KQED: My first offhand memory of EXIT Theatre doesn’t even take place there. It was at the Potrero Stage in 2018, when I was there to review a show, and I was approached by EXIT Theatre's publicist. She’d read my reviews—something that always surprises me—and wanted to add me to EXIT's press list. Having spent the last eight years frequenting the Tenderloin venue, I wasn’t about to refuse. To say the least, I was happy.
2 comments:
Going to San Francisco to see shows growing up caught my attention with this article. It is always sad to see indie venues shutdown and EXIT from the article’s description sounded very eclectic and fun. I like how the article mentioned that venues like EXIT enable people who may never end up on the bigger stages to perform and express themselves to an audience truly invested in performance. Tourist theatre can be undoubtedly fun and I think a lot of dreams of people at this school is to make it to the big name shows and projects–but I think we also lose sight in that dream of the foundation of which made this writer sad EXIT was closing which is the environment of which you produce work. EXIT wasn’t for everyone to see, it was for the people who wanted to see it.
It’s so sad to read about theatres that don’t make it. I haven’t heard about EXIT Theatre (note the lack of “the”, the article enforces its importance), but it sounds like a pretty extensive space despite being a more experimental company. I love that they were such an important part of the Bay Area community, offering affordably priced space rentals for such an expensive city. Even though the company claims towards the end that they will live on as a nomadic company, it seems like it might just fizzle out, unfortunately (as many companies had to do during COVID). My dad always used to say this quote when he was working with a local rabbi on building a new congregation, “If you build it, they will come.” I don’t think this always has to be the case, but it seems like a tricky transition when you are used to four performance venues.
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