The SFTF will be held at the beautiful urban park setting of Yerba Buena Gardens as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.
Festival performances range from 15-30 minutes and include all kinds of theater: Shakespeare, comedy, drama, musical theater, children’s shows, solo performances, improv, one acts, excerpts, classics, new works…
An estimated 10,000 people attended the 2008 festival, including families, teens, and adults. Our multicultural audience included the Bay Area’s committed theater audience and an audience that is just discovering the possibilities of theater and learning about the many theater groups they had never heard of before.
Featured at the 2009 festival:
- Wicked - Cast members from the hit show will perform beginning at 1 pm.
- Beach Blanket Babylon - Cast members will give a sample of their long-running show, following Wicked.
- David Alan Grier, star of stage, screen & TV will host the above.
- Lamplighters Musical Theatre - excerpts from "My Fair Lady" with Broadway actor Geoff Hoyle.
- Dan Hoyle - excerpts from his new original solo show based on travels to small town/rural America, entitled "Right?"
- Charlie Varon - excerpts from his acclaimed show at The Marsh, "Rabbi Sam."
- Killing My Lobster - will perform its hilarious sketch comedy.
- PlayGround - Two short plays from the Best of PlayGround Festival.
- The Mountain Play, excerpts from "Man of La Mancha."
- Tanya Shaffer's "Sid Arthur," a very modern take on Buddha's life.
- Shanique Scott - a riveting solo performance about a young girl's dreams of a better life.
- BATS Improv - Two teams of hilarious improvisers compete.
- Blue Blanket Improv - Wild & wacky theatre.
- No Nude Men presents "Tai-Sharm & the King of Baraquil," a fable told in their inimitable comedic style.
- Ray of Light - Musical excerpts from "TOMMY."
- Crowded Fire - "Wormhole," a young woman's journey in the afterlife and an alternate reality.
- Unique Derique, world-renowned juggler and clown, wows the kids in the Children's Festival at the Zeum.
“This was our second year with the festival and we look forward to participating in the future. The festival is a Bay Area performing arts treasure and a one of the crown jewels for the City of San Francisco.”
“Thank you for the absolutely WONDERFUL experience of the SF Theater Festival. The Festival was so well organized and produced, and everyone who was there seemed to have a wonderful theatre experience!
I can't wait until next year!”
“We had a great time. The audience was fabulous at the Zeum. I was especially impressed with the staff & lighting person who really worked to have our show look good.”
“…wanted to thank you too for the opportunity to help out the SFTF. It has actually worked to my great advantage in that I've booked two paid gigs with a producer who was in the audience. Hooray!
Congratulations for staging such a successful, well-attended event.”
“What fantastic talents I witnessed!”
“The festival was a blast.”
“The staff and volunteers werefriendly and skilled. The overall arrangements were excellent and very respectful of the artists. The audiences were strong and responsive (which again reflects on the work that you did as arrangers.)
We had a highly successful experience and I think we won lots of new friends for our work.”
Performance Groups Represented: ...And Still..., Add Verb Productions, Alex Koll, Andrea Mock, Angelina Llongveras, Ann Marie Production, Antistrophe Ensemble, ArcLight Theatre, Artis Mundi, AtmosTheatre, Ayodele Nzinga, BATS Improv, Beach Blanket Babylon, Big City Improv, Big Deal Theatre, "Bloomsday Mechanicals - Mechanics Institute, SF", Blue Blanket Improv, Broadway Bound, Bruce Pachtman, Chagall Improv, ChaoShao Bao Theatre Company, Charlie Varon, Colleen Nakamoto, Colored Ink, ComedySportz San Jose, Cora Jean's, Old Skool Cafe, Crazed Ape Productions, Crisis Hopkins, Crowded Fire, CSU EastBay - Almond Eyes, Dan Hoyle, Dan Wolf, David Kleinberg, David Meth, "David Rodgers, Jr./ Invision It Productions", Debra Netkin, Debra Schifrin, Dee Wright Productions, Donald Lacy, Dorothy Richman, Enzo Lombard, Et Ceteras, Flying Monkey Productions, Foothill College Conservatory, Fred Anderson, Hector Zavala, Independent Eye, Indigenous Chaos, Jabari Davis, Jamie Lewis Hadley, Janine Brito, Javier Reyes, JB Saunders, Jeff England, Jeff Greenwald, Joya Cory, Julia Jackson, "Kay Rod Productions for the Arts, Inc.", Killing My Lobster, L.A. Recovery Theatre, Lamplighters Music Theatre, Larissa Silva, Layon Group, Les Milton, Living Miracle Productions, Lower Bottom Playaz, Magdalena Soul, Martha Rynberg, Michael Sadler, Musical Theatre Works, Naatak, Naked Empire Bouffon Co., Nancy Gold, No Nude Men Productions, Opera Piccola, Pi: The Physical Comedy Troupe, PlayGround, Playland Players, Ray of Light Theatre, Robin Rogers, San Francisco Recovery Theatre, San Francisco Sound Wave Chorus, Seraphim, SF Free Civic Theatre, Shanique Scott, Shopping! The Musical, Sleepwalkers Theatre, Solano College Touring Company, Spear Ensemble, Stagebridge Theatre Company, Stephen Kopel, Sun and Moon Ensemble, Tanya Shaffer, Tell it on Tuesday, Thao P. Nguyen, The Great Zamboni, The Handful Players, The Lower Gym Girls, The Marsh, The Mountain Play, The Oakland Conservatory of Music: Youth Marimba, The Shatner Butt Girls, The Threshold: Theater Becoming, The Uncle Buzzy Show!! Hometown Theater!!, The Walking, Elephant Theatre Company, Thomas John, Three Wise Monkeys Theatre Co., Tony Seymour, Top Shelf (JlaChic), Un-Scripted, Vanessa Lee Khaleel, Virago Theatre Company, Vox Maids, Wicked, Willows Theatre Conservatory, Wily West Productions, Young People's Teen Musical Theatre Co., Youth for Asian Theater, Youth of the Bay, Zahra Noorbakhsh (Kamau), Zoe Sheli Sameth
Plus Children’s Show Performers Advanced Program of Circus Center's Clown Conservatory, Big City Improv, Brian Scott, Broadway Bound, ChaoShao Bao Theatre Company, Cora Jean's Old Skool Café, Et Ceteras, Flying Monkey Productions, Fred Anderson, Indigenous Chaos, Musical Theatre Works, Nancy Gold, Opera Piccola, Pi: The Physical Comedy Troupe, Solano College Touring Company, The Handful Players, The Keith Show, The Oakland Conservatory of Music: Youth Marimba , The Uncle Buzzy Show!! Hometown Theater!!, The Walking Elephant Theatre Company, Thomas John, Tye the Magic Guy, Unique Derique, Willows Theatre Conservatory, Wily West Productions, Young People's Teen Musical Theatre Co., Youth for Asian Theater, Zappo the Magician
Stage Hosts: TBD
