Author Archives: Bill English

Bill English Bill English is Artistic Director and Co-Founder of San Francisco Playhouse, and in twenty years with Susi Damilano, has guided its growth from a bare-bones storefront to the second-largest theater in San Francisco.

Nollywood Dreams: A note from the Artistic Director

Nollywood Dreams: A note from the Artistic Director

I stumbled onto the script of Nollywood Dreams in the Drama Book Shop in New York where all theatre fans must go when visiting. I read it quickly and...

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A Chorus Line: A Note from the Artistic Director

A Chorus Line: A Note from the Artistic Director

A Chorus Line was the first Pulitzer-winning musical developed in the non-profit world. It opened at the Public Theater on April 15, 1975, and almost...

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Clue: A Note from the Artistic Director

Clue: A Note from the Artistic Director

In the 1950s, during the depths of the House Un-American Committee’s evils, with Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist campaign raging out of control,...

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Cashed Out: A Note from the Artistic Director

Cashed Out: A Note from the Artistic Director

Cashed Out, a San Francisco Playhouse commission and world premiere, was a rare happy result of the pandemic. Relegated to serving our patrons...

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As You Like It: A Note from the Artistic Director

As You Like It: A Note from the Artistic Director

A liberal, tolerant government is overthrown. The revolutionary is the ultraconservative younger brother of the progressive leader who has opened a...

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Indecent | A Note from the Artistic Director

Indecent | A Note from the Artistic Director

We were lucky enough to be on hand when Paula Vogel’s Indecent opened on Broadway five years ago, and being huge fans of hers already, and...

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Follies | A Note from Artistic Director Bill English

Follies | A Note from Artistic Director Bill English

Follies is, perhaps, Stephen Sondheim’s greatest masterwork, yet it is seldom performed these days because of its technical demands including...

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The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin – A Note from the Artistic Director

The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin – A Note from the Artistic Director

In this time when there has been so much focus on immigration, not just in the US and our border with Mexico and Trump’s wall, but in Europe with...

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‘Heroes of the Fourth Turning’: A Note from the Artistic Director

‘Heroes of the Fourth Turning’: A Note from the Artistic Director

Practicing empathy is not easy. To put our money where our mouths are, we must fearlessly challenge the limits to which our hearts will open. Our...

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Notes from the Empathy Gym – June 2021

Notes from the Empathy Gym – June 2021

During his Memorial Day address, President Biden said, “Empathy is the fuel of democracy.” I wonder, does that seem like a political statement?...

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