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Kim Acebo Arteche, Executive Director of Brava! for Women in the Arts, scans tickets as patrons arrive to \u201cShe Kills Monsters\u201d at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco on April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n
Estefany Gonzalez\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Kim Acebo Arteche did not initially want another permanent position running an arts company.<\/p>\n
Previously, as co-executive director at the Berkeley Art Center, \u201cI got burnt out,\u201d they recalled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know so many of my mentors and peers who have developed autoimmune diseases because of the stress of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n
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So when the nonbinary multimedia artist and career nonprofit arts administrator took the helm at Brava Theater Center in July, it was on an interim basis. \u201cI was trying to preserve myself,\u201d they told the Chronicle.<\/p>\n
But over time, Arteche began to see the job differently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Actors perform in an SFBATCO Young Actors Lab production of \u201cShe Kills Monsters\u201d at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco on Friday, April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n
Estefany Gonzalez\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is actually truly a unique opportunity to be in such an aligned organization,\u201d they said, noting that board and staff felt in sync in a way that felt \u201cspecial.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Arteche thought about all the times they came to Brava as a patron\u00a0\u2014 for the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, \u201cLarry the Musical,\u201d \u201cNot My First Pandemic\u201d by C\u00e9sar Cadabes\u00a0\u2014 and how \u201cit\u2019s always felt safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In March, Arteche made their position permanent, becoming just the fourth such leader in the 40-year history of the organization dedicated to women, queer people and people of color.<\/p>\n The transition comes at a critical time for the Mission District arts hub. In 2024, it hosted an emergency fundraising drive<\/a> to keep the lights on. Another campaign<\/a> last fall used similar language.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meanwhile, its 24th Street facility, which was originally built as a movie theater, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. To mark it, the company received a $150,000 Community Challenge Grant from the city, which Brava is hoping to build on with a $100,000 campaign of its own. With the city\u2019s funds, Brava plans to throw a block party on Oct. 17, seeking to \u201creintroduce ourselves back to the block,\u201d Arteche said.<\/p>\n Patrons arrive at \u201cShe Kills Monsters\u201d at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco on April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n Estefany Gonzalez\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re literally just trying to bring the things that we do in the theater, even rehearsal-wise, out to the street,\u201d they added.`<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Youth dance program Cuicacalli is slated for a performance and demonstration. La Mezcla founder Vanessa Sanchez and San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company both plan to teach free workshops.<\/p>\n Beyond the anniversary, Arteche sees their top priority as getting Brava out of its deficit, which they have already reduced by nearly two-thirds, to $135,983, since coming aboard. Eliminating it will require maintaining \u201ca very delicate dance,\u201d they said. San Francisco\u2019s wealthiest donors still direct the bulk of their largesse to predominantly white institutions that confer glamour and social cachet in return. Many public and private institutional funders have also changed their priorities in response to shifts under President Donald Trump\u2019s administration. To deal with increased costs, even on goods like toilet paper, Brava could book more rentals and raise prices, but that risks compromising the organization\u2019s mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a very accessible theater, and if we increase it too fast, we\u2019re going to lose all of our community members,\u201d Arteche said.<\/p>\n After closing the deficit, they hope to hire an artistic director to oversee programming.<\/p>\n Actors perform in an SFBATCO Young Actors Lab production of \u201cShe Kills Monsters\u201d at Brava Theater Center in San Francisco on April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n Estefany Gonzalez\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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