Our theatre is a sacred space. A place where hearts are cracked open, souls are stirred, and compassion is not just spoken of, but practiced. The Empathy Gym is not just a clever phrase; it is a spiritual calling. In a time when we are taught to armor up, scroll past pain and judge rather than connect, theatre offers something radical: a return to feeling, a return to each other.
As the poet Mary Oliver wrote, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” And that is what happens here. We sit. We watch. We give our full attention to the life of another. And in that quiet act, something sacred happens: We grow in empathy. We grow in love. At San Francisco Playhouse, the stage becomes an altar, the actors become vessels, the plays, scripture, and the audience a congregation bearing witness. Together, we engage in a ritual as old as humanity: storytelling that transforms.
Devin A. Cunningham in Fat Ham (2025).
As Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” And in the theatre, we are invited to feel the wound—of a character, of a culture, of ourselves. And through facing their pain, we find the light. In culture like ours, full of contradiction and complexity, we need this sacred space. Not to escape, but to awaken. Not to be entertained, but to be lifted up.
Theatre’s mission is not merely artistic—it is devotional. It invites us into the work of becoming more whole. More humble. More human. Maya Angelou said, “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” That truth lives in every play, every moment of silence, every shared tear and breath inside the Playhouse. So let us honor our space. Let us show up—not just as spectators, but as seekers. Let us take our seat in the Empathy Gym and allow ourselves to be changed. Because in a world so hungry for healing, theatre can be the cure.
– Bill English, Artistic Director
San Francisco Playhouse
450 Post St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 677-9596
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