Photo Flash: Nancy Pelosi, Marsha Williams, and More Celebrate CURRAN: UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The Curran recently celebrated Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music: 1776 - 1836 as part of "Curran: Under Construction," the ground-breaking series of intimate and non-traditional programming curated by Carole Shorenstein Hays. Special guests including Nancy Pelosi, Marsha Williams, and more were in attendance, and we have photos below!

Special guests include:
Leader Nancy Pelosi
Carole Shorenstein Hays (owner of the Curran)
Marsha Williams
Rabih Alameddine
Kevin Sessums, Editor-at-Large of the Curran
Kara Swisher & Nellie Bowles
Michine Dazzle (costume designer)
Niegel Smith (co-director of Taylor's show)
Matt Ray (musical director of Taylor's show)

Not pictured guests: Glenn McCoy (SF Ballet), Jennifer Raiser, Basil Twist, Paul Pelosi, Dr. Jeff Hays

Photos courtesy of the Curran.

The six-performance limited engagement began Thursday, January 21 at the Curran (445 Geary St). As recently announced, "Curran: Under Construction" kicks-off a new era for the historic theatre, which is undergoing a major renovation and will reopen as a full-sized venue in early 2017. Throughout "Curran: Under Construction," audiences will enter through the Curran's stage door alleyway and be seated on stage alongside the action. A 24-Decade History of Popular Music: 1776 - 1836 will be presented in two parts -- Part I: 1776- 1806 on January 21-23, and Part II: 1806-1836 on January 26-27. A six-hour marathon of both parts I and II will be presented at the final performance on January 30.

"Taylor Mac is a visionary talent and we are delighted to welcome him, for the first -- but not last -- time to the Curran. His epic work-in-progress promises to be a great climax to our Curran: Under Construction adventure," said Shorenstein Hays. Taylor Mac is embarking on an ambitious, highly entertaining and stirring project called A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, a durational performance art concert and a subjective history of the past 240 years in America. This highly anticipated project incorporates over 30 different performance art concerts, a number of co-commissioners from around the world, and will culminate in a one-time only 24-hour event. He will be performing mini-marathons of 3 and 6 hour excerpts of the piece, both as developmental workshops prior to the 24 hour piece, and touring after the "premiere."

The Curran is proud to cocommission this ambitious work and present the first six decades beginning with the birth of the nation in 1776, here in the city that inspired him to create it: San Francisco. Mac is a legendary downtown New York theater artist, originally from Northern California, with a large and dedicated audience in the Bay Area. He is a playwright, actor, singer/songwriter who has performed internationally from the Public Theater in New York to Sydney Opera House. He is currently an artist in residence at the Park Avenue Armory and the Sundance Institute's Theater Lab at for summer 2015. He is this year's recently named recipient of the Herb Alpert Award for theater.

Tickets for Taylor Mac are priced at $50, with marathon tickets priced at $75, and can be purchased exclusively via Eventbrite by visiting SFCURRAN.COM, where you can also find all the latest information about "Curran: Under Construction" and plans for the new Curran theatre.

Need more San Francisco / Bay Area Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...