The San Francisco Theater Festival was a far-cry from traditional theater festivals. It was a combination of both the expected and the surprising, the traditional and the unorthodox. One thing is certain: There is no way you could cover every facet of the 6-hour non-stop event. Still, I made an effort to go to as many different performances as I could so that I would experience the full breadth of the festival. Here are my impressions of the diverse event that captured many sides of theater and entertained audiences of all kinds.

Family-oriented Fun

Theater can often be serious, complex, or sometimes even absolutely terrifying, so it’s easy to forget that theater is something that people of all ages can enjoy together. The San Francisco Theater Festival served to remind us of that. Throughout the day, there were performances from clowns, jugglers and magicians. Among the acts targeted at children were Pi: The Physical Comedy Troupe and Zappo the Magician, who delivered a kid-friendly magic show that had younger audience members enraptured. The festival proved to be a perfect opportunity for families to introduce theater to children at a young age and allow them to develop an appreciation for performing arts.

Recovering from the Addiction of White Supremacy

If there was one piece of evidence that showed that this festival was not traditional, it was Marvin X’s speech on white supremacy. The act was not so much of a performance as a lecture, as Marvin X delivered an fiery sermon about white supremacy based off his book “How to Recover from the Addiction of White Supremacy.” The speech received a less-than-lukewarm response from the audience; in fact, some of the audience members left during the presentation. After the lecture, I spoke with a professor of African-American studies at the University of Nebraska who attended the performance. Professor Patrick Jones said that Marvin X was “coming out of a particular tradition in the black arts movement…rooted in the late ’60s and ’70s” and that there was truth to what he said about white supremacy.

“His vibe and his anger and his frustration are real, so I appreciate and respect that,” Jones said.

“The question would be is that the best tactic to take to reach people at this particular historical moment. And therein lies the question for all of us.”

Life Un-Scripted

One of the highlights of the day was a performance by Un-Scripted Theater, an improv group from San Francisco. Despite a slightly difficult audience, Un-Scripted was lively, energetic and quite impressive, and it was evident that the group appreciated the chance to perform at the festival. Dave Dyson of Un-Scripted said the San Francisco Theater Festival was a great opportunity because it gave groups a chance to “smooze with all the other theater companies in town.”

“When you’re involved in theater, it’s easy to get consumed with what your company is doing,” Dyson explained, “You hardly ever get to see other shows, so it’s nice to bring everybody together in one place for one day and bond.”

Dyson also said that the festival was a great chance to let people know your theater group exists.

“People come out here that have never heard of you before. You hand them a flier and maybe they come check out your show,” said Dyson.

And after that performance, surely more than a few spectators will see Un-Scripted again when they group performs “Un-Scripted: unscripted,” which will run from July 31-August 30. Tickets are only $15 general and $10 for students, so the performance is definitely worth checking out.

A Drumming Finale

The day ended with Emeryville Taiko drumming a few songs for the remaining festival goers. The performance was proof that theater extends beyond a few guys in costumes saying lines on a stage; in fact, costumes, stages and lines are not even necessary in all theatrical performances. Emeryville Taiko proved this with a performance that was thrilling, entertaining and, yes, quite theatrical. It was not just about the music; it was also the precise and stylistic manner in which they played. The performance was the perfect finale in a day full of surprises that made the flaws seem less significant.

Needless to say, I look forward to going back next year. The only bad part is that I’ll know what to expect. And going in without a clue is half the fun.

Read the full article about The San Francisco Theater Festival here.

Image Source: Salgu Wissmath, The Daily Californian