SAN FRANCISCO (October 2020) — San Francisco Playhouse (Artistic Director Bill English; Producing Director Susi Damilano) were given the green light to film their production of Art by Yasmina Reza on stage at San Francisco Playhouse. The announcement makes San Francisco Playhouse one of the first theatres in the United States to get approval for on-stage filming.
“We could not be happier to have passed all Actors Equity Association safety requirements and have permission to film live, in-person next week,” said director Bill English “After weeks of rehearsing over video chat, it is a thrill to be returning to our stage to bring this next phase of live theatre to our patrons.”
The in-person filming will be done next week on stage at the Playhouse following a deep clean, installation of PPE stations, and other safety regulations that include having all personnel tested for COVID-19 and isolating until in-person work is complete.
Art will be staged as a full-fledged production with professional costumes, set, lighting, sound, and properties design. The performance will be filmed straight through with three cameras and a switching system to capture the live performance. Filming is planned for three days, after which the video will be edited and provided to subscribers and single ticket buyers as an on-demand video stream from October 24th through November 7th, 2020. Tickets ($15 – $100) and subscriptions ($200 – $300) are now available.
The cast features Bobak Cyrus Bakhtiari, Johnny Moreno, and Jomar Tagatac. All actors appear courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.
The company hopes that as COVID rates continue to decrease in San Francisco, more in-person theatrical work can be performed, eventually leading to partial live audiences when safety permits.