Oakland Theater Project highlighted its acting fellowship program with a two-week run of “The Land of the Fre” by Taylor Mac.
While Mac’s bold, new work wasn’t a favorite of mine, it certainly showcased a lot of talent in OTP’s fellowship program. Under Mylo Cardina’s direction, the energized cast included Juleanne Millan Antunez, Myles Bell, Kiril Bolotnikov, Danni Blackman, L.T. Schuster, Arielle Powell and Kendric Omalade.
Part circus, part mud bath (colorful balls symbolized mud except one scene with two of the characters in actual mud), Mac layers on the chaos and the joy of play in equal parts as Mac suggests freedom can both unite and destroy us.
Given OTP’s theme for its 2026 season is “The Land of the Free,” Mac’s work fits perfectly. Upcoming shows include: “Orpheus Descending,” “King Lear” and “She Se Puede.”
“Freedom, once imagined as a birthright, now feels like a responsibility and sometimes a loss,” said OTP Executive Artistic Director Michael Socrates Moran. “This season’s productions examine who holds freedom in America, who is denied it and what it takes to protect it.”
For more information on OTP’s upcoming season, go to oaklandtheaterproject.org/2026-season.
From left, Jordan Covington, Trevor March, Mackenzie Macdonald, Ella Ruth Francis, Jeannine Anderson and Jeffrey Brian Adams in SF Playhouse’s “Hairspray,” performing July 10 through Sept. 12. Photo courtesy of Jessica Palopoli
S.F.: Good music, energetic dancing, a little romance and a whole lot of hair marks SF Playhouse’s season finale “Hairspray.” The multi-award-winning musical brings its plethora of humor and heart to the Playhouse from July 10 through Sept. 12.
Set in 1962 in Baltimore, “Hairspray” follows plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad as she follows her dream to dance on her favorite TV show. When she accomplishes that dream, she uses her platform to confront racial segregation and to show by example, how winners come in all sizes and shapes.
San Francisco native and now New York resident Ella Ruth Francis stars as Tracy in SF Playhouse’s production.
“Thanks to my four gay parents, I was introduced to John Waters’ 1988 film at a young age and then saw the musical ‘Hairspray,’” Francis said. “When I auditioned for the show in my early 20s, I was told I wasn’t fat enough to play Tracy and too fat to play Penny. Not a great experience, so I avoided the show for a couple of years.”
But when a friend from San Francisco visited Francis in New York, he strongly suggested she audition for the upcoming Playhouse production and recommended her to the casting director. After doing a video audition and flying out for the callback audition, Tracy is thrilled to be back in San Francisco working at the theater where she often came growing up to watch productions.
“Coming back to the show now, it just feels that much sweeter. I’m really getting to revel in the joy and positivity that Tracy is. She is a little bit naïve, but she’s also really sure of herself and has the strength to stand up for others,” Francis said.
Francis has another reason to revel in this production of “Hairspray.” She’s doing it opposite her best friend Trevor March.
“We met in 2015 in college and became platonic soulmates,” she said. “Even though I’m in New York now, we stay in touch, and when I get married next year, Trevor will be my Man of Honor at the wedding.”
According to SF Playhouse Artistic Director Bill English, who also directs the production, the SF Playhouse production of “Hairspray” will have a sharper edge.
“This production leans into the story’s racial politics and cultural satire, examining Baltimore’s fight for integration through our contemporary lens,” said English.
Francis couldn’t agree more: “There’s a lot of humanity under the bright sheen of ‘Hairspray.’”
For tickets to “Hairspray,” call 415-677-9596 or go to sfplayhouse.org. SF Playhouse is located at 450 Post St. in San Francisco.
Walnut Creek: Festival Opera announced the launch of its first Resident Artist Program, a comprehensive, season-long professional development designed to support emerging opera singers at a pivotal stage in their careers.
For its inaugural program, Festival Opera welcomes sopranos Marielle Leiboff and Rachel Nelson, mezzo-soprano Phoebe Dinga, tenor Spencer Greene and baritone Liam Daley.
The company’s 35th anniversary season continues with Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love,” July 23 and 26, as well as a trio of salon concerts Sept. 27, Oct. 25 and Nov. 22.
For tickets, go to festivalopera.org.
El Cerrito: Contra Costa Civic Theatre’s 2026-27 season features lots of variety beginning with Bay Area playwright Jonathan Spector’s timely comedy about immunizations “Eureka Day” (Sept. 11-27) followed by Robert Reale and Willie Reale’s warm, whimsical musical “A Year with Frog and Toad” (Dec. 12-27). The new year begins with Peter Morgan’s dramatization of televised political interviews in “Frost/Nixon” (Feb. 12-28) and concludes with Michael Bennett and Marvin Hamlisch’s celebration of performers in “A Chorus Line” (May 28 through June 27).
For more information and tickets, go to ccct.org/season.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.