CO-FOUNDERS at Strand Theater

A.C.T. will present the world premiere musical, CO-FOUNDERS. Witness the launch of the next great hip-hop musical, born in the heart of the Bay Area! Co-Founders is the story of brilliant young coder Esata chasing her entrepreneurial dreams, even as the influx of wealth transforming her hometown of Oakland threatens to push her community out. After hacking her way into the most competitive startup accelerator in San Francisco, she forms an unlikely partnership with Midwestern college dropout. In a field where the privileged make a killing while the folks across the bridge grind to survive, can Esata win Silicon Valley’s game without betraying her roots? An original musical by three extraordinary MCs—Ryan Nicole Austin, Beau Lewis, and Adesha Adefela—the piece features a deliciously catchy score that draws from the Bay Area’s rich hip-hop traditions, as well as soul, gospel, funk, jazz, R&B, and more. Employing visual technology entirely new to theater, Co-Founders is a sharply funny, deeply felt, exuberant celebration of the Bay and the dreamers, hustlers, and innovators that make it magical.