THE COMPTON’S CAFETERIA RIOT Extends Run Through June
The immersive play continues performances in the neighborhood where the 1966 uprising occurred.
Tenderloin Museum has announced that THE COMPTON’S CAFETERIA RIOT will extend its run through June 30, 2026, continuing performances at its dedicated venue at 835 Larkin Street in San Francisco.
Performances take place Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., with tickets priced at $75. A special anniversary event will take place on April 11 to mark the production’s first year.
Since opening in spring 2025, the immersive production has welcomed more than 5,200 audience members and sustained near-capacity attendance while presenting the story in the same Tenderloin neighborhood where the 1966 uprising occurred.
In its first year, the production employed 31 trans and LGBTQ+ cast and crew members across more than 100 performances, generating $222,432 in wages for queer artists.
“We built a cafeteria set in a vacant storefront in the Tenderloin and bet that people would show up,” said Katie Conry, Executive Director of Tenderloin Museum. “They did; in numbers we didn't expect, from communities we hoped to reach. A year later, the only question is how many more people need to experience this before it becomes part of how every San Franciscan understands their city.”
THE COMPTON’S CAFETERIA RIOT was co-written by trans activists Collette LeGrande and Donna Personna, who were part of the Tenderloin’s queer community during the era, along with playwright and co-producer Mark Nassar. Nassar is also known for co-creating the long-running Off-Broadway production Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.
Directed by trans activist and San Francisco theatre veteran Ezra Reaves, the immersive play places audiences inside a recreated 1960s cafeteria where the historic uprising unfolds around them. The production features a trans-led cast of 12 performers and incorporates a meal experience described as “breakfast for dinner.”
The April 11 anniversary event will include a community toast following the performance, with remarks from co-writers LeGrande and Personna and guest speakers from San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community and local leadership.
“Great theater comes from stories that don't go away, and a year of near-sellouts with a particularly young audience proves Compton's is one of those stories,” said Nassar. “This anniversary marks the next chapter for Compton's, and we look forward to sharing this history and humanity with even more residents and visitors.”
The production was named one of the must-see productions of 2025 by the San Francisco Chronicle and received a Best of the Bay honor from 48hills.
Founded in 2015, the Tenderloin Museum preserves and presents the history of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood through exhibitions, programs, and community engagement.
For more information and tickets, visit tenderloinmuseum.org.
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