San Francisco Playhouse Announces New 2020/21 Season

San Francisco Playhouse announced a re-imagining of its 2020/21 Season, re-focusing their programming on digital formats to serve their community through the coronavirus pandemic. The revised season will be divided into three Acts, each comprised of three productions, for a total of nine shows. Act I's offerings-all of which will be presented as online streaming videos-will begin in October and run through December 31st, 2020.

Following Act I, San Francisco Playhouse will produce two additional slates of programming: Act II (January 1 - April 30, 2021) and Act III (May 1 - August 31, 2021), the details of which will be determined by the current state of the coronavirus crisis. The Company plans to produce theatrical shows for live audiences in the 2020/21 Season when it is safe to do so, but will also be prepared for future shows to be broadcast online or produced for a hybrid audience of in-person and online viewers.

Act I will feature productions of Art by Yasmina Reza, The Jewelry Box by Brian Copeland, and From Blues to Broadway: An Original Musical Revue. Each production will be available for on-demand video streaming.

"Our world is now a vastly different place than when we announced our 2020/21 Season last March," said Bill English, Artistic Director. "The challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic have inspired us to rebuild our season with more intimate material that addresses our particular point in time. Leaping into the unknown, one Act at a time, we are excited to explore this new presentation format. We think it may become a permanent part of our future that will make the theatre experience accessible to more people, young, old, near and far. And I am thrilled to collaborate with so many of our favorite artists including Margo Hall, who will direct the first show of Act II, [hierogplygh] by Erika Dickerson-Despenza."

Access to all 9 shows in Acts I, II, and III is included in a 2020/21 Season subscription ($200 - $300). Single tickets for the events in Act I are available on the San Francisco Playhouse website for $15 - $100.

2020/21 SEASON, ACT I

OCTOBER 24 - DECEMBER 31, 2020

Art

By Yasmina Reza
Translated by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Bill English
Starring Bobak Cyrus Bakhtiari, Johnny Moreno, and Jomar Tagatac
On demand October 24 - November 7, 2020
Virtual Opening Night Gala October 24, 2020

In this time, when an upcoming election is showing how our nation has become divided into opposing camps, Art explores how we turn on each other. Still a hilarious comedy, it also addresses the complex layers of friendship. Are we who we think we are? Or are we who our friends think we are?

The Jewelry Box

Written and Performed by Brian Copeland
Developed with David Ford
On demand November 28 - December 25, 2020
Virtual Opening Night Gala November 28, 2020

In this hilariously heartwarming story, a prequel to Copeland's hit solo show Not a Genuine Black Man, a young Brian heads to the "mean streets" of Oakland to buy his mom a Christmas present. When he finds the perfect gift - a jewelry box in the White Front store - six-year-old Brian sets out to earn the required $11.97 by Christmas Eve. In the toughest of times, it is family that counts the most.

From Blues to Broadway: An Original Musical Revue

Music Direction by Dave Dobrusky
Directed by Bill English
Created in collaboration with Cate Hayman, Katrina Lauren McGraw, Rodney Earl Jackson Jr., and John Paul Gonzalez
Streaming December 12 - December 31, 2020
Virtual Opening Night Gala December 12, 2020

It's a who's who of San Francisco musical talent. Stars Cate Hayman (Cabaret), Katrina Lauren McGraw (Mary Poppins), Rodney Earl Jackson Jr. (She Loves Me), and John Paul Gonzalez (Cabaret) take us on a journey from the holiday blues to the glory of Broadway, lifting us up from our troubles to hope.

2020/21 SEASON, ACT II

JANUARY 1 - APRIL 30, 2021

2020/21 SEASON, ACT III

MAY 1 - AUGUST 31, 2021