San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater has unveiled its 2024-2025 season, which will include the world premiere of a new hip-hop musical titled Co-Founders.
Inspired by Silicon Valley, the work follows a young coder chasing her dreams even as the influx of wealth is pushing her community out of her Oakland home. The musical has been written by Ryan Nicole Austin, Beau Lewis, and Adesha Adefala, with press notes sharing the score will incorporate notes of hip-hop, soul, gospel, funk, jazz, R&B, and more. Performances will run May 29–July 6, 2025, at the company's Strand Theater, with opening night set for June 11.
The season will kick off with a new revival of Noël Coward's Private Lives, reimagined and directed by KJ Sanchez. Running September 12-October 6, the production will move the comedy's action to 1930s Argentina, adding sensual tango dancing to Coward's wry comedy. Opening night will be September 18, with the production performing in the Toni Rembe Theater.
Another world premiere is planned for the holiday season, with A Whynot Christmas Carol set to run November 26-December 24 in the Toni Rembe Theater. The new take on the Charles Dickens classic tale comes via playwright Craig Lucas and ACT Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon, following a small-town theatre troupe as they try to mount a production of the Christmas favorite. The production will feature scenic and costume design by David Zinn and choreography by Erika Chong Shuch. Opening night will be December 8.
Moving into 2025, the company will present the Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter musical Nobody Loves You, centering on a philosophy grad student who is cast on a reality dating show and finds himself head over heels for the show's producer. Performances will run February 28-March 30, 2025, in the Toni Rembe Theater, with opening night March 12.
Next up will be August Wilson's Two Trains Running, the seventh in the late playwright's Century Cycle of plays chronicling the African American experience throughout the 20th century. Lili-Anne Brown will direct. The work will be presented in repertory with Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors in a new modern verse translation developed by Play On Shakespeare. The latter is being presented by The Acting Company, with Devin Brain directing. The repertory presentation will run April 15-May 4 with opening night set for April 16.
Following Co-Founders, the company will close the season with Ins Choi's Kim's Convenience. Centering on a Korean family-run corner store, the work was adapted into a streaming series by Netflix. ACT's production is being produced in partnership with Adam Blanshay Productions, with performances running September 18-October 19. Opening night will be September 24.
Season subscription renewals are currently on sale, with new subscriptions accepted from April 1. Single ticket sales will follow at a future date to be announced. Further details are available at ACT-SF.org.
