance landed him the 2018 Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stachel returns home for this solo debut, telling his story of the difficulties he faced as an Israeli American of Yemeni Jewish descent shortly after the 9/11 attacks. In keeping with the homegrown nature of the piece, the show was developed at the Rep’s Ground Floor and is directed by former artistic director Tony Taccone, who led the Rep for 33 years before retiring in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929288\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929288\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-800x501.jpg\" alt=\"three people, a Black man in a suit, a Black woman in a white top and black pants and a Black woman in a peach dress, laugh while performing a reading in front of an applauding crowd\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-800x501.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-1020x639.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-768x481.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-1536x962.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited.jpg 1599w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Actor Rotimi Agbabiaka, playwright Traci Tolmaire and actor Ryan Nicole Austin perform a staged reading of ‘In the Evening by the Moonlight’ at the Museum of African Diaspora. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Lorraine Hansberry Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.lhtsf.org/\">In the Evening by the Moonlight\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Young Performer’s Theatre at Fort Mason, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 15–July 2, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre is the home for this new play that imagines a conversation between three major figures: the theatre’s namesake, Lorraine Hansberry, Nina Simone and James Baldwin. The piece is set in Hansberry’s Waverly Place flat in New York, as the three icons confront a fearful future while expressing hopes for a revolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play, which received a successful reading in April, is written by Traci Tolmaire, and co-created and directed by artistic director Margo Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929291\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929291\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-800x600.png\" alt=\"three white people, two men and one woman, smile for the camera while sitting in an empty theater\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-800x600.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-1020x765.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-768x576.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The team behind ‘Hamlet’ from the Marin Shakespeare Company, left to right: Jon Tracy (director), Bridgette Loriaux (‘Gertrude’) and Nick Musleh (‘Hamlet’). \u003ccite>(Jon Tracy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinshakespeare.org/\">Hamlet\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, San Rafael\u003cbr>\nJune 16–July 16, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing screams summer like Shakespeare in an outdoor setting, and the Marin Shakespeare Company has presented the Bard outside since 1989. Well-known Bay Area director Jon Tracy is taking over the reins as summer season artistic producer, and while he has directed for the company plenty, this is his debut in the new role.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story of Hamlet has everything one can ask for in a drama — iconic characters, lust, betrayal, greed, humor and deception. To be or not to be in the house? Grabbing some Shakespeare on a beautiful North Bay night under the stars is a definite “to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929293\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929293\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-800x1105.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1105\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-800x1105.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1020x1408.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-160x221.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-768x1060.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1112x1536.jpeg 1112w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1483x2048.jpeg 1483w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpeg 1854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Timothy Near, director of ‘The Road to Mecca.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"http://www.zspace.org/\">The Road to Mecca\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Z Below, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 4–30, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This work from Athol Fugard, long considered the greatest of South African playwrights, centers an aging Miss Helen, who fills her home and garden with sculptures made from junk after the death of her husband. As her mental health continues to deteriorate, two people — a local pastor and a young teacher — fight to determine the ultimate path of her perilous future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The piece brings together a group of artists who last worked together on another Fugard piece at Z Below, \u003cem>A Lesson from Aloes\u003c/em>, in 2018. Timothy Near leads the three-hander, reuniting the longtime director with top acting talents Victor Talmadge and Wendy vanden Heuvel.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "This summer, local theatre stages host a mix of the classic and contemporary, alongside world premieres and hearty musicals.",
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"title": "10 Hot Tickets to Bay Area Plays and Musicals This Summer | KQED",
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"headline": "10 Hot Tickets to Bay Area Plays and Musicals This Summer",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Be sure to check out our full \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/summerguide2023\">2023 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/strong> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theater companies typically grind hard from September to June, and as a result, the summer months ease up a bit before the cycle starts again in the fall. This doesn’t mean the Bay Area theater scene is a barren wasteland over the summer; quite the opposite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area stages this summer host a healthy mix of the classic and contemporary, along with world premieres and hearty musicals. Here are 10 shows from late May to early September that you don’t want to miss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929271\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929271\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-800x818.jpg\" alt=\"a photo of three people posed in front of a wooden door, two youngish Latino-appearing men with a Latina woman in an orange standing between them, looking at the camera\" width=\"800\" height=\"818\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-800x818.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-1020x1043.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-768x785.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-1502x1536.jpg 1502w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159-1920x1963.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Caleb-Cabrera-and-Regina-Morones-and-Samuel-Prince-Credit-Robbie-Sweeny-DSC00159.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caleb Cabrera and Regina Morones and Samuel Prince in ‘Yerma.’ \u003ccite>(Robbie Sweeny)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://shotgunplayers.org/Online/default.asp\">Yerma\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashby Stage, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nMay 27–June 18, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, whose passion explodes from the ink, has a special quality that knows no end. Lorca’s characters are not simply products of circumstance; they are wholly consumed by fate. His ideas and word combinations are incredibly thrilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Yerma\u003c/em>, a play not as frequently produced as the two others in his Rural Trilogy, the title character is childless, desperately yearning to be a mother. Her desperation leads to her self-destruction, which parallels the tragedy of Lorca himself, killed in 1936 at the hands of a firing squad at age 38. \u003cem>Yerma\u003c/em> is the type of play that Shotgun Players does beautifully, with the immeasurable benefit of one of Spain’s greatest voices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929279\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929279\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"three people, a white woman, a Black man and a Japanese-American man in colorful outfits, perform on a stage with a fake animal skeleton of some kind\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/INTO-THE-WOODS-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aymee Garcia, Cole Thompson and Kennedy Kanagawa in ‘Into the Woods’ \u003ccite>(Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://sfcurran.com/\">Into the Woods\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Curran, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 20–25, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area is a regular stop for national tours, but \u003cem>Into the Woods\u003c/em> offers an added bonus: multiple original cast members from the critically acclaimed Broadway production. The show opened in May of 2022 as a two-week run at the New York City Center before a Broadway transfer led to multiple extensions and six Tony Award nominations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The masterpiece from James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim joins together multiple plots of various fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm — often with much darker consequences than their Disney counterparts. Making its way out West as well is the melancholy cow puppet Milky White, an aspect of the show that was all the rage in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929281\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"a young Black woman with curly hair poses for a portrait in a red dress\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Elizabeth_Carter_Jenny-Graham-2-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Longtime Bay Area performer Elizabeth Carter makes her TheatreWorks directorial debut with ‘Steel Magnolias.’ \u003ccite>(Jenny Graham)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://theatreworks.org/\">Steel Magnolias\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts\u003cbr>\nJune 7–July 2, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has been crafting great, innovative artistry for its recent productions, rethinking what a classic can be and infusing the work with components that expand a show’s inclusivity. (Exhibit A: their \u003cem>Little Shop of Horrors\u003c/em>, placed in San Francisco’s Chinatown, this past December.) This year, a play set in the South, which featured an all-white cast in the popular 1989 film, adapts the action into a Black-owned salon. Longtime Bay Area performer Elizabeth Carter directs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929283\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929283\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-800x533.jpeg\" alt=\"a large group of people in top hats and shiny outfits perform a dance in a chorus line on stage\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/SFP_AChorusLine_Alamy-scaled-1-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘A Chorus Line’ at the London Palladium. San Francisco Playhouse closes its 20th anniversary season with the musical starting June 22. \u003ccite>(Alamy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2022-2023-season/a-chorus-line/\">A Chorus Line\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>San Francisco Playhouse\u003cbr>\nJune 22–Sept. 9, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Playhouse is going all in with its collection of musicals, offering up three in a 12-month span. One of the most decorated musicals in history, winning nine Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1976, \u003cem>A Chorus Line\u003c/em> follows a colorful group of dancers vying for a coveted spot on a Broadway chorus line. Each dancer brings deep, personal stories with lots of humor and heartbreak. Despite their variety of backgrounds, each of the dancers ultimately asks the same question — if the dream were to end instantly after so much sacrifice, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwk0Sh3id4w\">are there any regrets\u003c/a>?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929284\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929284\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-800x450.png\" alt=\"a group of four people, three Black women and one Black man, Questlove, smile for the camera\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0.png 970w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The team behind ‘Hippest Trip’: Dominique Morrisseau (book), Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson (executive producer), Camille A. Brown (choreography), Kamilah Forbes (director). \u003ccite>(Nicola Goode)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/2023-24-season/soul-train/\">Hippest Trip — The Soul Train Musical\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Toni Rembe Theater, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nAug. 25–Oct. 1, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Chicago disc jockey Joe Cobb pierced the television speaker with his dulcet falsetto screaming, “The soooooouuulllll train,” followed by Sid McCoy smoothly introducing “the hippest trip in America” while a colorful train \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8osiVlz6Ws\">bounced along outer space\u003c/a>, you knew that Saturday morning was ready to commence with unbridled Black joy. Every ounce of \u003cem>Soul Train\u003c/em> is iconic — dapper host Don Cornelius, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lODBVM802H8\">Soul Train line\u003c/a>, prime fashion, and the show’s indelible role in popular culture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This new musical, which finally premieres at A.C.T. after plenty of delays, is led by a dream team, including playwright Dominique Morrisseau and musician/Soul Train savant Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. A long-anticipated world premiere, it’s poised to become the theatre event of the summer with high ambitions beyond the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929285\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929285\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a glass of water on a table in front of a woman's face, lit darkly; she has brown skin and black hair and is wearing dark lipstick\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Virginia_Wolf_h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Ramirez in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.’ \u003ccite>(Ben Krantz Studio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/virginia\">Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Flax Art & Design, Oakland\u003cbr>\nMay 26–June 18, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long considered a masterpiece of the American theater, this unflinchingly comedic and profound work from Edward Albee follows middle-aged couple George and Martha, who invite a young professor and his wife over to their place for a nightcap; a dangerous round of fun and games ensues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Theater Project is on a roll of late, producing gritty narratives from fresh playwrights while continuing to build upon a healthy repertory company of terrific artists. Popular company members Lisa Ramirez and Michael Socrates Moran perform and direct, respectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929286\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929286\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-800x1201.jpg\" alt=\"a portrait of a man with light brown skin and a very short beard wearing a black t-shirt\" width=\"800\" height=\"1201\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-800x1201.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-1020x1531.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello-1023x1536.jpg 1023w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/StachelAri_SergioPasquariello.jpg 1066w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ari’el Stachel in ‘Out of Character’ \u003ccite>(Sergio Pasquariello)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/shows/out-of-character/\">Out of Character\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003cbr>\nJune 23–July 20, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seeing the beautiful musical \u003cem>The Band’s Visit\u003c/em> in 2017 was to witness an incredible set of performances from an all-star cast. One of those performers, the handsome Berkeley-raised talent Ari’el Stachel, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUW-yM2y53s\">made audiences swoon\u003c/a> as the confident musician Haled. That swooning was no accident; his performance landed him the 2018 Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stachel returns home for this solo debut, telling his story of the difficulties he faced as an Israeli American of Yemeni Jewish descent shortly after the 9/11 attacks. In keeping with the homegrown nature of the piece, the show was developed at the Rep’s Ground Floor and is directed by former artistic director Tony Taccone, who led the Rep for 33 years before retiring in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929288\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929288\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-800x501.jpg\" alt=\"three people, a Black man in a suit, a Black woman in a white top and black pants and a Black woman in a peach dress, laugh while performing a reading in front of an applauding crowd\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-800x501.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-1020x639.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-768x481.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited-1536x962.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/1-01_edited_edited.jpg 1599w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Actor Rotimi Agbabiaka, playwright Traci Tolmaire and actor Ryan Nicole Austin perform a staged reading of ‘In the Evening by the Moonlight’ at the Museum of African Diaspora. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Lorraine Hansberry Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.lhtsf.org/\">In the Evening by the Moonlight\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Young Performer’s Theatre at Fort Mason, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 15–July 2, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre is the home for this new play that imagines a conversation between three major figures: the theatre’s namesake, Lorraine Hansberry, Nina Simone and James Baldwin. The piece is set in Hansberry’s Waverly Place flat in New York, as the three icons confront a fearful future while expressing hopes for a revolution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The play, which received a successful reading in April, is written by Traci Tolmaire, and co-created and directed by artistic director Margo Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929291\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929291\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-800x600.png\" alt=\"three white people, two men and one woman, smile for the camera while sitting in an empty theater\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-800x600.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-1020x765.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-768x576.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/pasted-image-0-1.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The team behind ‘Hamlet’ from the Marin Shakespeare Company, left to right: Jon Tracy (director), Bridgette Loriaux (‘Gertrude’) and Nick Musleh (‘Hamlet’). \u003ccite>(Jon Tracy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.marinshakespeare.org/\">Hamlet\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, San Rafael\u003cbr>\nJune 16–July 16, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing screams summer like Shakespeare in an outdoor setting, and the Marin Shakespeare Company has presented the Bard outside since 1989. Well-known Bay Area director Jon Tracy is taking over the reins as summer season artistic producer, and while he has directed for the company plenty, this is his debut in the new role.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story of Hamlet has everything one can ask for in a drama — iconic characters, lust, betrayal, greed, humor and deception. To be or not to be in the house? Grabbing some Shakespeare on a beautiful North Bay night under the stars is a definite “to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13929293\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13929293\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-800x1105.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1105\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-800x1105.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1020x1408.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-160x221.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-768x1060.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1112x1536.jpeg 1112w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1-1483x2048.jpeg 1483w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Timothy-Near_DavidAllenPhoto-scaled-1.jpeg 1854w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Timothy Near, director of ‘The Road to Mecca.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"http://www.zspace.org/\">The Road to Mecca\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Z Below, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nJune 4–30, 2023\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This work from Athol Fugard, long considered the greatest of South African playwrights, centers an aging Miss Helen, who fills her home and garden with sculptures made from junk after the death of her husband. As her mental health continues to deteriorate, two people — a local pastor and a young teacher — fight to determine the ultimate path of her perilous future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The piece brings together a group of artists who last worked together on another Fugard piece at Z Below, \u003cem>A Lesson from Aloes\u003c/em>, in 2018. Timothy Near leads the three-hander, reuniting the longtime director with top acting talents Victor Talmadge and Wendy vanden Heuvel.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Classic Whodunit 'Clue' Given New Life at SF Playhouse",
"headTitle": "Classic Whodunit ‘Clue’ Given New Life at SF Playhouse | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In 2023, audiences still love a whodunit, and San Francisco Playhouse is staging one of the best: \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Was it Professor Plum in the library with the candlestick? Miss Scarlet in the study with the knife? Or maybe it was the butler or the maid? Those familiar with \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em> from either the Hasbro board game or 1985 film will recognize the familiar setting and characters, but San Francisco Playhouse’s staging and hilarious cast make this production a nostalgic journey worth taking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mystery begins upon arrival at San Francisco Playhouse, where clues are scattered around the theater for pre-show sleuthing. Those who solve this mystery receive access to a special cocktail at the bar — a setting designed to get one thinking and drinking before the real mystery unfolds on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once inside the theater, playgoers are greeted by the foreboding Boddy Manor, with its wings and hidden rooms. San Francisco Playhouse makes great use of their limited space with a set that truly comes to life when the show begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The familiar characters of \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em> are given new life by actors like Renee Rogoff (as Mrs. White), who steals the show several times with hilarious facial expressions. Dorian Lockett brings a cleverness and an air of mystery to the butler Wadsworth; veteran actor Michael Ray Wisely’s charming and aloof Colonel Mustard is unforgettable; and Stacy Ross’ Mrs. Peacock is just plain uncomfortable to watch… in a good way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 90-minute \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em>, the creative team at San Francisco Playhouse — led by director and theater co-founder Susi Damiliano — have staged a hilarious piece of theater that runs through April 22, 2023. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A strong cast and set make this return to Boddy Manor a journey worth taking.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2023, audiences still love a whodunit, and San Francisco Playhouse is staging one of the best: \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Was it Professor Plum in the library with the candlestick? Miss Scarlet in the study with the knife? Or maybe it was the butler or the maid? Those familiar with \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em> from either the Hasbro board game or 1985 film will recognize the familiar setting and characters, but San Francisco Playhouse’s staging and hilarious cast make this production a nostalgic journey worth taking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mystery begins upon arrival at San Francisco Playhouse, where clues are scattered around the theater for pre-show sleuthing. Those who solve this mystery receive access to a special cocktail at the bar — a setting designed to get one thinking and drinking before the real mystery unfolds on stage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once inside the theater, playgoers are greeted by the foreboding Boddy Manor, with its wings and hidden rooms. San Francisco Playhouse makes great use of their limited space with a set that truly comes to life when the show begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The familiar characters of \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em> are given new life by actors like Renee Rogoff (as Mrs. White), who steals the show several times with hilarious facial expressions. Dorian Lockett brings a cleverness and an air of mystery to the butler Wadsworth; veteran actor Michael Ray Wisely’s charming and aloof Colonel Mustard is unforgettable; and Stacy Ross’ Mrs. Peacock is just plain uncomfortable to watch… in a good way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 90-minute \u003cem>Clue\u003c/em>, the creative team at San Francisco Playhouse — led by director and theater co-founder Susi Damiliano — have staged a hilarious piece of theater that runs through April 22, 2023. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-theatre-fall-preview-2022",
"title": "This Fall, the (Real, In-Person!) Play’s the Thing",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fallarts2022\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Find more of KQED’s picks for the best Fall 2022 events here\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Returning to theater regularly after the heights of the pandemic is all about getting comfortable with new normals. Showing your vax card, slapping a little sticker on your shirt as proof of checking in and masking up while taking in a staged story are all small sacrifices—ones well worth making in order to support theater companies in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fall lineup of shows has something for everyone, from intimate, narrative-driven gatherings to mammoth regional and world premieres—as well as a prodigal child triumphantly returning to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 11 shows you don’t want to miss this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918390\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918390\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"an African American man in jeans a red shirt smiles while posing in front of a wooden fence\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland native Marcus Gardley will debut his modern-day verse translation of William Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ at Cal Shakes in Orinda. \u003ccite>(Courtesy California Shakespeare Theater)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://calshakes.org/\">Lear\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 7-Oct. 2\u003cbr>\nBruns Amphitheater, Orinda\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playwright and poet Marcus Gardley has achieved an impressive national profile, and is now lending his talents to constructing a modern-day verse translation of William Shakespeare’s \u003cem>King Lear\u003c/em>. The West Oakland native is part of an incredible East Bay crew crafting the show, including fellow Oaklander Dawn Monique Williams, who’s co-directing the piece with outgoing artistic director Eric Ting, departing Cal Shakes after seven years at the helm.\u003cbr>\nThe company partnered with Oakland Theater Project to tell the story of Lear, a man whose loyalties to two of his three daughters lead to his self-destruction. San Francisco-based jazz icon Marcus Shelby lends original, live compositions to the production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918386\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918386\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-800x500.jpg\" alt=\"An African AMerican woman in black shirt and glasses smiles in a portrait\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-1020x637.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina.jpg 1143w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Christina Anderson \u003ccite>(Courtesy Berkeley Repertory Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/\">The Ripple, the Wave that Carried Me Home\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 9-Oct. 16\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This long-anticipated world premiere was developed at Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work, named the Ground Floor. The show, written by Tony nominee Christina Anderson and co-produced with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, follows Janice as she wrestles with her childhood and her parents’ activism; themes include political inheritance, racial justice and family forgiveness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918383\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"five people in a play pretend to be on a train\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 7 Fingers Creative Collective open ‘Passengers’ at American Conservatory Theater Sept. 15. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of A.C.T.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/202223-season/passengers/\">Passengers\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 15-Oct. 9\u003cbr>\nThe Geary Theater\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 7 Fingers Creative Collective has made a strong footprint in the Bay Area, bringing back the legendary venue Club Fugazi with their love-letter production of \u003cem>Dear San Francisco\u003c/em>, focusing on mind-blowing circus acts and live music. Now, founding co-artistic director Shana Carroll has written, directed and choreographed the new production \u003cem>Passengers\u003c/em>, telling a story about transit in all its forms through circus arts, dance, song, acrobatics and theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918385\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918385\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"two women in white outfits dance in front of a brick wall in a play\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Rivka Borek and Malka Wallick in ‘Indecent,’ which opens at the San Francisco Playhouse Sept. 22. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/\">Indecent\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 22-Nov. 5\u003cbr>\nSan Francisco Playhouse\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area premiere of highly decorated and Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel (\u003cem>How I Learned to Drive\u003c/em>) explores the story of Sholem Asch and his debut of \u003cem>The God of Vengeance\u003c/em>, in 1922, which polarized Broadway, ultimately leading to the \u003ca href=\"https://web.uwm.edu/yiddish-stage/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-god-of-vengeance\">arrests of cast members and an obscenity trial\u003c/a>. The score is loaded with traditional Eastern European Jewish music, or klezmer, and is co-produced with the Bay Area’s Yiddish Theatre Ensemble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918381\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries.jpg\" alt=\"two women smile in side by side portraits, one in a yellow head scarf\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left to right, ‘The Language of Wild Berries’ translator-director Torange Yeghiazarian and playwright Naghmeh Samini. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Golden Thread)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://goldenthread.org/\">The Language of Wild Berries\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 13-Nov. 6\u003cbr>\nPotrero Stage, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like so many performing arts groups in March of 2020, Golden Thread was forced to rethink and ultimately postpone their upcoming production—\u003cem>The Language of Wild Berries\u003c/em> is a long time in the making. Written by Iranian playwright Naghmeh Samini and translated by Torange Yeghiazarian, the play’s plot revolves around the 10th wedding anniversary of Donya and Davood, who return to their honeymoon spot on the Caspian Sea to celebrate. But there is an eerie factor, as they are now followed by a mysterious stranger who forces the couple to deeply examine their marriage both present and past. The company’s answer two years ago was to release the show as a radio play, but Golden Thread is now ready for the in-person production in its U.S. premiere, which provides a glimpse into the lives of contemporary Iranians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13918382 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tommy Clifford-Carlos as Ida in ‘The Red Shades,’ in which a trans teen escapes her small town and finds herself among a gang of trans superheroes in the Tenderloin. \u003ccite>(Tristan Crane)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"http://www.zspace.org/\">The Red Shades: A Trans Superhero Rock Opera\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 13-Nov. 5\u003cbr>\nZ Space, San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\nThe world premiere of \u003cem>The Red Shades\u003c/em> takes the thrill of musical theater and fuses it with a rock concert. The story follows transgender teen girl Ida, who escapes from her small town to a gang of trans superheroes in the Tenderloin. Leading the show are two incredible forces—the fantastic Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe co-directs with phenomenal multi-hyphenate Rotimi Agbabiaka, who is coming off performing multiple roles in a glitzy production of \u003cem>Midsummer Night’s Dream\u003c/em> in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918384\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-800x552.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with dark gray hair in a gray suit poses with her chin in her hand in front of trees\" width=\"800\" height=\"552\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-800x552.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-1020x704.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-768x530.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-1536x1060.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Theater Project associate artistic director Lisa Ramirez’s play, ‘Book of Sand,’ is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ 1975 short story. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Oakland Theater Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://ci.ovationtix.com/35459/production/1092708\">Book of Sand\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 28-Nov. 20\u003cbr>\nThe Oakland Theater at Flax Art & Design\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A mysterious book, an unknown language, and an infinite number of pages are the backbone of the narrative, inspired by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges’ short story from 1975. The piece of magical realism is the basis for the company’s wonderful associate artistic director Lisa Ramirez and her script to ask many profound questions about beginnings, endings and the journey to achieve peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918380\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918380\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with black hair in a pink top poses in a restaurant booth\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisela Treviño Orta, playwright of ‘River Bride,’ which opens at the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa Nov. 3. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Marisela Treviño Orta)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://6thstreetplayhouse.com/shows/2022-23/the-river-bride-la-novia-del-rio/\">The River Bride\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 3-20\u003cbr>\n6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The River Bride\u003c/em> is a highly produced work by Texas native Marisela Treviño Orta, who spent many years honing her craft in the Bay Area and received her MFA at the University of San Francisco; the piece was developed in San Rafael at Alter Theater’s AlterLab in 2013 before making its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2016. Its story takes place over three days before a wedding, when a handsome man is fished from the Amazon River, forcing two sisters into potentially dangerous choices. Amazon folklore and magical realism inform this powerful tale of love and transformation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918388\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918388\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-800x465.jpg\" alt=\"a man in a colorful red and grey jacket and black hat stands looking defiant in a portrait\" width=\"800\" height=\"465\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-800x465.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-1020x593.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-768x447.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Albert Hodge plays Pierre in the Shotgun Players’ production of ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley beginning Nov. 5. \u003ccite>(Benjamin Krantz/Shotgun Players)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://shotgunplayers.org/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=75468815-60C2-4313-920F-CAF102016CFA&menu_id=48FA49FA-9662-4A5C-B77F-0D14F007E1A5\">Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashby Stage, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nNov. 5-Dec. 30\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The daring artists at Shotgun Players take on the highly acclaimed musical, which got its start in 2012 at the phenomenal Ars Nova in Lower Manhattan. A snippet of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel \u003cem>War and Peace\u003c/em> is the basis for composer Dave Malloy’s adaptation focusing on Natasha, a young woman in search of her fiancé in 19th-century Russia, and middle-aged soul Pierre, a man awash in regrets. A standard setup in the Ashby is out the window, and in its place are cabaret tables topped with Russian vodka, and a scintillating set from designer Nina Ball.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918389\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918389\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-800x450.jpeg\" alt=\"a group of men dressed as the Motown group the Temptations stand around a piano and sing\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-800x450.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-1020x574.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud.jpeg 1180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L to R) Smokey Robinson (Christian Thompson), David Ruffin (Ephraim Sykes), Melvin Franklin (Jared Joseph), Otis Williams (Derrick Baskin), Eddie Kendricks (Jeremy Pope) and Paul Williams (James Harkness) build a tune in ‘Ain’t Too Proud,’ which made its world premiere at Berkeley Rep in 2017 before landing in New York City two years later. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://broadwaysf.com/Online/default.asp\">Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations\u003c/a>‘\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 9-Dec. 4\u003cbr>\nGolden Gate Theatre, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A touring show might be an odd choice for a region’s top fall theatre picks, but \u003cem>Ain’t Too Proud \u003c/em>has a rich history in the Bay Area. It made its world premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2017 and became the Rep’s highest grossing production before transferring to multiple cities and then Broadway. The show was nominated for 12 Tonys, but only snagged one, which honored Sergio Trujillo’s scintillating choreography. It went strong for a year in New York until COVID-19 wreaked havoc everywhere; the musical then struggled to find its footing after re-opening in October of 2021, closing for good in January. Still, a plethora of feel-good hits and some delightful insight into the story of the iconic Motown group make for a fun evening of nostalgia—and a second chance to score tickets after the Rep’s multiple sold-out extensions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918387\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918387\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a woman dressed in grey sits in a folding chair outside a small trailer\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Larissa Fasthorse, whose satirical ‘Thanksgiving Play’ opens Nov. 17 at the City Lights Theater Company in San Jose. \u003ccite>(John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://cltc.org/\">The Thanksgiving Play\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 17-Dec. 18\u003cbr>\nCity Lights Theater Company, San Jose\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The venerable 40-year-old South Bay company takes on MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Larissa Fasthorse’s satirical send-up. The play focuses on a group of white teaching artists tasked with creating a Thanksgiving pageant. Their mission: honor both the holiday and Native American Heritage Month while displaying cultural sensitivity towards everyone and everything. The searing one-act play is slated for Broadway in the spring of 2023, produced by non-profit theater Second Stage, who stated that Fasthorse will be the first female Native American playwright to land on the Great White Way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Daring new works, a transgender rock musical, a Shakespeare adaptation and more return to the Bay Area's stages this fall.",
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"title": "Bay Area Theatre Preview: This Fall, the (Real, In-Person!) Play's the Thing | KQED",
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"source": "Fall Arts Guide 2022",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/fallarts2022\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Find more of KQED’s picks for the best Fall 2022 events here\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Returning to theater regularly after the heights of the pandemic is all about getting comfortable with new normals. Showing your vax card, slapping a little sticker on your shirt as proof of checking in and masking up while taking in a staged story are all small sacrifices—ones well worth making in order to support theater companies in the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This fall lineup of shows has something for everyone, from intimate, narrative-driven gatherings to mammoth regional and world premieres—as well as a prodigal child triumphantly returning to the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are 11 shows you don’t want to miss this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918390\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918390\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"an African American man in jeans a red shirt smiles while posing in front of a wooden fence\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Lear.Marcus-Gardley.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland native Marcus Gardley will debut his modern-day verse translation of William Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ at Cal Shakes in Orinda. \u003ccite>(Courtesy California Shakespeare Theater)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://calshakes.org/\">Lear\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 7-Oct. 2\u003cbr>\nBruns Amphitheater, Orinda\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Playwright and poet Marcus Gardley has achieved an impressive national profile, and is now lending his talents to constructing a modern-day verse translation of William Shakespeare’s \u003cem>King Lear\u003c/em>. The West Oakland native is part of an incredible East Bay crew crafting the show, including fellow Oaklander Dawn Monique Williams, who’s co-directing the piece with outgoing artistic director Eric Ting, departing Cal Shakes after seven years at the helm.\u003cbr>\nThe company partnered with Oakland Theater Project to tell the story of Lear, a man whose loyalties to two of his three daughters lead to his self-destruction. San Francisco-based jazz icon Marcus Shelby lends original, live compositions to the production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918386\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918386\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-800x500.jpg\" alt=\"An African AMerican woman in black shirt and glasses smiles in a portrait\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-800x500.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-1020x637.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/The-Ripple-The-Wave.anderson-christina.jpg 1143w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Christina Anderson \u003ccite>(Courtesy Berkeley Repertory Theatre)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.berkeleyrep.org/\">The Ripple, the Wave that Carried Me Home\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 9-Oct. 16\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Berkeley Repertory Theatre\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This long-anticipated world premiere was developed at Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work, named the Ground Floor. The show, written by Tony nominee Christina Anderson and co-produced with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, follows Janice as she wrestles with her childhood and her parents’ activism; themes include political inheritance, racial justice and family forgiveness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918383\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"five people in a play pretend to be on a train\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Passengers.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 7 Fingers Creative Collective open ‘Passengers’ at American Conservatory Theater Sept. 15. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of A.C.T.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/202223-season/passengers/\">Passengers\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 15-Oct. 9\u003cbr>\nThe Geary Theater\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 7 Fingers Creative Collective has made a strong footprint in the Bay Area, bringing back the legendary venue Club Fugazi with their love-letter production of \u003cem>Dear San Francisco\u003c/em>, focusing on mind-blowing circus acts and live music. Now, founding co-artistic director Shana Carroll has written, directed and choreographed the new production \u003cem>Passengers\u003c/em>, telling a story about transit in all its forms through circus arts, dance, song, acrobatics and theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918385\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918385\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"two women in white outfits dance in front of a brick wall in a play\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Indecent.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Rivka Borek and Malka Wallick in ‘Indecent,’ which opens at the San Francisco Playhouse Sept. 22. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/\">Indecent\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sept. 22-Nov. 5\u003cbr>\nSan Francisco Playhouse\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area premiere of highly decorated and Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel (\u003cem>How I Learned to Drive\u003c/em>) explores the story of Sholem Asch and his debut of \u003cem>The God of Vengeance\u003c/em>, in 1922, which polarized Broadway, ultimately leading to the \u003ca href=\"https://web.uwm.edu/yiddish-stage/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-god-of-vengeance\">arrests of cast members and an obscenity trial\u003c/a>. The score is loaded with traditional Eastern European Jewish music, or klezmer, and is co-produced with the Bay Area’s Yiddish Theatre Ensemble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13918381\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries.jpg\" alt=\"two women smile in side by side portraits, one in a yellow head scarf\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/LanguageofWildBerries-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left to right, ‘The Language of Wild Berries’ translator-director Torange Yeghiazarian and playwright Naghmeh Samini. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Golden Thread)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://goldenthread.org/\">The Language of Wild Berries\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 13-Nov. 6\u003cbr>\nPotrero Stage, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like so many performing arts groups in March of 2020, Golden Thread was forced to rethink and ultimately postpone their upcoming production—\u003cem>The Language of Wild Berries\u003c/em> is a long time in the making. Written by Iranian playwright Naghmeh Samini and translated by Torange Yeghiazarian, the play’s plot revolves around the 10th wedding anniversary of Donya and Davood, who return to their honeymoon spot on the Caspian Sea to celebrate. But there is an eerie factor, as they are now followed by a mysterious stranger who forces the couple to deeply examine their marriage both present and past. The company’s answer two years ago was to release the show as a radio play, but Golden Thread is now ready for the in-person production in its U.S. premiere, which provides a glimpse into the lives of contemporary Iranians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13918382 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/RedShades.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tommy Clifford-Carlos as Ida in ‘The Red Shades,’ in which a trans teen escapes her small town and finds herself among a gang of trans superheroes in the Tenderloin. \u003ccite>(Tristan Crane)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"http://www.zspace.org/\">The Red Shades: A Trans Superhero Rock Opera\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 13-Nov. 5\u003cbr>\nZ Space, San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\nThe world premiere of \u003cem>The Red Shades\u003c/em> takes the thrill of musical theater and fuses it with a rock concert. The story follows transgender teen girl Ida, who escapes from her small town to a gang of trans superheroes in the Tenderloin. Leading the show are two incredible forces—the fantastic Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe co-directs with phenomenal multi-hyphenate Rotimi Agbabiaka, who is coming off performing multiple roles in a glitzy production of \u003cem>Midsummer Night’s Dream\u003c/em> in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918384\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-800x552.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with dark gray hair in a gray suit poses with her chin in her hand in front of trees\" width=\"800\" height=\"552\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-800x552.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-1020x704.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-768x530.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez-1536x1060.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Book-of-Sand.LisaRamirez.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Theater Project associate artistic director Lisa Ramirez’s play, ‘Book of Sand,’ is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ 1975 short story. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Oakland Theater Project)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://ci.ovationtix.com/35459/production/1092708\">Book of Sand\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Oct. 28-Nov. 20\u003cbr>\nThe Oakland Theater at Flax Art & Design\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A mysterious book, an unknown language, and an infinite number of pages are the backbone of the narrative, inspired by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges’ short story from 1975. The piece of magical realism is the basis for the company’s wonderful associate artistic director Lisa Ramirez and her script to ask many profound questions about beginnings, endings and the journey to achieve peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918380\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918380\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with black hair in a pink top poses in a restaurant booth\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/River-Bride.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marisela Treviño Orta, playwright of ‘River Bride,’ which opens at the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa Nov. 3. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Marisela Treviño Orta)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://6thstreetplayhouse.com/shows/2022-23/the-river-bride-la-novia-del-rio/\">The River Bride\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 3-20\u003cbr>\n6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The River Bride\u003c/em> is a highly produced work by Texas native Marisela Treviño Orta, who spent many years honing her craft in the Bay Area and received her MFA at the University of San Francisco; the piece was developed in San Rafael at Alter Theater’s AlterLab in 2013 before making its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2016. Its story takes place over three days before a wedding, when a handsome man is fished from the Amazon River, forcing two sisters into potentially dangerous choices. Amazon folklore and magical realism inform this powerful tale of love and transformation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918388\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918388\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-800x465.jpg\" alt=\"a man in a colorful red and grey jacket and black hat stands looking defiant in a portrait\" width=\"800\" height=\"465\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-800x465.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-1020x593.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-160x93.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre-768x447.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Natasha.Pierre.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Albert Hodge plays Pierre in the Shotgun Players’ production of ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812’ at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley beginning Nov. 5. \u003ccite>(Benjamin Krantz/Shotgun Players)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://shotgunplayers.org/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=75468815-60C2-4313-920F-CAF102016CFA&menu_id=48FA49FA-9662-4A5C-B77F-0D14F007E1A5\">Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Ashby Stage, Berkeley\u003cbr>\nNov. 5-Dec. 30\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The daring artists at Shotgun Players take on the highly acclaimed musical, which got its start in 2012 at the phenomenal Ars Nova in Lower Manhattan. A snippet of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel \u003cem>War and Peace\u003c/em> is the basis for composer Dave Malloy’s adaptation focusing on Natasha, a young woman in search of her fiancé in 19th-century Russia, and middle-aged soul Pierre, a man awash in regrets. A standard setup in the Ashby is out the window, and in its place are cabaret tables topped with Russian vodka, and a scintillating set from designer Nina Ball.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918389\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918389\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-800x450.jpeg\" alt=\"a group of men dressed as the Motown group the Temptations stand around a piano and sing\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-800x450.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-1020x574.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/ainttooproud.jpeg 1180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L to R) Smokey Robinson (Christian Thompson), David Ruffin (Ephraim Sykes), Melvin Franklin (Jared Joseph), Otis Williams (Derrick Baskin), Eddie Kendricks (Jeremy Pope) and Paul Williams (James Harkness) build a tune in ‘Ain’t Too Proud,’ which made its world premiere at Berkeley Rep in 2017 before landing in New York City two years later. \u003ccite>(Kevin Berne)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://broadwaysf.com/Online/default.asp\">Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations\u003c/a>‘\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 9-Dec. 4\u003cbr>\nGolden Gate Theatre, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A touring show might be an odd choice for a region’s top fall theatre picks, but \u003cem>Ain’t Too Proud \u003c/em>has a rich history in the Bay Area. It made its world premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2017 and became the Rep’s highest grossing production before transferring to multiple cities and then Broadway. The show was nominated for 12 Tonys, but only snagged one, which honored Sergio Trujillo’s scintillating choreography. It went strong for a year in New York until COVID-19 wreaked havoc everywhere; the musical then struggled to find its footing after re-opening in October of 2021, closing for good in January. Still, a plethora of feel-good hits and some delightful insight into the story of the iconic Motown group make for a fun evening of nostalgia—and a second chance to score tickets after the Rep’s multiple sold-out extensions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13918387\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13918387\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a woman dressed in grey sits in a folding chair outside a small trailer\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Thanksgiving-Play.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playwright Larissa Fasthorse, whose satirical ‘Thanksgiving Play’ opens Nov. 17 at the City Lights Theater Company in San Jose. \u003ccite>(John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>‘\u003ca href=\"https://cltc.org/\">The Thanksgiving Play\u003c/a>’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nov. 17-Dec. 18\u003cbr>\nCity Lights Theater Company, San Jose\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The venerable 40-year-old South Bay company takes on MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Larissa Fasthorse’s satirical send-up. The play focuses on a group of white teaching artists tasked with creating a Thanksgiving pageant. Their mission: honor both the holiday and Native American Heritage Month while displaying cultural sensitivity towards everyone and everything. The searing one-act play is slated for Broadway in the spring of 2023, produced by non-profit theater Second Stage, who stated that Fasthorse will be the first female Native American playwright to land on the Great White Way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "In '[hieroglyph],' a Tale of Displacement is Brought to Rich, Evocative Life",
"headTitle": "In ‘[hieroglyph],’ a Tale of Displacement is Brought to Rich, Evocative Life | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In 2005, after over twenty-five years years, playwright August Wilson completed his 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle—a tribute to a century’s worth of Black experience, and widely considered one of the masterpieces of contemporary American Theater. So it’s thrilling to encounter a 21st century cohort of playwrights seeking to match that achievement. Locally, playwright and costume designer Regina Evans is working on a 10-play cycle called \u003cem>Infrastructure\u003c/em>, using household objects as departure points for plays connecting them to the long history of slavery, both historical and modern. And in Chicago-raised Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s projected 10-play cycle, the central focus of each will be the reverberating effects of Hurricane Katrina on the still-displaced Katrina Diaspora.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>[hieroglyph]\u003c/em>—the second play of Dickerson-Despenza’s series, which uses lowercase names for all its characters—a pair of storm-tossed, Hurricane Katrina evacuees wash up onto Chicago’s urban shore, their transition to the north far from smooth. The adolescent davis (Jamella Cross) is 13 and having trouble settling into her new school, except for art class, where she excels. Her father ernest (Khary L. Moye), a janitor at The DuSable Museum of African American History, is concerned for her, stymied by her falling grades and (to him) unexplainable mood swings. That davis’ mother has chosen to stay behind in New Orleans is another source of tension for them both, and it’s clear that as a family unit they have much to mourn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894018\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894018\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamella Cross as davis and Safiya Fredericks as ms. t. in ‘[hieroglyph]’ by Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoil)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But it’s davis’ artistic talent that connects much of the play’s activity. Her detailed sketches and portraits are given prominence via a series of projections (designed by Teddy Hulsker), and many scenes begin or end with her poring over her sketchbook or discussing the relevance of one or another of her drawings. As ms. t. (Safiya Fredericks) the art teacher notes, they’re remarkably realistic and assured, but each are marked with an indecipherable character, like a cross. “Hieroglyphic,” ms. t. calls them, as she shows them to davis’ father. Neither of them can decipher them, though, and davis is reluctant to explain her artistic choices. At one point she reveals only that her portraits connect to her memories of New Orleans, and that by committing them to paper, she is exorcising them from her body. This telling compartmentalization remains a mystery to her teacher and her father—until it doesn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894019\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894019\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-800x542.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-1020x691.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anna Marie Sharpe as leah and Jamella Cross as davis in ‘[hieroglyph]’ by Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As davis, Jamella Cross deftly portrays a lanky, reserved teenager processing the physical and emotional trauma that both haunts her dreams and keeps her closed in on herself. Meanwhile, her sympathetic new friend leah (Anna Marie Sharpe) tries to teach her how to party South Side-style and diligently tutors her in algebra. Although neither actor is an actual teenager, they both manage to embody the spirit of teenhood in the easy cadence of their banter—the way they simultaneously appear to be sizing each other up and yet admiring what they see. Meanwhile Fredericks and Moye wear their mantles of adulthood with more gravity, but with no less grace. As ms. t., Fredericks draws careful boundaries around her that prove more permeable, less protective, than she’d like. Even her accumulated knowledge of African-American art history cannot completely block out her own complicated history, a fragile core that she tries desperately to keep hidden. And Moye, as ernest, carries worry etched on his face as stark as the mysterious hieroglyphs in davis’ drawings, even while he perpetuates his own cycles of careless harm. But what does not feel careless in the slightest is his deep concern for davis and his inability to pinpoint just what it is that she needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894016\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894016\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khary L. Moye as ernest and Safiya Fredericks as ms. t. in ‘[hieroglyph]’ by Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the play’s most dramatically surprising moments is a makeout session between Fredericks and Moye, not only because it takes an unfortunate turn, but because an onstage kiss feels like an act of sheer daring after a year of physically distanced theatre-making. In an article about the co-production \u003ca href=\"https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/03/11/a-heiroglyph-from-another-time-of-trauma/\">in \u003cem>American Theatre Magazine\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, San Francisco Playhouse’s artistic director Bill English describes the process for getting this kiss approved by Actor’s Equity, including a period of enforced solitary quarantine for the two actors involved, and filming their scene out of sequence before coming into contact with the other actors. The initial effect was as electrifying as if I’d just witnessed a scandalous ankle reveal in the Victorian era, so pent-up has my need for in-the-same-room performance been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Margo Hall’s assured direction, none of the scenes feel out of sequence with another, or “filmed,” and each actor inhabits the space purposefully, as if it were a stage filled with bit players vying for their own moment in the spotlight. Having had to adapt the script to the unique production circumstances, Dickerson-Despenza gives even these off-stage characters lives of their own. And if occasionally a line telegraphs a message rather than an emotion, the actors still make their essence feel completely genuine. Lighting flourishes by Kevin Myrick and dramatic sound design by Everett Elton Bradman imbue the production with an extra layer of theatricality, and the savvy costume design by Regina Evans turns the clock back to 2005: white sneakers and fuzzy sweaters for the teenagers, chunky elegant jewelry and long tunics for ms. t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894020\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894020\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cast of ‘[hieroglyph]’ with playwright Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This co-production between San Francisco Playhouse and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre represents a momentous collaboration. It’s director Margo Hall’s first play as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13889584/margo-hall-set-to-lead-the-lorraine-hansberry-theatre-into-an-exciting-new-future\">newly appointed artistic director\u003c/a> of the 40-year-old Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and the company’s first foray into \u003cem>almost \u003c/em>post-pandemic producing. It merges the creative capacities of two notable theater district mainstays, with the additional twist of reuniting the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre with their short-held space at 450 Post (which they had to relinquish in 2010 after the unexpected deaths of both of their founders). It makes use of San Francisco Playhouse’s trialing of fully-filmed productions under a unique contract with Actor’s Equity. And it brings a richly evocative work about the Hurricane Katrina disaster to empathetic life, during a time when the failures of government to respond to the disasters that affect its most vulnerable populations is on full and constant display.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It shouldn’t need to take a global pandemic to underscore lessons we should already have learned about structural inequality and environmental racism. But at least with artistic documentation, such as Dickerson-Despenza’s plays, we can’t say we weren’t warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘[hieroglyph]’ is available on-demand through April 3. \u003ca href=\"https://www.lhtsf.org\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Erika Dickerson-Despenza's story of Hurricane Katrina refugees in Chicago is a remarkable collaboration.",
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"title": "In '[hieroglyph],' a Tale of Displacement is Brought to Rich, Evocative Life | KQED",
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"subhead": "a co-production between the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and San Francisco Playhouse, Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s Katrina-themed play finds an empathetic home.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2005, after over twenty-five years years, playwright August Wilson completed his 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle—a tribute to a century’s worth of Black experience, and widely considered one of the masterpieces of contemporary American Theater. So it’s thrilling to encounter a 21st century cohort of playwrights seeking to match that achievement. Locally, playwright and costume designer Regina Evans is working on a 10-play cycle called \u003cem>Infrastructure\u003c/em>, using household objects as departure points for plays connecting them to the long history of slavery, both historical and modern. And in Chicago-raised Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s projected 10-play cycle, the central focus of each will be the reverberating effects of Hurricane Katrina on the still-displaced Katrina Diaspora.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>[hieroglyph]\u003c/em>—the second play of Dickerson-Despenza’s series, which uses lowercase names for all its characters—a pair of storm-tossed, Hurricane Katrina evacuees wash up onto Chicago’s urban shore, their transition to the north far from smooth. The adolescent davis (Jamella Cross) is 13 and having trouble settling into her new school, except for art class, where she excels. Her father ernest (Khary L. Moye), a janitor at The DuSable Museum of African American History, is concerned for her, stymied by her falling grades and (to him) unexplainable mood swings. That davis’ mother has chosen to stay behind in New Orleans is another source of tension for them both, and it’s clear that as a family unit they have much to mourn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894018\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894018\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli13-scaled-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamella Cross as davis and Safiya Fredericks as ms. t. in ‘[hieroglyph]’ by Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoil)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But it’s davis’ artistic talent that connects much of the play’s activity. Her detailed sketches and portraits are given prominence via a series of projections (designed by Teddy Hulsker), and many scenes begin or end with her poring over her sketchbook or discussing the relevance of one or another of her drawings. As ms. t. (Safiya Fredericks) the art teacher notes, they’re remarkably realistic and assured, but each are marked with an indecipherable character, like a cross. “Hieroglyphic,” ms. t. calls them, as she shows them to davis’ father. Neither of them can decipher them, though, and davis is reluctant to explain her artistic choices. At one point she reveals only that her portraits connect to her memories of New Orleans, and that by committing them to paper, she is exorcising them from her body. This telling compartmentalization remains a mystery to her teacher and her father—until it doesn’t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894019\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894019\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-800x542.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-800x542.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-1020x691.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli6-scaled-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anna Marie Sharpe as leah and Jamella Cross as davis in ‘[hieroglyph]’ by Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As davis, Jamella Cross deftly portrays a lanky, reserved teenager processing the physical and emotional trauma that both haunts her dreams and keeps her closed in on herself. Meanwhile, her sympathetic new friend leah (Anna Marie Sharpe) tries to teach her how to party South Side-style and diligently tutors her in algebra. Although neither actor is an actual teenager, they both manage to embody the spirit of teenhood in the easy cadence of their banter—the way they simultaneously appear to be sizing each other up and yet admiring what they see. Meanwhile Fredericks and Moye wear their mantles of adulthood with more gravity, but with no less grace. As ms. t., Fredericks draws careful boundaries around her that prove more permeable, less protective, than she’d like. Even her accumulated knowledge of African-American art history cannot completely block out her own complicated history, a fragile core that she tries desperately to keep hidden. And Moye, as ernest, carries worry etched on his face as stark as the mysterious hieroglyphs in davis’ drawings, even while he perpetuates his own cycles of careless harm. But what does not feel careless in the slightest is his deep concern for davis and his inability to pinpoint just what it is that she needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894016\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894016\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli_scaled.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Khary L. Moye as ernest and Safiya Fredericks as ms. t. in ‘[hieroglyph]’ by Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the play’s most dramatically surprising moments is a makeout session between Fredericks and Moye, not only because it takes an unfortunate turn, but because an onstage kiss feels like an act of sheer daring after a year of physically distanced theatre-making. In an article about the co-production \u003ca href=\"https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/03/11/a-heiroglyph-from-another-time-of-trauma/\">in \u003cem>American Theatre Magazine\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, San Francisco Playhouse’s artistic director Bill English describes the process for getting this kiss approved by Actor’s Equity, including a period of enforced solitary quarantine for the two actors involved, and filming their scene out of sequence before coming into contact with the other actors. The initial effect was as electrifying as if I’d just witnessed a scandalous ankle reveal in the Victorian era, so pent-up has my need for in-the-same-room performance been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Margo Hall’s assured direction, none of the scenes feel out of sequence with another, or “filmed,” and each actor inhabits the space purposefully, as if it were a stage filled with bit players vying for their own moment in the spotlight. Having had to adapt the script to the unique production circumstances, Dickerson-Despenza gives even these off-stage characters lives of their own. And if occasionally a line telegraphs a message rather than an emotion, the actors still make their essence feel completely genuine. Lighting flourishes by Kevin Myrick and dramatic sound design by Everett Elton Bradman imbue the production with an extra layer of theatricality, and the savvy costume design by Regina Evans turns the clock back to 2005: white sneakers and fuzzy sweaters for the teenagers, chunky elegant jewelry and long tunics for ms. t.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894020\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894020\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/SFP-LHT_hieroglyph_Jessica-Palopoli17-scaled-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cast of ‘[hieroglyph]’ with playwright Erika Dickerson-Despenza. \u003ccite>(Jessica Palopoli)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This co-production between San Francisco Playhouse and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre represents a momentous collaboration. It’s director Margo Hall’s first play as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13889584/margo-hall-set-to-lead-the-lorraine-hansberry-theatre-into-an-exciting-new-future\">newly appointed artistic director\u003c/a> of the 40-year-old Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and the company’s first foray into \u003cem>almost \u003c/em>post-pandemic producing. It merges the creative capacities of two notable theater district mainstays, with the additional twist of reuniting the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre with their short-held space at 450 Post (which they had to relinquish in 2010 after the unexpected deaths of both of their founders). It makes use of San Francisco Playhouse’s trialing of fully-filmed productions under a unique contract with Actor’s Equity. And it brings a richly evocative work about the Hurricane Katrina disaster to empathetic life, during a time when the failures of government to respond to the disasters that affect its most vulnerable populations is on full and constant display.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It shouldn’t need to take a global pandemic to underscore lessons we should already have learned about structural inequality and environmental racism. But at least with artistic documentation, such as Dickerson-Despenza’s plays, we can’t say we weren’t warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘[hieroglyph]’ is available on-demand through April 3. \u003ca href=\"https://www.lhtsf.org\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Livestreaming Defined the Performing Arts in 2020. How Can it Be Sustained?",
"headTitle": "Livestreaming Defined the Performing Arts in 2020. How Can it Be Sustained? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The last in-person performance I saw in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13876835/despite-an-early-closing-toni-stone-hits-a-home-run-at-a-c-t\">2020 was \u003cem>Toni Stone\u003c/em> at A.C.T.\u003c/a>—a show that opened and closed on the same night in early March, right before the city implemented its first, strict, stay-at-home orders of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since it wasn’t clear in those early weeks just how long the shutdown would last, theaters continued to be optimistic about their fall and winter shows, and in the interim, many branched out into broadcasting previously filmed shows (\u003cem>Toni Stone\u003c/em> among them), as well as staging readings, discussions, and original content on Zoom—a web-conferencing software many had never used before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While those first heady weeks of streaming \u003cem>everything\u003c/em> available were fun, a saturation point was quickly reached, and performers watched audience numbers dwindle as their own enthusiasm for the limited capabilities of streamed content waned. As drag performer Honey Mahogany mentioned recently on KQED Forum, discussing the Stud’s regular livestreams on Twitch, “The numbers have been going down week after week. It’s really unsustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even so,\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13890093/2020-decimated-the-concert-industry-and-it-cant-rebuild-without-government-help\"> just like local music venues\u003c/a>, it’s unclear when theater spaces will be able to open their doors again to live performance. So continuing to innovate new ways of creating and presenting their works in the interim is crucial to their continued survival.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New Formats, New Platforms\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For many, July 4 means opening day of the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s annual show in Dolores Park. This year, while other theaters were still tentatively trying to figure out whether or not they could schedule any shows at all, the Mime Troupe had their decision made for them in April, when the City told them they couldn’t have a permit to present in the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890059\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-800x402.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-800x402.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-1020x513.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-768x386.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-1536x772.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-1920x965.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Velina Brown and Micheal Gene Sullivan recording ‘A Red Carol’ at home. \u003ccite>(Zachary Sullivan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A lifelong love of radio plays offered an idea to the company’s chief playwright, Michael Gene Sullivan. He’d already toyed with the idea of a show in which four interconnected stories come together in a blockbuster ending. Why not write it for the radio? When he brought the idea to the rest of the company, they quickly approved, and the company’s 10-episode serial radio drama, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmt.org/talesoftheresistance\">\u003cem>Tales of the Resistance\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As company member, Velina Brown had already been on deck to direct their live show this year, and she gamely took the lead on directing the radio series, working closely with sound engineer Taylor Gonzalez and music director Daniel Savio. After becoming frustrated with Zoom as a rehearsal platform due to its delays and bandwidth usage, they hit upon using Discord, a chatroom app popular with gamers. This made it possible, Brown says, to rehearse with fewer delays and glitches by using Discord’s audio-only features, all while developing their own radio play “vocabulary” as a group. That vocabulary was passed over to Sullivan, for directing their brand new holiday play, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmt.org/a-red-carol\">\u003cem>A Red Carol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (which opened Dec. 11).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890057\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-800x440.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-800x440.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-1020x561.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-160x88.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-768x423.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern.png 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drunk Theatre Company on the PianoFight Gather “mainstage.” \u003ccite>(Nicole Gluckstern)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And Discord isn’t the only gaming interface being used by theater-makers. Companies such as PianoFight, Dragon Productions, and Mystic Ventures Collective have all built out virtual spaces in retro-cute, pixelated graphics on a program called \u003ca href=\"https://gather.town/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gather\u003c/a>. For myself, rolling up to \u003ca href=\"http://www.pianofight.com\">PianoFight’s pre-Halloween fundraising party\u003c/a> felt almost exactly the same as in person. I staked out a hiding place in the bar and watched the crowd trickle in, and once everyone had found someone else to socialize with, made a beeline for the main stage to watch some Drunk Theatre Company. That’s one of the big upsides of a Gather space: being able to move around and encounter fellow attendees spontaneously, without losing the ability to watch the entertainment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890061\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890061\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Queer Cat Productions sending out packages of postcards to campaign participants. \u003ccite>(Queer Cat Productions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Bringing it All Back Home\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Exploring tangibility as a theatrical imperative was the driving force behind \u003ca href=\"http://www.queercatproductions.com\">Queer Cat Productions\u003c/a>’ pre-election postcard campaign in October, Faultline Theater’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.faultlinetheater.com/merch/fck-2020-bingo-game\">F*CK 2020 Bingo Game\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.playonkit.com\">\u003cem>Play On!\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the latest project from Bay Area Children’s Theater. Recognizing a need to move “zoomed-out” children away from their screens, BACT’s narrative activity kits come with all of the materials kids need to develop and stage their own shows at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we created the kits, we really put the process through a traditional theatrical design lens,” BACT’s executive director, Nina Meehan, explained in an email. “So each element is created with the notion that the story will activate the imagination and the element will support that activation.” For example, in their holiday edition, \u003cem>The Gingerbread Family\u003c/em>, families embark on an interactive adventure to “Grandma’s” house, accompanied by a stuffed purple reindeer and a suite of physical activities, crafts, board games, and singalongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890062\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-800x663.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-800x663.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-160x133.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-768x637.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan.jpeg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area Children’s Theater debuted their Play On! kits, including this holiday-inspired one, ‘The Gingerbread Family.’ \u003ccite>(Nina Meehan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Artist-Oriented Streaming Models\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For many performers—such as comedy artists \u003ca href=\"http://www.potatoesmashed.com\">Edna Mira Raia\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.margagomez.com\">Marga Gomez\u003c/a>—the pandemic has meant brushing up on tech skills and upgrading personal equipment in order to stream live from home (Raia on OBS, Gomez on ECAMM). But Raia, who performs most often as a pantheon of comedic characters and drag personae, has found filming and editing comedy videos for YouTube to be ultimately more satisfying, although not without its drawbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recording allows me to make mistakes and correct them, which I can’t do onstage,” she admitted. “The advantages are that editing gives a soloist more room to play multiple characters or easily change costumes…the downside is that the audience feedback is so delayed because you have to wait for people to watch on their own time to leave a comment, if they say anything at all. I miss hearing laughter and applause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890060\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-800x650.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-800x650.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-160x130.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-768x624.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Edna Mira Raia and Jamin Jollo clown for the camera. \u003ccite>(Edna Mira Raia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That loss of interactivity with an audience, as well as with other performers, is one of artists’ biggest gripes about Zoom. But artist-led technology projects are in the works, being designed to specifically address those particular aspects of the user experience. One of these, \u003ca href=\"https://pineappl.studio\">Pineappl\u003c/a>, being developed by long-time improv artists Chris Griswold and Michael Parlato, is currently in its beta-testing stage. In a tour conducted by Griswold, he showed how easily performers could interact on the screen, as well as maintain (or swap) position. Backgrounds can be preset and easily switched around, and it’s easier for multiple people to speak at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are types of improv that I teach that were not translating well to Zoom,” Griswold said about the impetus behind his custom app. “So we built a tool that we could do all kinds of things on!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890075\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-800x500.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-800x500.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-160x100.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-768x480.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chris Griswold and Michael Parlato test-drive Pineappl with friends. \u003ccite>(Chris Griswold)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Back on Stage\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in a considerable leap back towards performer interaction, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfplayhouse.org\">San Francisco Playhouse\u003c/a> was recently given a green light from Actor’s Equity to film shows on their physical stage with rigorous testing and social distancing protocols in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our space has a capacity of 700, so limiting it to ten people in the room at any given time feels really safe,” explained producing director Susi Damilano as she described the three-camera shoots of live-staged performances. To date they’ve presented Yasmina Reza’s \u003cem>Art\u003c/em>, and Brian Copeland’s \u003cem>The Jewelry Box\u003c/em>, and opened \u003cem>Songs for a New World\u003c/em>, by Jason Robert Brown, on December 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there’s one thing that artists are uniquely suited for, its creative problem-solving in the face of adversity. And while it’s impossible at this point to make a solid prediction for what the face of theater will look like in 2021, what is certain is that there are still surprising discoveries to be made, as artists continue to build new methods and tools for themselves to create with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been an incredible time for theater, keeping it alive while the ground keeps shifting,” reflected Damilano. “It really feels like we are all in this together and by holding each other up, we will come out of this stronger than ever.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The last in-person performance I saw in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13876835/despite-an-early-closing-toni-stone-hits-a-home-run-at-a-c-t\">2020 was \u003cem>Toni Stone\u003c/em> at A.C.T.\u003c/a>—a show that opened and closed on the same night in early March, right before the city implemented its first, strict, stay-at-home orders of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since it wasn’t clear in those early weeks just how long the shutdown would last, theaters continued to be optimistic about their fall and winter shows, and in the interim, many branched out into broadcasting previously filmed shows (\u003cem>Toni Stone\u003c/em> among them), as well as staging readings, discussions, and original content on Zoom—a web-conferencing software many had never used before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While those first heady weeks of streaming \u003cem>everything\u003c/em> available were fun, a saturation point was quickly reached, and performers watched audience numbers dwindle as their own enthusiasm for the limited capabilities of streamed content waned. As drag performer Honey Mahogany mentioned recently on KQED Forum, discussing the Stud’s regular livestreams on Twitch, “The numbers have been going down week after week. It’s really unsustainable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even so,\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13890093/2020-decimated-the-concert-industry-and-it-cant-rebuild-without-government-help\"> just like local music venues\u003c/a>, it’s unclear when theater spaces will be able to open their doors again to live performance. So continuing to innovate new ways of creating and presenting their works in the interim is crucial to their continued survival.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New Formats, New Platforms\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For many, July 4 means opening day of the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s annual show in Dolores Park. This year, while other theaters were still tentatively trying to figure out whether or not they could schedule any shows at all, the Mime Troupe had their decision made for them in April, when the City told them they couldn’t have a permit to present in the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890059\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-800x402.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"402\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-800x402.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-1020x513.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-768x386.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-1536x772.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan-1920x965.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/SFMT_VelinaBrown_MichaelGeneSullivan_photocredit_ZacharySullivan.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Velina Brown and Micheal Gene Sullivan recording ‘A Red Carol’ at home. \u003ccite>(Zachary Sullivan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A lifelong love of radio plays offered an idea to the company’s chief playwright, Michael Gene Sullivan. He’d already toyed with the idea of a show in which four interconnected stories come together in a blockbuster ending. Why not write it for the radio? When he brought the idea to the rest of the company, they quickly approved, and the company’s 10-episode serial radio drama, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmt.org/talesoftheresistance\">\u003cem>Tales of the Resistance\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As company member, Velina Brown had already been on deck to direct their live show this year, and she gamely took the lead on directing the radio series, working closely with sound engineer Taylor Gonzalez and music director Daniel Savio. After becoming frustrated with Zoom as a rehearsal platform due to its delays and bandwidth usage, they hit upon using Discord, a chatroom app popular with gamers. This made it possible, Brown says, to rehearse with fewer delays and glitches by using Discord’s audio-only features, all while developing their own radio play “vocabulary” as a group. That vocabulary was passed over to Sullivan, for directing their brand new holiday play, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmt.org/a-red-carol\">\u003cem>A Red Carol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (which opened Dec. 11).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890057\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-800x440.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-800x440.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-1020x561.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-160x88.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern-768x423.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/PianoFight_DrunkImprov_Gather_Screenshot_NicoleGluckstern.png 1152w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drunk Theatre Company on the PianoFight Gather “mainstage.” \u003ccite>(Nicole Gluckstern)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And Discord isn’t the only gaming interface being used by theater-makers. Companies such as PianoFight, Dragon Productions, and Mystic Ventures Collective have all built out virtual spaces in retro-cute, pixelated graphics on a program called \u003ca href=\"https://gather.town/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gather\u003c/a>. For myself, rolling up to \u003ca href=\"http://www.pianofight.com\">PianoFight’s pre-Halloween fundraising party\u003c/a> felt almost exactly the same as in person. I staked out a hiding place in the bar and watched the crowd trickle in, and once everyone had found someone else to socialize with, made a beeline for the main stage to watch some Drunk Theatre Company. That’s one of the big upsides of a Gather space: being able to move around and encounter fellow attendees spontaneously, without losing the ability to watch the entertainment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890061\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890061\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/QueerCatProductions_postcardpackages_courtesyQCP.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Queer Cat Productions sending out packages of postcards to campaign participants. \u003ccite>(Queer Cat Productions)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Bringing it All Back Home\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Exploring tangibility as a theatrical imperative was the driving force behind \u003ca href=\"http://www.queercatproductions.com\">Queer Cat Productions\u003c/a>’ pre-election postcard campaign in October, Faultline Theater’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.faultlinetheater.com/merch/fck-2020-bingo-game\">F*CK 2020 Bingo Game\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.playonkit.com\">\u003cem>Play On!\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, the latest project from Bay Area Children’s Theater. Recognizing a need to move “zoomed-out” children away from their screens, BACT’s narrative activity kits come with all of the materials kids need to develop and stage their own shows at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we created the kits, we really put the process through a traditional theatrical design lens,” BACT’s executive director, Nina Meehan, explained in an email. “So each element is created with the notion that the story will activate the imagination and the element will support that activation.” For example, in their holiday edition, \u003cem>The Gingerbread Family\u003c/em>, families embark on an interactive adventure to “Grandma’s” house, accompanied by a stuffed purple reindeer and a suite of physical activities, crafts, board games, and singalongs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890062\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-800x663.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-800x663.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-160x133.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan-768x637.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/BACT_PlayOnHolidayKit_photocredit_NinaMeehan.jpeg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bay Area Children’s Theater debuted their Play On! kits, including this holiday-inspired one, ‘The Gingerbread Family.’ \u003ccite>(Nina Meehan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Artist-Oriented Streaming Models\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For many performers—such as comedy artists \u003ca href=\"http://www.potatoesmashed.com\">Edna Mira Raia\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.margagomez.com\">Marga Gomez\u003c/a>—the pandemic has meant brushing up on tech skills and upgrading personal equipment in order to stream live from home (Raia on OBS, Gomez on ECAMM). But Raia, who performs most often as a pantheon of comedic characters and drag personae, has found filming and editing comedy videos for YouTube to be ultimately more satisfying, although not without its drawbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recording allows me to make mistakes and correct them, which I can’t do onstage,” she admitted. “The advantages are that editing gives a soloist more room to play multiple characters or easily change costumes…the downside is that the audience feedback is so delayed because you have to wait for people to watch on their own time to leave a comment, if they say anything at all. I miss hearing laughter and applause.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890060\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-800x650.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-800x650.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-160x130.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia-768x624.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/EdnaMiraRaia_JaminJollo_photocredit_EdnaMiraRaia.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Edna Mira Raia and Jamin Jollo clown for the camera. \u003ccite>(Edna Mira Raia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That loss of interactivity with an audience, as well as with other performers, is one of artists’ biggest gripes about Zoom. But artist-led technology projects are in the works, being designed to specifically address those particular aspects of the user experience. One of these, \u003ca href=\"https://pineappl.studio\">Pineappl\u003c/a>, being developed by long-time improv artists Chris Griswold and Michael Parlato, is currently in its beta-testing stage. In a tour conducted by Griswold, he showed how easily performers could interact on the screen, as well as maintain (or swap) position. Backgrounds can be preset and easily switched around, and it’s easier for multiple people to speak at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are types of improv that I teach that were not translating well to Zoom,” Griswold said about the impetus behind his custom app. “So we built a tool that we could do all kinds of things on!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13890075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13890075\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-800x500.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-800x500.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-160x100.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold-768x480.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/ChrisGriswoldMichaelParlato_PineapplScreenshot_ChrisGriswold.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chris Griswold and Michael Parlato test-drive Pineappl with friends. \u003ccite>(Chris Griswold)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Back on Stage\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, in a considerable leap back towards performer interaction, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfplayhouse.org\">San Francisco Playhouse\u003c/a> was recently given a green light from Actor’s Equity to film shows on their physical stage with rigorous testing and social distancing protocols in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our space has a capacity of 700, so limiting it to ten people in the room at any given time feels really safe,” explained producing director Susi Damilano as she described the three-camera shoots of live-staged performances. To date they’ve presented Yasmina Reza’s \u003cem>Art\u003c/em>, and Brian Copeland’s \u003cem>The Jewelry Box\u003c/em>, and opened \u003cem>Songs for a New World\u003c/em>, by Jason Robert Brown, on December 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there’s one thing that artists are uniquely suited for, its creative problem-solving in the face of adversity. And while it’s impossible at this point to make a solid prediction for what the face of theater will look like in 2021, what is certain is that there are still surprising discoveries to be made, as artists continue to build new methods and tools for themselves to create with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This has been an incredible time for theater, keeping it alive while the ground keeps shifting,” reflected Damilano. “It really feels like we are all in this together and by holding each other up, we will come out of this stronger than ever.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Marc Bamuthi Joseph is back as co-host on The Do List this week. He’s the chief of program and pedagogy at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and also a dancer, poet, and opera librettist. We talk about the San Jose Jazz Winter Fest, some classic plays at Ubuntu, SF Playhouse and the Aurora, and a special \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em> double bill. You can feel the show just lift off when Marc talks about why art matters. Take a listen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 15-28: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/stars-come-out-to-play-at-san-jose-jazz-winter-fest/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Jose Jazz Winter Fest lights up San Jose\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 11:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/events/1832991043409977/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jon Santos explores the sacred roots of Latin jazz at a Sunday concert in Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 13-24: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/new-steps-for-a-classic-ballet-featuring-aaron-coplands-music/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The San Francisco Ballet showcases Justin Peck’s new take on Aaron Copland’s \u003cem>Rodeo\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan. 23-March 10:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/post-wwii-play-born-yesterday-feels-relevant-today/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The post-war play\u003cem> Born Yesterday\u003c/em>, about corruption in Washington, feels especially relevant today\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 2-25: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/a-streetcar-line-divides-the-genders-and-classes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A \u003cem>Streetcar Named Desire\u003c/em> made for the streets of Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan. 26-March 4:\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/when-moral-principles-lose-out-to-love/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> GB Shaw’s first play is an indictment of capitalism and a moral tale about moral principles bowing to love\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 20-21:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/shabazz-palaces-marries-afrofuturism-with-hip-hop/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shabazz Palaces bring their blend of Afrofuturism and hip-hop to San Jose and Noise Pop\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 20:\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ta-nehisi-coates-and-film-screening-of-marvels-black-panther-tickets-42285828050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> A literary double bill pairs Ta-Nehisi Coates and the new film \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em> at the Grand Lake Theater\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 14: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://oakland.impacthub.net/event/the-power-of-radical-self-love-book-tour-launch-party-with-sonya-renee-taylor/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sonya Renee Taylor reads from her new book \u003cem>The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 21:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/performances/2017-18/berkeley-talks/tony-kushner-and-sarah-vowell-the-lincoln-legacy-the-man-and-his-presidency.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tony Kushner and Sarah Vowell talk about American and Hollywood history, Lincoln, and assassinations at Cal Performances\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13823952\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13823952\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-800x380.jpg\" alt=\"Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Cy Musiker in the studio at KQED\" width=\"800\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-800x380.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-160x76.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-768x365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-1020x484.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-1920x911.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-1180x560.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-960x456.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-240x114.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-375x178.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-520x247.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609.jpg 2037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Cy Musiker in the studio at KQED. \u003ccite>(Photo: Nastia Voynovskaya/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Marc Bamuthi Joseph is back as co-host on The Do List this week. He’s the chief of program and pedagogy at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and also a dancer, poet, and opera librettist. We talk about the San Jose Jazz Winter Fest, some classic plays at Ubuntu, SF Playhouse and the Aurora, and a special \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em> double bill. You can feel the show just lift off when Marc talks about why art matters. Take a listen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 15-28: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/stars-come-out-to-play-at-san-jose-jazz-winter-fest/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Jose Jazz Winter Fest lights up San Jose\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 11:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/events/1832991043409977/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jon Santos explores the sacred roots of Latin jazz at a Sunday concert in Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 13-24: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/new-steps-for-a-classic-ballet-featuring-aaron-coplands-music/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The San Francisco Ballet showcases Justin Peck’s new take on Aaron Copland’s \u003cem>Rodeo\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan. 23-March 10:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/post-wwii-play-born-yesterday-feels-relevant-today/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The post-war play\u003cem> Born Yesterday\u003c/em>, about corruption in Washington, feels especially relevant today\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 2-25: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/a-streetcar-line-divides-the-genders-and-classes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A \u003cem>Streetcar Named Desire\u003c/em> made for the streets of Oakland\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jan. 26-March 4:\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/when-moral-principles-lose-out-to-love/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> GB Shaw’s first play is an indictment of capitalism and a moral tale about moral principles bowing to love\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 20-21:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2018/02/07/shabazz-palaces-marries-afrofuturism-with-hip-hop/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shabazz Palaces bring their blend of Afrofuturism and hip-hop to San Jose and Noise Pop\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 20:\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ta-nehisi-coates-and-film-screening-of-marvels-black-panther-tickets-42285828050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> A literary double bill pairs Ta-Nehisi Coates and the new film \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em> at the Grand Lake Theater\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 14: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://oakland.impacthub.net/event/the-power-of-radical-self-love-book-tour-launch-party-with-sonya-renee-taylor/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sonya Renee Taylor reads from her new book \u003cem>The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Feb. 21:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/performances/2017-18/berkeley-talks/tony-kushner-and-sarah-vowell-the-lincoln-legacy-the-man-and-his-presidency.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tony Kushner and Sarah Vowell talk about American and Hollywood history, Lincoln, and assassinations at Cal Performances\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13823952\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13823952\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-800x380.jpg\" alt=\"Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Cy Musiker in the studio at KQED\" width=\"800\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-800x380.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-160x76.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-768x365.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-1020x484.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-1920x911.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-1180x560.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-960x456.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-240x114.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-375x178.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609-520x247.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/02/Marc-Bamuthi-Joseph-and-Cy-Musiker-in-the-studio-at-KQED-e1518052628609.jpg 2037w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Cy Musiker in the studio at KQED. \u003ccite>(Photo: Nastia Voynovskaya/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Garson Kanin’s \u003cem>Born Yesterday\u003c/em> is a post-World War II play about the risks of big money corruption in Washington DC. But it’s also a story about a millionaire junkyard dealer trying to bully his way to influence and power, at it feels just as relevant in 2018 as it did in 1946. The San Francisco Playhouse production, expertly directed by company co-founder Susi Damilano, is funny and chilling in the way the show’s junk dealer, not a fan of democracy, resembles President Trump. But the show has added resonance for the way the junk dealer’s mistress, Billie Dawn, gets woke, and how she decides to resist. Not everything works in this show, but there’s a great performance at its center by actress Millie Brooks as Billie, in a role that made actress Judy Holliday famous. Details for the show’s run Jan. 23-March 10 at San Francisco Playhouse are \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/2017-2018-season/born-yesterday/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJVuyQgCLDQ&t=1s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"id": "here-and-now",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
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