Category : Blog

From the Empathy Gym | Ego and Humility

From the Empathy Gym | Ego and Humility

August 2016 Newsletter   Bill English, Artistic Director When San Francisco Playhouse moved from 533 Sutter to 450 Post, it was a...

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From The Empathy Gym | Vulnerability

From The Empathy Gym | Vulnerability

July 2016 Newsletter   Bill English, Artistic Director In the military sense, vulnerability means that your position is open to attack,...

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From the Empathy Gym | Never Good Enough

From the Empathy Gym | Never Good Enough

June 2016 Newsletter   Bill English, Artistic Director My father, William English, senior to my junior, had high hopes for me – his...

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From the Empathy Gym | The Art of Risk

From the Empathy Gym | The Art of Risk

May, 2016 Newsletter Bill English, Artistic Director When I was thirteen, under the influence of Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster, I was...

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From the Empathy Gym | The Tortured Artist

From the Empathy Gym | The Tortured Artist

April, 2016 Newsletter Bill English, Artistic Director During eleven days in March 2016, San Francisco Playhouse opened three shows on two...

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From the Empathy Gym | Lessons from Strips of Paper

From the Empathy Gym | Lessons from Strips of Paper

March, 2016 Newsletter Bill English, Artistic Director I was an alienated teenager. I spent a vast amount of time alone, face down on my bed,...

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From the Empathy Gym | Transformers

From the Empathy Gym | Transformers

February, 2016 Newsletter Bill English, Artistic Director Several years ago, while in the lobby after performances of “Abigail’s Party,”...

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From the Empathy Gym | A Dangerous Place

From the Empathy Gym | A Dangerous Place

January, 2016 Newsletter Bill English, Artistic Director I attended my very first live theater performance at the age of 7. I saw Tad Lincoln...

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From the Empathy Gym | Mirror, Mirror

From the Empathy Gym | Mirror, Mirror

When I prepare to design a new set or craft a production concept, I often try to picture our stage as a giant 32’ x 16’ mirror in which we...

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Our “Story Within A Story”

Our “Story Within A Story”

The Play Within A Play Bill English, Artistic Director How we love the play within a play. Shakespeare loved them, Midsummer and Hamlet...

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