THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK Burlesque Parody Announces Summer Engagement, July 6 – August 28

Today, the internationally acclaimed The Empire Strips Back - the Unauthorized Star Wars Burlesque Parody announced an eight-week summer engagement at San Francisco's Great Star Theater, from July 6-August 28, 2022.

To celebrate the public on-sale, The Empire Strips Back will host a party at the historic Great Star Theater on May the Fourth, Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 6-8 p.m.. San Francisco Bay Area Star Wars fans are invited to don costumes and their favorite Star Wars attire in order to receive free drinks and the chance to win tickets to the premiere of The Empire Strips Back in July. The party is free to attend and open to all over the age of 21; registration is required. To register for the party and join the waitlist for tickets to The Empire Strips Back, visit bit.ly/TheEmpireStripsBackSF.

"The Force is strong in San Francisco. Not only is it the home of Star Wars, the Bay Area has perhaps the most thriving burlesque scene in the country," said Russall S. Beattie, creator of The Empire Strips Back. "On our sell-out tours, we found San Francisco audiences to be the loudest and most fun in all our years of international touring. In the show's momentous return to the live stage, there was really no other city to consider as its new home."

Featuring all of the classic Star Wars characters, The Empire Strips Back takes audiences to a galaxy far, far away, creating one of the most unforgettable (and unauthorized) theatrical versions of the beloved franchise. Combining striptease, song and dance, troupe routines and plenty of humor, audiences are transported into the world of burlesque to witness a menacing troop of seriously sexy Stormtroopers, a dangerously seductive Boba Fett, tantalizing Twi'leks, a delightfully lukewarm Taun Taun, a lady-like Skywalker, and of course, scantily clad and daring Droids. Even Darth Vader will explore her feminine side with a fantastical twist. The Empire Strips Back celebrates the resurgence of burlesque, while delivering a powerful experience for fans of the art form as well as the classic film series.

"Since reopening The Great Star Theater, we've been excited to bring new audiences to Chinatown and share the culture and history surrounding our historic 97-year-old theater," says Roger Pincombe, Executive Director of The Great Star Theater. "The Empire Strips Back will be the one of the largest, most exciting productions the theater has seen in recent decades, and it will mark the start of a new era for the Great Star. I am excited to welcome new audiences into Chinatown to experience everything our theater and our community has to offer."

First imagined in 2011 by creator Russall S. Beattie, the original production was booked in a small, 150 seat room in Sydney for a one-off, three-night run. Fast-forward to seven national sold-out Australian tours, an enthusiastic audience of over 60,000, and a 2016 Huffington Post video feature boasting 20+ million viral views. On its last U.S. tour, The Empire Strips Back was a sold-out hit in prestigious venues, such as San Francisco's Warfield, to Los Angeles' Wiltern and New York's PlayStation Theatre, with uproarious standing ovations and rave reviews.

Russall and producing business partner, Craig Ridgwell, have built a reputation for themselves in the Australian and London theatre circuits; clients include HBO/Foxtel, Warner Bros, EB Games, Sydney Film Festival, and Oz ComicCon. The two have worked alongside one another for 10 years as creative and producer of live shows, achieving cult-stardom for developing and promoting other internationally-acclaimed burlesque parodies such as Dames of Throne, Biba Wizard of Oz, Batman Follies, and Hail to The King, all seen by thousands in sold-out theatres across Australia.

The San Francisco engagement of The Empire Strips Back is produced by Foster Entertainment and Neil Gooding Productions, presented in partnership with Fever and Secret San Francisco.

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