“She Represents” offers politically aware teens a reframing of the election season. But author Caitlin Donohue said the book is decidedly not for fangirls and takes an often critical look at the lives and actions of women with political power.
Arts & Culture
Theatrical Romantic Comedy Explores Love in Digital Spaces With Virtual Show
As events that would draw crowds under normal circumstances go virtual, an upcoming performance from American Conservatory Theater centers on building connections in digital spaces as a central theme. “In Love and Warcraft,” a play by Madhuri Shekar, is a romantic comedy about a young woman’s exploration of her identity in an online role-playing game and expressing it in the real world.
LGBTQ
San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Goes Virtual
The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has been an institution within the LGBTQ community since 1978. Now, like many organizations, it’s scrambling to shift its focus to virtual events. The group’s annual gala, too, will be going virtual.
Arts & Culture
Kids’ Play Calls Out Racism
When actor and director Khalia Davis was growing up in the 1990s, children’s entertainment rarely addressed racism. When it did — in books about Ruby Bridges or special episodes of television shows like “Family Matters” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” — it was never explicit.
Now in 2020, after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement across the country, Davis is producing and directing “A Kids Play About Racism,” which will be streaming, free of charge, on Broadway on Demand this weekend.
‘Into the Streets’ Shows How Recent Demonstrations Echo Historic Protests
The coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of people to stay home from work and school, but it has not suppressed a deep cultural impulse for expressing frustration, solidarity and demand for change through public protest. This year, that impulse has come from across the political spectrum, with early statehouse demonstrations decrying economic shutdown, followed by a national wave of protests against racism and police brutality. Marke Bieschke gives the conversation about these events and an even broader range of actions historical context with his new book, “Into the Streets: A Young Person’s Visual History of Protests in the United States.”
Arts & Culture
S.F. Comedy Mainstay Goes Online, International With Virtual Series
As live events of all kinds go virtual, one Bay Area comedy show producer has taken it upon herself to launch a monthly online performance with international talent. Lisa Geduldig, who has produced San Francisco’s “Kung Pao Kosher Comedy” and “Comedy Returns to El Rio” for years, will launch “Lockdown Comedy” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, featuring a group of London-based comedians. Geduldig and comedian Tanyalee Davis talked with “Civic” about coping with isolation, nailing comedic timing on Zoom and laughter as medicine. “It’s a matter of getting the timing right and trying to be as engaging as I can be in a small little screen. It’s a whole different ball game.”— Tanyalee Davis
“Occasionally when a comic will do some crowd work and talk to someone, it’s just this connection.
Arts & Culture
Political Theater Troupe Goes on Air With New Radio Serial
The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s annual free performances in the park skewering political figures with satirical musical theater have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the troupe will continue to perform on the radio. In its first ever serialized radio play, “Tales of the Resistance,” the Mime Troupe will try out a new medium in nine parts across four genres: noir, sci-fi, horror and adventure. Plays will be released bi-weekly from July 4 through Oct. 24. They will air on KSFP, the low-power FM radio station managed by the San Francisco Public Press, and other local radio stations.
Arts & Culture
With Film Festivals Canceled, Bay Area Filmmakers Contemplate How to Reach Audiences
With some film festivals canceled or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, independent filmmakers are being forced to rethink how to launch and promote their work.
Opinion
Independent Filmmakers, Coronavirus and the Lost Spring of 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a severe blow to the independent film industry, with production on hold, festivals canceled or postponed, and distribution and revenue opportunities damaged. Industry organizations have rallied to support those feeling financial pain, but recovery may not be quick.
Media
New Magazine Offers Tribute to San Francisco Subcultures
Some local bookstores carry a colorful magazine that looks like the New Yorker of the west coast. This is the San Franciscan, a new print magazine with a mission to “celebrate the diverse subcultures of San Francisco and the Bay Area through humor and criticism, but always with utmost sincerity and pride.”
Arts & Culture
In “Mimi’s Suitcase,” a Personal Story Explores Familiar Themes of Displacement and Identity
“Mimi’s Suitcase” is a coming-of-age story in which Bayat plays 27 roles, in four languages, with just a suitcase, a trenchcoat and two scarves.