Arts & Culture
Lisa Geduldig and Tanyalee Davis. Courtesy photos.

S.F. Comedy Mainstay Goes Online, International With Virtual Series

07.15.2020
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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
Graphic courtesy of the San Francisco Mime Troupe

Political Theater Troupe Goes on Air With New Radio Serial

07.01.2020
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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.

Opinion
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Independent Filmmakers, Coronavirus and the Lost Spring of 2020

04.28.2020
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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
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New Magazine Offers Tribute to San Francisco Subcultures

04.08.2020
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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.”
 

Muni
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No Story Is Too Weird for Online Journal ‘Muni Diaries’

09.26.2019
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“Muni Diaries,” an online journal, collects and shares Muni riders’ stories in its blog, podcasts and live events around San Francisco. Co-founder Eugenia Chien and producer Peter Clarke provide a glimpse of what’s happening in the world of buses, streetcars, transit stops and stations around town.

“Civic” Podcast
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Documentary Explores What Shaped Mid-Market Street, Past and Present

09.23.2019
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The documentary “5 Blocks,” by Robert Cortlandt and Dan Goldes, explores the history, economic downturn and efforts to revitalize San Francisco’s mid-Market Street neighborhood, an area whose focal point is just five blocks. Goldes discusses what he learned in his conversations with neighborhood residents from different backgrounds, including an SRO dweller and a tech worker.  “I think the thing that I found most striking was that, despite the fact that there is extreme poverty and extreme wealth, side by side, a lot of folks really want the same things …  a safer, cleaner neighborhood.” —  Dan Goldes, “5 Blocks” filmmaker