2024 Winter–Spring Season

Media Contact:
Scott Horton Communications
510-229-9739  |   Email

The Presidio Theatre announces artists and productions for January through June 2024 including premieres, new productions and classic favorites in theater, music, dance, opera and film. Located in San Francisco’s historic Presidio, the recently renovated Presidio Theatre has established a much-needed and acclaimed reputation for producing and presenting a range of work with a particular emphasis on San Francisco artists and companies while hosting performing artists from all over the globe. A schedule of events from January through June may be found below and for more information, visit our show listings.

The Children’s Theatre Association of San Francisco
Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure
Sunday, January 28, 2pm
Saturday, February 3, 2pm
Sunday, February 4, 2pm
Saturday, February 10, 10:30am & 1:30pm
Sunday, February 25, 2pm
Saturday, March 2, 10:30am & 1:30pm
Tickets: $15–$18

The Children’s Theatre Association of San Francisco invites audiences to join Wendy and the Darling children on a magical journey to Neverland, where they encounter the daring Peter Pan, his mischievous fairy Tinker Bell and of course, the Lost Boys. Together, they face Captain Hook and his pirate crew, exploring a world of endless adventures, bravery and friendship. Experience the enchantment of childhood imagination in this timeless tale of dreams, courage, and everlasting youth.

Book by Craig Sodaro. Music by Eric Rockwell. Lyrics by Joanne Bogart. Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Denver, Colorado.

The Children’s Theatre Association of San Francisco (CTA) was established in 1934 as an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to providing live musical theater for school children in the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly for those who might not otherwise experience it.

New Century Chamber Orchestra
Playing with Structure
Friday, March 8, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 9, 3pm Tickets: $30–$70

New Century Chamber Orchestra embraces the elegant structure and exquisite restraint of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, one of music’s most prominent “architects” during the Classical period. American cellist Sterling Elliott joins Daniel Hope and New Century for Haydn’s beloved first cello concerto, a virtuoso showpiece for the instrument. In the second half of the program, Igor Stravinsky’s playful ballet suite from Pulcinella offers a contrasting 20th century response to Haydn, using the amorous hijinks of the famous Italian clown to tinker unpredictably (and to the delight of modern audiences) with the shapes and patterns of centuries-old Classical melodies.

Daniel Hope, Music Director and concertmaster Sterling Elliott, cello

PROGRAM: Gluck: “Dance of the Furies” from Orfeo ed Euridice; Bloch: “Prayer” from Jewish Life, No. 1; Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major; Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite (1919-1920; rev. 1949)

Robert Moses’ KIN
New Legacies: One Act Dances
Three Choreographers, Three Composers, Three Writers Create
Friday, March 15, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 16, 7:30pm
Sunday, March 17, 2pm
Tickets $8–$45

New Legacies: One Act Dances is the 29th explosive season of Robert Moses’ KIN, the never-predictable San Francisco institution, that continues to push boundaries, create culture and shape art.

New Legacies: One Act Dances is a full evening of original live music, dance and theater. The evening features a collaborative triptych among three choreographers, three composers, three writers and a cast of 16 dancers coming together for the first time to create a work composed around the challenged moment we find ourselves in regarding a growing global impulse toward educational suppression, cast restriction and censorship.

Artistic Director Robert Moses emphasizes, “Censorship concerns, particularly the uncertainty faced by educators about teaching in their classrooms, are at the heart of this issue. Throughout history, libraries have been demolished and reconstructed to rewrite the narratives of our society aligning them with the interests of those in power. This process of erasure involves the elimination of individuals through the erasure of their stories.”

Lúnasa
Irish Acoustic Band
Saturday, March 23, 7:30pm
Tickets: $35–$65

Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival held in honor of the Irish god Lugh, Lúnasa was formed in 1997 from members of some of the greatest Irish groups of the previous decade, with an early review from Folk Roots describing the band as an “Irish music dream team.” From the start, the band’s complex arrangements and unique sound reshaped the boundaries of traditional music and energized audiences the world over. Having since sold over a quarter of a million records and performed over 2,000 shows across 36 countries, Lúnasa has won multiple awards and become one of the most influential bands in the history of traditional music. Collaborations with singers Natalie Merchant, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, and Tim O’Brien – as well as high-profile concerts at The Hollywood Bowl, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Glastonbury Festival, and Bercy Arena Paris – have helped broaden the band’s audience and cement it place at the forefront of contemporary Irish music.

Jean-François Alcoléa
Right in the Eye
Friday, March 29, 7:30pm
Tickets: $40–$50

To showcase the pictures and narratives in the fantastic worlds of such films as The Impossible Voyage or burlesque universes in such shorts as The Four Troublesome

Heads, Right in the Eye offers a poetic, playful current rendition of the works of Georges Méliès. The scenography is enhanced by subtle lighting that gives life to the set and creates continuity with the projection. Lighting and scenic design combine to establish a unique identity that makes Right in the Eye so much more than just a movie-concert: it is a fabulously imaginative and poetic show.

An original score is composed for each film making every piece unique and harmoniously integrated into the production. Inspired by the cinematographic richness and inventiveness of Méliès, Jean-François Alcoléa has devised a unique orchestration that offers a broad spectrum of sound qualities and modes of playing.

Films: Introduction (documentary based on archival materials), Le cauchemar (A Nightmare), Un homme de têtes (The Four Troublesome Heads), Voyage à travers l’impossible (The Impossible Voyage); La visite sous-marine du Maine (Divers at Work on the Wreck of the “Maine”), Le voyage de Gulliver à Lilliput et chez les Géants (The Lilliputians and the Giants), Panorama pris d’un train en marche (Panorama from Top of a Moving Train). Les nouvelles luttes extravagantes (Fat and Lean Wrestling Match), Le merveilleux éventail vivant (The Marvelous Living Fan), L’équilibre impossible (An Impossible Balancing Feat), Le royaume des féés (The Kingdom of Fairies), Nain et géant (The Dwarf and the Giant)

SFArtsED Players
The Little Mermaid
Friday, April 5, 7pm
Saturday, April 6, 3pm & 7pm
Sunday, April 7, 12pm followed by closing-day gala
Tickets: $25–$100

Inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Disney’s The Little Mermaid tells a musical tale of curiosity, longing, bravery and adventure as Ariel makes a choice to leave her undersea mermaid family to explore what life and love are like for humans on dry land. Featuring songs from the beloved 1989 animated film by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken such as “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl” and the Oscar-winning “Under the Sea,” the stage adaptation features additional songs by Menken and Glenn Slater.

The April 7 performance includes closing-day gala. The ticket price includes access to a post-show reception and silent auction in the outdoor plaza of the Presidio Theatre. Gala tickets are $100 for adults, $50 for seniors/artists and $25 for youth (17 and under).

A hand-picked group of young performers, ages 9-14, collaborates with seasoned and passionate stage directors, choreographers, and vocal coaches:

Ashley Alvarado, Olina Amai, Jasmine Boyd, Shiuli Chambers, Belen Diwan, Owen Du, Lila Ellis, Leelee Finn, Anna Forlin, Andrea Gonzalez, Savvy Ingle, Mable Johnson, Maesie Kaan, Emma Kadlecek, Helena Kirschner, Oriana Jooss Moran, Ian Nguyen, Lily Normanly, Joss Pearlman, Sylvie Reavill, Marco Salan, Aida Samimi, Mia Schleifer, Fiona Schobert, Alaji Sey, Shaan Swaminathan, Julia Torre, Katherine Wilder, Hollis Wofford.

Creative Team: The Players’ Artistic Director is Emily Keeler. The production’s director is Danny Duncan and the music director by Stefano Flavoni. The assistant director and choreographer is Erin Gentry. The dance instructor and choreographer is Laura Elaine Ellis . Vocal coaching and accompaniment is by Noah Bossert. Production design is by Stacey Ransom and Pete Belkin. Costumes are designed by Tiersa Nureyev. Stage Management is by Arianna Boostani.

The San Francisco Arts Education Project was founded in 1968, and for fifty-plus years has stayed true to its mission: to enrich the lives of children by facilitating hands-on participation in the visual and performing arts—taught by practicing artists.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
FRONTERAS
Saturday, April 13, 7:30pm
Sunday, April 14, 2pm
Tickets: $35–$60

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, one of America’s leading flamenco companies, presents Fronteras, a new work choreographed by two of flamenco’s most exciting artists, José Maldonado and Karen Lugo, with an original score by Jose Luis de la Paz that will be performed live.

Fronteras asks: What is stronger – what unites us or what separates us? Despite the barriers we encounter from the moment we enter this world, it is our natural drive to push beyond these obstacles and seek deeper relationships – and like life itself, flamenco does not understand nor accept such boundaries but supersedes them.

Honored by the King and Government of Spain with La Cruz de la Orden al Mérito Civil for “all the years of passion, excellence and dedication to the flamenco art,” Carlota Santana is an internationally-renowned flamenco and Spanish dance artist and educator. In 1983, she co-founded Flamenco Vivo with Roberto Lorca; following his death from AIDS in 1987, she was determined to continue their work. In the decades since, she has led Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana’s growth as one of this country’s most successful flamenco companies, with a mission to promote flamenco as a living art form and a vital part of Hispanic heritage.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana is one of the nation’s most prominent flamenco and Spanish dance companies and is dedicated to honoring the traditions of flamenco while expanding the art form in new directions. Throughout its history, the company has employed emerging dance/music artists, and has premiered more than two dozen original works, offering commissions to outstanding US choreographers as well as renowned artists from Spain.

Patricia Racette, soprano
Craig Terry, pianist and arranger
Patricia Sings Piaf
Friday, April 19, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 20, 7:30pm
Tickets: $50–$75

An iconic artist of our time, Grammy Award-winning soprano Patricia Racette conjures the timeless power and viscerally authentic impact of French singer Édith Piaf (1915-1963), whose music gave voice to the mid-twentieth century, transcending language and borders. “For me, Piaf is a shining example through words and music. Great artist. Great actor. Great chanteuse,” says Ms. Racette. “I want to evoke Piaf without ever crossing the line of trying to imitate her. I want to create an experience.”

Patricia Racette is acclaimed on the world’s opera and concert stages and is a particular favorite of San Francisco Opera audiences, celebrated for her deeply emotional performances, impeccable technique and dramatic range. Throughout her career, Racette has been acclaimed for her courage, confidence, vulnerability, and honesty onstage. These are also qualities for which Piaf was widely known, making her artistry an ideal fit for Racette’s gifts.

Racette will be joined by pianist and arranger Craig Terry, who currently serves as Music Director of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago. He curates the “Beyond the Aria” series for The Harris Theater and won a Grammy for “Best Classical Solo Vocal Album” with Joyce Di Donato. The performance will also feature projections by Greg Ermametaz, artistically weaving images and translated lyrics to enrich the music, messages, and stories of Piaf’s life.

New Century Chamber Orchestra
Love & War
Saturday, May 4, 3pm
Tickets: $30–$70

Daniel Hope, Music Director and Concertmaster Awadagin Pratt, piano

Pianist Awadagin Pratt joins Daniel Hope and New Century for this program of potent 20th century American works for strings that speak to our collective emotions. Coping with the senselessness of war is the heartbeat of the program’s first half, with composer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson confronting his concerns about the Korean War through his work Grass. In contrast, composer David Diamond wrote his exuberant work Rounds to dispel the gloomy wartime mood of the 1940s in vivid fashion. The program closes with Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium), an epic work for solo violin, strings and percussion inspired by the ancient Greek debate over love in its many forms.

PROGRAM: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: Grass, Poem for Piano, Strings & Percussion; David Diamond: Rounds, for strings; Florence Price: Adoration for violin and strings (arr. Paul Bateman); Leonard Bernstein: Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium)

Lamplighters Music Theatre
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Saturday, May 11, 7:30pm
Sunday, May 12, 2pm
Friday, May 17, 7:30pm
Saturday, May 18, 7:30pm
Sunday May 19, 2pm
Tickets: $65–$80

Based on Charles Dickens’ final unfinished novel, this hilarious whodunit invites the audience to solve its mystery by choosing the identity of the murderer. The tale is presented as a show-within-a-show, as the Music Hall Royale – a delightfully loony Victorian theatre company – presents Dickens’ brooding mystery. Musical numbers include “Perfect Strangers,” “Don’t Quit While You’re Ahead,” “Off to The Races” and “Moonfall.” Simulcast on May 19th.

Music of Remembrance
Before It All Goes Dark
Wednesday, May 22, 7:30pm
Tickets: $30–$70

The world premiere of a new one-act opera by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. An ailing Vietnam war veteran learns he is the sole heir to a priceless art collection stolen by the Nazis. His journey to Prague to claim his legacy leads to the discovery of an identity he never knew, and through art discovers a deeper truth in his life. Based on a true story reported by Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune.

Directed by Erich Parce. Starring bass-baritone Ryan McKinny and mezzo-soprano Megan Marino. Conducted by Joseph Mechavich. Featuring the Music of Remembrance Ensemble: Demarre McGill, flute; Laura DeLuca, clarinet; Mikhail Shmidt, violin; Susan Gulkis Assadi, viola; Eric Han, cello; Jonathan Green, double bass; and Jessica Choe, piano.

Andrew Evans
An Evening of Mystery and Illusion
Friday, June 7, 7:30pm
Saturday, June 8, 7:30pm
Tickets: $40–$50

Andrew Evans, founder of The Magic Patio, is thrilled to return to the Presidio Theatre to present an unbelievable evening of magic and mentalism. In this 75- minute show, Andrew will mystify audiences with his original creations which have been featured at The Magic Castle in Hollywood and on national television for Penn & Teller’s: Fool Us. From classic illusions to one-of-a-kind inventions, this show will leave you scratching your head in wonder for weeks to come. Join us to see why Andrew’s once small, backyard performance has now become San Francisco’s premier magic experience.

Opera Parallèle
Fellow Travelers
Friday, June 21, 7:30pm
Saturday, June 22, 7:30pm
Sunday, June 23, 3pm
Tickets: $30–$120

The West Coast premiere of the opera adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s novel Fellow Travelers, a tender love story and political thriller set in the corridors of power during the McCarthy era.

Recent college graduate Timothy Laughlin is eager to join the crusade against communism, and a chance encounter with handsome State Department official Hawkins Fuller leads to Tim’s first job—and his first love affair with a man. Drawn into a maelstrom of deceit, Tim struggles to reconcile his political convictions and his forbidden love for Fuller. The piece uses the love affair of Laughlin and Fuller to shed light on the ”lavender scare”, an often-overlooked period of McCarthyism that resulted in the mass firings of suspected homosexuals from the United States government. With Senator McCarthy’s investigations into “sexual subversive”’, Tim struggles to reconcile his political convictions, his love for God, and his love for Fuller – an entanglement that ends in a stunning act of betrayal.

Adapted by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce, Opera Parallèle and the Presidio Theatre are proud to bring this contemporary classic to the West Coast, a beautiful opera with the message that love will always flourish under persecution.