Bill English News

BWW Review: [HIEROGLYPH] at SF Playhouse

When Lorraine Hansberry Theatre announced last September that Bay Area theatre luminary Margo Hall had been appointed as its first female Artistic Director, it felt like a promise of good things to come. Six months later, the venerable company is back up and running full steam ahead with its first staged production since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s [hieroglyph], available to stream on-demand March 13th through April 3rd. Hall directed this as a co-production with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre’s long-time collaborator San Francisco Playhouse, and would seem to be the perfect director to bring it to life. Dickerson-Despenza is a Tow Playwright-in-Residence at New York’s Public Theater who centers her writings on Black women’s land legacies and distinct experiences of environmental racism. Telling the raw, honest story of a 13-year-old girl struggling Post-Hurricane Katrina, wrestling with being displaced to a new city while secretly coping with the PTSD of an assault at the Superdome, [hieroglyph] is part of Dickerson-Despenza’s 10-play Katrina cycle focused on the effects of Hurricane Katrina and its state-sanctioned, man-made disaster rippling in & beyond New Orleans. Hall describes the play as “tragically beautiful.” Patrons may support the organization of their choice by purchasing tickets from Lorraine Hansberry Theatre at lhtsf.org or from San Francisco Playhouse at sfplayhouse.org. BroadwayWorld spoke with Hall last week, just as she was preparing to meet her cast in person for the first time after weeks of Zoom rehearsals. Speaking to her, I got the distinct impression of someone who is exactly where she needs to be right now. This may be her first stint as an artistic director, but in so many ways she has been preparing for this role her entire life. Her decades of experience as an actor, director, playwright, professor and activist all coalesce to serve her in her new role. We talked about her hopes to expand Hansberry’s purview, the need to create culturally-specific theatre, and the exigencies of producing theatre and TV (she is also acting in the new “Blindspotting” series!) during Covid times. Throughout our conversation, I was struck by the sheer joy she exudes for making theatre and for finding herself in a place where she can create new opportunities for Black theatre artists.

Today (November 12) in live streaming: Lillias White visits Backstage Live, Aisha de Haas in concert, and so much more!

San Francisco Playhouse is taking the theatre industry into formerly unknown territory after receiving approval from the Actors' Equity Association to film and stream their production of Art by Yasmina Reza on stage at San Francisco Playhouse.

One friend's purchase of an expensive painting is the catalyst for darkly comic examination of friendships and how easily the bonds can be stretched and broken. Yasmina Reza's sharp, clever script is delivered by three outstanding actors to create a searing metaphor on the deep divisions in our nation. Originally produced in 1994, Art went on to win the Molière Award for Best Author and the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play. SF Playhouse's Bill English directs this digital presentation with multiple camera angles and a minimalist set that allow the stellar cast to mine the dialogue for all its gold.

San Francisco Playhouse were given the green light to film their production of Art by Yasmina Reza on stage at San Francisco Playhouse. The announcement makes San Francisco Playhouse one of the first theatres in the United States to get approval for on-stage filming.

San Francisco Playhouse were given the green light to film their production of Art by Yasmina Reza on stage at San Francisco Playhouse. The announcement makes San Francisco Playhouse one of the first theatres in the United States to get approval for on-stage filming.

San Francisco Playhouse announced a re-imagining of its 2020/21 Season, re-focusing their programming on digital formats to serve their community through the coronavirus pandemic.

Today (August 27) in live streaming: The New Group presents The Jacksonian, Billy Stritch performs for Radio Free Birdland, and so much more!

San Francisco Playhouse continued its commitment to developing new plays and nurturing the voices of active writers with the selection of the playwrights who will comprise the third year of the company's five-year commission program.

Today (August 13) in live streaming: Max Von Essen and Lena Hall visit Backstage Live, Stars in the House brings back Newsies, and so much more!

San Francisco Playhouse  announced five new episodes of its live streaming calendar, including three Zoomlet Live Play Readings and two Fireside Chats. The events will be streamed free of charge on the Company's website. Announcements of additional episodes and programming will be made over the coming weeks.

Today (July 23) in live streaming: a Cinderella Reunion, the Fame gang is back together, and so much more!

Today (July 16) in live streaming: Broadway barks is back, MCC presents Good As New, and so much more!

Today (July 9) in live streaming: The Public Theater premieres The Line, Bernadette Peters visits Stars in the House, and so much more!

Today (July 2) in live streaming: Conor McPherson visits Meet the Makers, Judy Kuhn has a classic conversation and so much more!

Today (June 11) in live streaming: National Theatre at Home brings back The Madness of King George III, the newest Broadway's Next on Stage and so much more!

San Francisco Playhouse announced their new Empathy Gym Fireside Chat series which will be streamed live for free on YouTube. Each week, Artistic Director Bill English invites playwrights to join him for a one-hour conversation about playwriting, business, and the future of theatre. Audience members can participate in the conversation by leaving a comment on YouTube.

Broadway's The Ferryman is among the plays the 2020-2021 Mainstage Season at San Francisco Playhouse.

San Francisco Playhouse presents Real Women Have Curves by Josefina López. Diane Rodriguez will direct the Playhouse production. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the play, which premiered at San Francisco's Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts on May 25, 1990. The play was adapted into an acclaimed 2002 film starring America Ferrera.