Author: Alfredo Casuso

Media contact: David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

2024 Bay to Breakers Running to Revitalize San Francisco Downtown

New Membership with San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Teams Program Builds Ties with Business Community

15 December 2023 — San Francisco, CA:  San Francisco’s oldest and most iconic event, Bay to Breakers (www.baytobreakers.com) is getting down to business — seriously. In addition to joining the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the internationally known footrace is lacing up to help San Francisco rebound from the worst of the COVID years hangover by starting a Corporate Teams program aimed at helping bring attention to the City. Such civic boosting is in B2B’s DNA.

“In 1912, the first Bay to Breakers race was run in San Francisco as a way to show that San Francisco had recovered from the devastating 1906 Earthquake and Fire,” said Rodney Fong, President & CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce (www.sfchamber.com). “In 2024, this most iconic of City experiences is once again hitting the ground running to celebrate San Francisco’s rebound from COVID and its aftermath. We’re delighted they have joined the Chamber and look forward to helping them with their Corporate Teams program.”

Last year, the Bay Area based production agency, Silverback (www.gosilverback.com) teamed up with Motiv Running (www.motivrunning.com), managing partner of Bay to Breakers, to highlight the event’s deep connections to San Francisco.

“As anyone who has participated or watched or experienced Bay to Breakers knows, this is much more than a race,” said Kyle Meyers, CEO of Silverback, the local company that also produces the SF Marathon and SailGP. “Bay to Breakers is about celebrating all the good things San Francisco. And, frankly, the past year has seen a lot of attention from outside media talking up our challenges. We’ve decided to make sure people see all sides of the picture.”

In October 2022 Motiv Sports acquired Bay to Breakers from Capstone Event Group and entered into a partnership with Silverback to grow and operate the San Francisco event.  This year, they’re expanding their team to include new outreach to the business community as a way to highlight the strength of the workers that keep San Francisco thriving.

“Our goal is to nurture high-impact collaborations and infuse new energy into San Francisco and this legendary race,” said Morgaine Jennings, Senior Manager of Partnerships, UNITE Partnerships. “We’re enthusiastic about shaping the future of Bay to Breakers and generating strong results for corporate partners with like-minded values and business goals.”

On January 31Bay to Breakers in conjunction with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce – will launch a new Corporate Teams  Program to build and expand those relationships with the aim of highlighting the downtown business community, and fostering employee engagement. During the annual Bay to Breakers Race, participants of all ages and abilities, and oftentimes in costume, line up on Howard Street a few blocks from The Embarcadero on the third Sunday in May – in 2024, May 19. The course travels west through the City for 12 kilometers and finishes at the Great Highway, where the breakers crash into Ocean Beach. It truly is a time-honored tradition and the quintessential San Francisco experience.

To learn more about Bay to Breakers or sign up for the fun go to www.baytobreakers.com. To learn more about how businesses can participate as a sponsor or in the Corporate Teams program, email morgaine@unitepartnerships.com.  

Tuesday, December 12, 2023    

Contact: Mayor’s Press Office, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org     

    

BOARD ADOPTS MAYOR’S LEGISLATION TO WAIVE FEES FOR OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT PERMITS    

The new legislation will waive permit fees to provide support for San Francisco nightlife and entertainment businesses using the City’s JAM permitting program  

The JAM program was created during the pandemic, and helps reduce bureaucracy and save applicants time and money   

San Francisco, CA – Today the Board of Supervisors approved a package of entertainment permit modernization reforms sponsored by Mayor London N. Breed. The legislation will provide important relief to San Francisco nightlife and entertainment businesses by waiving permit fees so that businesses may continue to offer outdoor music and entertainment activities they began during the pandemic using the City’s innovative “Just Add Music” (JAM) permitting program.  

With the sunsetting of the JAM program at the end of the pandemic, businesses seeking to offer entertainment or amplified sound in outdoor parklets and patios must acquire entertainment permits (or amend preexisting permits) to cover this activity. While a Limited Live Performance Permit or a Fixed Place Outdoor Amplified Sound Permit would normally require an application fee of $562 or $792, respectively, these fees will be waived through funding allocated by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Through this waiver, businesses will be able to continue hosting local musicians and entertainers to create dynamic outdoor experiences for patrons and passersby.  

“San Francisco’s nightlife and vibrant entertainment scene are part of what makes San Francisco so unique, and we are committed to making it as easy and affordable as possible for businesses to host local musicians and entertainers,” said Mayor London Breed. “This legislation will deliver important fee relief so that our parklets can remain full of music, along with important improvements to help our nightlife sector continue to thrive and more entertainment options for our residents and visitors to enjoy.”  

In addition to this waiver, this legislation will also adopt numerous reforms to streamline the bureaucracy around entertainment permitting, saving business owners time and money by removing unnecessary referrals and hearings.  

This legislation will:  

• Waive entertainment permit application fees for any business that held a Just Add Music (JAM) permit during the pandemic and now seeks to continue that outdoor entertainment or amplified sound on an ongoing basis. Businesses that are getting an entertainment permit for the first time will also have their initial license fees waived. 
• Waive application fees for short-term permits for any business that held a JAM permit and is seeking to continue entertainment and/or amplified sound activities while awaiting approval of an application for a legislated Shared Spaces parklet or sidewalk tables and chairs permit.  
• Waive entertainment permit application and initial license fees for existing businesses that are newly able to apply for entertainment permits due to zoning changes. Recent SoMa zoning changes now enable some longtime businesses to acquire entertainment permits. This change will support these businesses and seeks to encourage policymakers to further reform entertainment zoning to allow more arts and culture uses citywide.  
• Remove the requirement that applications for Place of Entertainment permits be referred to the Department of Building Inspection where a premise has held a Place of Entertainment permit within the past year. This reform would save time and money for operators seeking to acquire an existing Place of Entertainment, reducing the barriers to the retention of existing venues.  
• Remove the requirement that applications for Fixed Place Amplified Sound permits be referred to the Department of Public Health. This reform would save time and money for operators seeking to establish outdoor amplified sound, including businesses seeking to continue activity they began during the pandemic.  
• Remove outdated operating standards for arcades that require unnecessary staffing and infrastructure to receive a permit to operate an arcade.  
• Remove the hearing requirement for a billiard parlor permit to save time for businesses seeking to install pool tables. The Entertainment Commission would still be able to require a hearing in cases involving operators that have received complaints within the past year.  
• Expand where businesses may acquire Limited Live Performance (LLP) permits to include outdoor patios that are not surrounded by enclosed buildings, such as rooftops and open-air lots. While some businesses in these spaces have received LLP permits to-date, this reform will clarify the ability of businesses to receive LLP permits for such spaces.  
• Exempt a school from the requirement to obtain an entertainment or amplified sound permit in order to conduct activities that occur on school premises in the regular course of school operations.
• Clarify various technical elements of Entertainment Commission application process.  

“Music and entertainment are vital to our city’s recovery, not just because they are important contributors to jobs and our economy, but because they bring San Franciscans together.  Building on successful programs launched during the pandemic, this legislation will make it easier for artists, performers and entertainers to enliven outdoor spaces. Most importantly, along with other efforts underway to bolster arts and entertainment, it will help keep San Francisco fun!” said Sarah Dennis Phillips, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.   

Now that the Board of Supervisors has approved this legislation, it will now go before the Mayor later this week to sign it into law. Once it takes effect in January, the Entertainment Commission will begin waiving fees covered by this legislation and issuing refunds to eligible businesses that have already paid these fees since January 2023.  

“With the goal of encouraging and sustaining entertainment and cultural activity across all neighborhoods, this legislation comes at a critical moment as our businesses and artists continue to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic,” said Maggie Weiland, Entertainment Commission Executive Director. “We are grateful to Mayor Breed for her ongoing commitment to support our industry’s revitalization through financial relief and reducing red tape.”   

“When the city offered a JAM permit to play music outside, I couldn’t install speakers fast enough. What better way to enhance my customer experience with soft background music and complement my newest outdoor addition. Furthermore, it’s no secret the alarming impact Covid has had on restaurants and I was more than grateful when the city waived the fee. This is another indication what the city is doing to support small businesses,” said Jennifer Corwin, owner of Tia Margarita Restaurant.  

“Music plays a pivotal role in the success of our business, enabling us to cultivate a warm and welcoming atmosphere that would be otherwise unattainable,” said Ryen Motzek, owner of City Station. “The entertainment permit fee being waived is undoubtedly an added advantage, particularly in light of the ongoing impact of the pandemic.”  

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development also launched an application portal for San Francisco music and entertainment venues to curate concerts as part of the SF Live Initiative, which will produce a new series of live performances presented at outdoor parks and plazas in 2024. Participating venues will be matched with nonprofit production partners to produce these concerts, with all of the event costs, as well as stipends of up to $3,000 to participating venues, underwritten by SF Live. Venue operators can learn more about this opportunity and apply to participate at oewd.org/SFLive.  

The goals of the SF Live initiative are to showcase and support the San Francisco music and entertainment sector, boost neighborhood vitality and enhance the City’s economic recovery through arts and culture. SF Live is being funded through a $2.5 million allocation from the California State Legislature led by City Attorney David Chiu, when he was an Assemblymember. SF Live is also funding the development of coordinated marketing and branding for San Francisco’s music and entertainment industry that will also launch next year.  

###   

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Award Winning Dezart Performs Announces
Campaign for Permanent Home

Now in its 16^th Season of “Fearless, Provocative & Inspiring Theatre” Company Announces Plans for A Flexible Venue

Details Announced at Special December 5^th Event at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs

www.dezartperforms.org

12 December 2023 – Palm Springs, CA:  For the last 13 years, the multi-award winning Dezart Performs (www.dezartperforms.org) has called the Pearl McManus Theater home. But with the limited stage space, along with inflexible scheduling, they have outgrown the venue. “I fell in love with the theatre and the topics, and the way they were presented,” said Beatrice Keats, founding donor and patron. “And they’re operating in the tiniest little space, they have no space backstage, so I think it’s time for them to have their own theater!”

After a long strategic planning process, Dezart Performs identified a new 4,400 square foot space in Cathedral City’s Canyon Plaza South. The campaign, called the NEXT STAGE CAMPAIGN, is headed by Co-Chairs and founding donors Ann Sheffer and Nancy Bleiweiss-Nevil. This new home will be called the Dezart Playhouse. “The productions that Dezart Performs puts on are not only extraordinary, but they are compelling,” said Cathedral City Mayor Rita Lamb. “I believe the introduction of Dezart Performs to Cathedral City is going to be transformative. It will add vibrancy and intensity, making that area of the community completely compelling.” 

On December 5^th, in a special event at Hotel Zoso Hotel in Palm Springs, details of the campaign were unveiled to a packed and supportive crowd of 150, emceed by “Eye on the Desert” host Patrick Evans and Desert Theatre League award-winning actor, Joel Bryant. Campaign Co-Chair Nancy Bleiweiss-Nevil, founding Artistic Director Michael Shaw, Board President Clark Dugger and several Board members were in attendance, along with other founding donors.

The campaign has been in the silent phase for over a year, with the goal to raise $ 2,200,000 to convert the former retail space into a state-of-the-art Equity Theater.  In addition, the campaign seeks another $200,000 per year over five years to help sustain program and operation costs. “We have had many people make generous pledges and gifts to our campaign. But we have a ways to go to reach our goal,” said Gailya Brown, Director of Development for Dezart Performs.“ “I think it’s important for people to know that this is isn’t just about Dezart Performs. It’s going to be a community resource.” 

“We have been gratified by the enthusiasm and generosity demonstrated by our supporters over the past months. But our work is not yet done,” says Michael Shaw, Dezart Performs’ founding Artistic Director. “Please join us to make this a reality. We can’t do it without the support of the community.”

The new Dezart Playhouse will have versatile, movable seating for up to 125, including the flexibility for proscenium, thrust, theatre in-the-round, or cabaret-style formats. A modern, warm and inviting lobby with a full bar and patio area will be available for use both during performances, and for other non-theatrical events. Full expanded dressings rooms, backstage areas and a designated box office are all part of the design. Besides use by Dezart Performs, the venue will also welcome other businesses and non-profit organizations in the community to make use of the space. Based on the current plan, the Dezart Playhouse will be ready for the 2025 / 2026 Season.

To inquire about how to help support Dezart Performs’ NEXT STAGE CAMPAIGN, contact Gailya Brown at gailya.brown@dezartperforms.org.

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

*    *    *

Media contact:  DP&A, Inc. / David Perry (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Renovation and Restoration of Castro Theatre to Begin Spring 2024

February 4 is Final Day of Programming Prior to Top-to-Bottom Architectural Restoration of Landmark & LGBTQ+ Community Icon by Another Planet Entertainment

Completion Scheduled for Summer 2025

11 December 2023 – San Francisco. Another Planet Entertainment (www.apeconcerts.com), stewards of the landmark and iconic LGBTQ space, the Castro Theatre (www.castrotheatre.com), will begin the long awaited restoration of historic venue beginning in early spring 2024. The final day or programming will be February 4.

“Another Planet Entertainment is thrilled to begin the work to restore the Castro Theatre to its 1922 architectural glory and ensure its continued place in the hearts of film lovers, music lovers and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Mary Conde, Senior Vice President for Another Planet. “In addition to restoring the magnificence of Timothy Pflueger’s original design, the Castro Theatre will now be more ADA accessible in the audience, onstage and backstage to all. Additionally, a state-of-the art heating and air conditioning system will be installed, providing comfort and healthful ventilation.  Finally, improved concessions, an expanded lobby, the restoration of the original proscenium arch and new, comfortable and flexible seating will make the Castro a venue that respects its heritage while embracing new, and ever more diverse audiences.”

“One of the defining features of the Castro is the tent-like painted ceiling which has been obscured from view for decades,” noted Jeff Greene, Executive Chairman and Founder of Evergreene, the firm overseeing the preservation work. “This element will be conserved and restored along with  the unique sgraffito murals on the side walls bring the whole back into harmony with Pflueger’s original vision.”

EverGreene was founded in 1978 by Greene, a trained mural artist and innovator, when he was only twenty four years old. Since then, EverGreene has grown from the small painting studio to the largest specialty contractor in the U.S., focused on the preservation of historic buildings, artifacts, and works of art. The EverGreene team has contributed to the restoration and preservation of many of our country’s most significant and iconic masterpieces. From surveys and condition assessments, conceptual planning and design, to the implementation of large scale restoration efforts, we provide custom solutions for complex adaptive reuse and heritage preservation efforts. Evergreene’s multi-disciplinary teams are comprised of conservators, designers, craftspeople, artists, and project managers, bringing specialized education, training, and experience to every project.

Guided by the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), Evergreene’s conservation work is implemented at the highest standard under the supervision of our two AIC Fellows and 10 Professional Associates.  Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with regional offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, EverGreene works with private, public, and sacred space clients nationwide.

Beginning in 2022, Another Planet Entertainment has partnered with Bay Properties, Inc., owners of the Castro Theatre, on an evolution and preservation of San Francisco’s world-renowned entertainment and LGBTQ community landmark. With a long-standing history of working to preserve and improve historic buildings such as the Fox Theater in Oakland, the Greek Theatre in Berkeley and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Another Planet seeks to enhance the Castro Theatre by implementing significant improvements to the sound, lighting, production, HVAC and the theatre’s trademark marquee and blade sign, among other facets of the building: all of this, always, with an eye to honoring its unique place in the lives of the Castro and celebrating its communities and residents.

media contact:  Perry (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Obie Award-Winning
 and Tony Award finalist nominee
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
by Heidi Schreck is Dezart Performs’ second production of the season from January 19-28, 2024

11 December 2023 – Palm Springs, CA:  The acclaimed WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME by Heidi Schreck is Dezart Performs (www.dezartperforms.org) first production of 2024, running January 19 – 28. Part history lesson, part family drama, the Tony Award Nominee and Pulitzer Prize Finalist is a “boundary-breaking play that breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans” (Forbes). When it opened on Broadway in 2019, The New York Times hailed it as “not just the best play to open so far this season, but also the most important.” “It would be hard to identify a work for theatre with its finger more on the pulse of America right now” (The Washington Post).

“In this unique and envelope-pushing play, it’s an uproariously funny, moving, critically challenging and politically charged play,” says Dezart Performs founding artistic director Michael Shaw. “It is a civics lesson, a cry from the heart and a feminist anthem that reminds us again and again that our country was shaped by founding fathers, not founding mothers.”

Profoundly intertwined with Schreck’s life, WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME chronicles the playwright’s maternal line from her great great grandmother onward, examining how the Constitution and its complexities helped shape and sometimes devastate their lives. Toggling back and forth from the present day to the past, the play starts with fifteen-year-old Heidi chronicling how she earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States.  However, the “psychotically polite” young woman with a crush on Patrick Swayze quickly merges with hilarious – and enlightening – result in an exploration of the “penumbra” that is the “hot and sweaty document” of Heidi’s research.  As Heidi states throughout the play, the Constitution is a crucible in every way: for her family, and for the generations of families this document made by-and-for cisgender white men continues to guide.

As noted by The Guardian: “This funny, tragic and deeply unsettling tour de force shows who the US constitution serves — and who it lets down.”All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Ticket prices are $48 – $55 and may be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org , or by calling (760) 322-0179. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm and 7pm.

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

16th Dezart Performs’ Season Listing

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME 
A dramatic comedy written by Heidi Schreck
Directed by Craig Wells
January 19 – 21; 26 – 28

2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist
2019 Tony Award nominated, Best Play
2019 Obie award for Best New American Play
2019 Off-Broadway Alliance Award, Best New Play
2019 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Play

Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful and achingly human new play, she resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

“…brilliantly crafted show, harrowing and funny and humane, that accesses the political through the deeply personal.”
– New York Magazine

“A highly entertaining, deeply informative and ultimately hopeful examination of the document that impacts every single one of us, every single day of our lives.”
–Chicago Sun Times

“This funny, tragic and deeply unsettling one-woman tour de force shows who the US constitution serve — and who it lets down.”
– The Guardian

*    *    *

A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 
A drama written by Samuel D. Hunter
Directed by Michael Shaw
March 1-3; 8-10

2022 Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play

A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD unfolds in a cubicle where two seated people unexpectedly choose to bring one another into their fragile worlds. Keith, a mortgage broker, and Ryan, a yogurt plant worker seeking to buy a plot of land that belonged to his family many decades ago, realize they share a “specific kind of sadness.” At this desk in the middle of America, loan talk opens up into a discussion about the chokehold of financial insecurity and a bond over the precariousness of parenthood. With humor, empathy and wrenching honesty, Hunter commingles two lives and deftly bridges disparate experiences of marginality.

“Must-see heartbreaker of a play!”
– The New York Times

“Another extraordinary play by Samuel D. Hunter!”
– New York Stage Review

“Easily one of the best of the year!”
–The Wall Street Journal

“…one of the most moving new plays of the year!”
– TheatreMania

“‘A Case for the Existence of God’ Finds What Connects Us All and Holiness in Humanity.”
–The Observer

*    *    *

MR. PARKER
A drama written by Michael McKeever

Directed by Randy Brenner
April 12 – 14; 19 — 21

At 54 years old, Terry Parker finds himself at a crossroads in his life. After the loss of his partner of 30 years, he finds himself suddenly single and unable to adjust to a world that has moved on without him. After a night of heavy drinking, he wakes up with a 28-year-old bartender-slash-Uber-driver. These two very different people begin a tentative relationship, and what starts out as a one-night stand becomes a journey of self-discovery for a man trying to let go of the past and move forward, while dealing with the pressures of being middle-aged, gay and alone in the ever-changing landscape of today’s America.

“A very intelligent, absorbing look at contemporary relationships and the conflicts that keep us all from aging with joy and peace of mind. This play is a real discovery!”

– Rex Reed

“The protagonist of this new play by Michael McKeever steps gingerly out of grief’s stasis and into the unknown.”
–The New York Times