San Francisco Theatre Festival Held July 23

The San Francisco Theater Festival, a celebration of live Bay Area theater, will showcase 60 theater groups on 10 stages on Sunday, July 23, 2006, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm, in Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, in Zeum Theatre, and on seven outdoor stages at Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown San Francisco.  The event is free.

"This is the only theater festival that allows people young and old to sample a huge variety of theater performances in one place, on one day and with no admission charge. It's truly a people's festival -- It's casual, fun, and exciting and makes theater truly accessible to everyone. It harkens back to theater's roots when theater was not exclusive or pricey, but a people's art form. And, attendees can chat with the actors and producers at tables we set up," said producer Bill Schwartz.

Bay Area professional theater companies such as 42nd Street Moon, Magic Theater, Fools Fury, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Co., Playground, SF Shakespeare Festival, Encore Theatre Co., BATS Improv, and more than 50 others will participate in the Third Annual San Francisco Theater Festival. Many of the performances are family friendly including 10 shows for children. Last year's festival attracted more than 4,500 people.

The festival consists of short performances, one-acts, scenes, readings, and solo performances at three indoor and seven outdoor stages. Shakespeare, hip-hop, improv, comedy, drama, solo performers, and a full children's program are all part of the ethnically diverse festival to celebrate live performance.

"This event provides excellent exposure for theater companies, while providing attendees a crash course in local theater. They really get a sense of what's going on in Bay Area theater. Festival audiences include many theater neophytes, so the festival is helping to build the theatergoing audience," said Chris Smith, Artistic Director of the Magic Theatre.

This year's printed program will include a clip-out discount coupon that theater groups will honor as another way of building audience. Many theater groups will staff tables in Yerba Buena Gardens for promotional literature and subscription sales.

For more information, visit www.sftheaterfestival.org, call 415-291-8655; or send an e-mail to producer@SFTheaterFestival.org.

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