Address | 533 Sutter Street San Francisco United States |
---|---|
Capacity | 99/50 |
Opened | 2003 |
Years active | 2003 - Present |
Website | |
www.sfplayhouse.org |
The San Francisco Playhouse is a non-profit theater company based in San Francisco, CA established in 2003 by Bill English and Susi Damilano. Located at 533 Sutter Street, the company houses two theaters, a 99-seat main stage, and a 50-seat black box. The goal of the Playhouse is to provide an intimate theater alternative to the traditional Union Square theater fare. Based on the principle of "YES!", they aim to provide a creative home and inspiring environment where actors, directors, writers, designers and theatre lovers converge to create works that celebrate the human spirit. [1]
Season Format
editSan Francisco Playhouse currently operates six Main Stage productions per season, as well as two Sandbox World Premieres. Selection of shows for the Main Stage depends on the theme of the season and input from subscribers and board members. Sandbox Productions are selected by the literary committee after an open submission process.
Season 8 - 2010/2011
editThe upcoming season at the Playhouse, like the previous 7 seasons, has been given an overall theme. This season, the 6 plays will explore the question: 'Why Theatre?'. Among the scheduled plays are two West Coast Premieres and Two World Premieres, including the first work ever commissioned by The Playhouse.
The Plays for Season 8 are:
Sandbox
editLaunched in 2010, The Sandbox Project was set up to present World Premieres in the theater's 50 seat Stage 2. The mission of The Sandbox is to promote new works utilizing top-notch directors and actors, with limited design elements and as little financial risk as possible.
The first production as part of the Sandbox initative was Safe House by Geetha Reddy. Originally comissioned by PlayGround, this was a PlayGround co-production. The second production was The Apotheosis of Pig Husbandry by William Bivins.[2]
Production | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates |
---|---|---|---|
Safe House | Geetha Reddy | Nancy Carlin | 2/13/2010 - 3/6/2010 |
The Apotheosis of Pig Husbandry | William Bivins | Bill English | 5/21/2010 - 6/12/2010 |
Rising Stars
editThe Rising Stars program, begun during the 2009/2010 season, the aim of which is to provide the opportunity to Bay Area school students to attend shows at the Playhouse, funded by donations from subscribers and patrons.[3]
Previous Seasons
editOver the course of 7 seasons, the Playhouse has produced 39 mainstage productions and has received 57 various awards. Their productions have varied from comedies to tragedies, from dramas to musicals. Listed below is the performance history from each season.
2003/2004 Season
editProduction | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|
It Had To Be You | Renee Taylor & Joseph Bologna | Bill English | 12/5/2003 - 1/9/2004 | n/a |
The Glory of Living | Rebecca Gilman | Bill English | 2/6/2004 - 3/13/2004 | 2004 SF Bay Guardian Spotlight - Best Cast Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination) - Best Director: Bill English |
The Smell of the Kill | Michele Lowe | Bill English | 4/9/2004 - 5/15/2004 | 2004 SF Bay Guardian Spotlight - Best Cast Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination) - Best Director: Bill English |
The Fantasticks | Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt | Diane Schuster | 6/12/2004 - 8/21/2004 | Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination) - Best Production Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Principle Performance: Mark Farrell |
2004/2005 Season
editProduction | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Violet Hour | Richard Greenberg | Bill English | 9/17/2004 - 10/23/2004 | n/a |
Our Town | Thornton Wilder | Bill English | 11/19/2004 - 12/18/2004 | Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Supporting Performance: Lauren English Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Supporting Performance: Keith Burkland |
Monster | Neal Bell | Bill English | 2/11/2005 - 3/19/2005 | n/a |
Kimberly Akimbo | David Lindsay-Abaire | Kent Nicholson | 4/16/2005 - 5/21/2005 | n/a |
Art | Yasmina Reza | Robin Stanton | 6/11/2005 - 9/3/2005 | n/a |
2005/2006 Season
editProduction | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Crucible | Arthur Miller | Bill English | 9/17/2005 - 10/22/2005 | SF Bay Times - Top 10 Shows of 2005 Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Best Director: Bill English |
Prelude to a Kiss | Craig Lucas | ? | 11/12/2005 - 12/30/2005 | n/a |
The Mystery Plays | Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa | ? | 1/14/2006 - 2/18/2006 | Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Lighting Design: Jon Retsky |
Our Lady of 121st Street | Stephen Adly Guirgis | Bill English | 3/4/2006 - 4/22/2006 | n/a |
Roulette | Paul Weitz | Susi Damilano | 5/6/2006 - 6/10/2006 | Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Best Set Design: Bill English |
Putting It Together | Stephen Sondheim | Dianna Shuster | 6/24/2006 - 8/12/2006 | Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Best Supporting Performance: Mary-Pat Green Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination) - Entire Production |
2006/2007 Season
editProduction | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Ride Down Mount Morgan | Arthur Miller | Joy Carlin | 9/29/2006 - 11/4/2006 | n/a |
Reckless | Craig Lucas | Louis Parnell | 11/18/2006 - 12/30/2006 | Bay Area Critics Circle (winner) - Best Actress: Susi Damilano Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination) - Best Director: Louis Parnell |
Three Seconds in the Keep | Deb Margolin | Leigh Fondakowski | 1/13/2007 - 2/17/2007 | n/a |
Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train | Stephen Adly-Guirgis | Bill English | 3/3/2007 - 4/21/2007 | Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (winner): Best Male Performance: Carl Lumbly Top 10 theatre for 2007 by Chad Jones, Theatredogs.com |
First Person Shooter | Aaron Loeb | Jon Tracy | 5/2/2007 - 6/9/2007 | Top 10 theatre for 2007 by Robert Hurwitt, SF Chronicle Top 10 theatre for 2007 by Chad Jones, Theatredogs.com |
Man of La Mancha | Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion, Dale Wasserman | Jon Tracy | 6/30/2007 - 9/1/2007 | Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (winner): Best Male Performance: Louis Parnell Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (winner): Musical Director: David Dobrusky |
2007/2008 Season
editProduction | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|
Six Degrees of Separation | John Guare | Bill English | 9/22/2007 - 11/11/2007 | Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (winner): Best Female Performance: Susi Damilano Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (nomination): Entire Production |
Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge | Christopher Durang | Jon Tracy | 12/1/2007 - 1/30/2008 | Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (nomination): Director: Joy Carlin |
The Scene | Theresa Rebeck | Amy Glazer | 2/2/2008 - 3/8/2008 | Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Howard Swain: Supporting |
Coronado | Dennis Lehane | Susi Damilano | 3/22/2008 - 4/26/2008 | Best of 2008; Karen d'Souza, Mercury News Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Entire Production |
Bug | Tracy Letts | Jon Tracy | 5/10/2008 - 6/14/2008 | Best Actor: Gabe Marin, by Lee Hartgrave, Beyondchron.com Honorable mention for Chad Jones' 2008 Top Ten |
Cabaret | Joe Masteroff, Fred Ebb, John Kander | Bill English | 6/28/2008 - 9/18/2008 | Top 10 theatre for 2008 by Richard Connema, TalkinBroadway.com Outstanding Actor: Louis Parnell by Richard Connema, Talkinbroadway.com |
2008/2009 Season
editProduction | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shining City | Conor McPherson | Amy Glazer | 10/1/2008 - 11/22/2008 | MVP Award: Paul Whitworth, by Robert Hurwitt, SF Chronicle Top 10 theatre for 2008 by Chad Jones (#6) |
Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party | Aaron Loeb | Chris Smith | 12/13/2008 - 1/17/2009 | “Outstanding Play”, 2009 New York International Fringe Festival Top 10 theatre for 2008 by Chad Jones (#4) |
Landscape of the Body | John Guare | Bill English | 1/31/2009 - 3/7/2009 | n/a |
The Story | Tracey Scott Wilson | Margo Hall | 3/21/2009 - 4/25/2009 | Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Craig Marker: Supporting Performance Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Ensemble |
Dead Man's Cell Phone | Sarah Ruhl | Susi Damilano | 5/9/2009 - 6/19/2009 | Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Amy Resnick: Principle Performance Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Bill English: Set Design |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | Dale Wasserman | Bill English | 6/27/2009 - 9/5/2009 | Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Patrick Alparone: Principle Performance Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Dave Maier: Fight Director |
2009/2010 Season
editProduction | Playwright | Director | Performance Dates | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|
First Day of School | Billy Aronson | Chris Smith | 9/26/2009 - 11/7/2009 | Bay Area Critics Circle (winner): Zehra Berkman: Principle Performance Bay Area Critics Circle (winner): Billy Aronson: Original Script |
She Stoops to Comedy | David Greenspan | Mark Rucker | 11/21/2009 - 1/9/2010 | Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Entire Production Bay Area Critics Circle (nomination): Amy Resnick: Principle Performance |
Animals Out of Paper | Rajiv Joseph | Amy Glazer | 1/19/2010 - 2/27/2010 | n/a |
Den of Thieves | Stephen Adly-Guirgis | Susi Damilano | 3/10/2010 - 4/17/2010 | n/a |
Slasher | Allison Moore | Example | 5/1/2010 - 6/5/2010 | n/a |
The Fantasticks | Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt | Bill English | 6/19/2010 - 9/4/2010 | n/a |
References
editExternal links
edit- SF Playhouse Website - SF Playhouse Website