Cast Announced For THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK at Great Star Theater

Creator Russall S. Beattie announced today the full cast for the San Francisco engagement of The Empire Strips Back. The unauthorized Star Wars™ burlesque parody begins performances at San Francisco's Great Star Theater on Wednesday, July 6, 2022. Tickets start at $39 and are available now at empirestripsback.com Opening/Press night is Thursday, July 14, 2022.

With Oakland-based comedy writer Eric Newton as emcee, the cast of The Empire Strips Back features a mix of local and nationally-recognized artists with backgrounds across a range of dance and performance art disciplines. The cast includes Terence Beckles, Alexandra Fitzgibbon, Kanie Sequoia Freeman, Abby Hazlett, Jin Kim, Dian Sitip Meechai, Isa Musni, Eric Newton, Cecilia Qu'in, and Erin Vonder Haar.

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.

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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