All stories by Lily Janiak on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

COVID protocols, problems take center stage as Bay Area theaters resume productions by Lily Janiak

Community theaters are a vital part of the art form. But they may not be equipped to deal with a crisis as complex and ever-evolving as the COVID pandemic.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 03:00PM
Sunday, August 8, 2021

Review: ‘Circe: Twilight of a Goddess’ is fun maritime adventure but terrible theater by Lily Janiak

The long journey to your seat is the highlight of the production, in which a floating structure serves as stage and set.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 02:22PM
Tuesday, August 3, 2021

COVID-19 theater audience survey: A parody by Lily Janiak

Would you help us return to in-person indoor performances in two to 36 months by telling us how you feel right now?

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Sunday, August 1, 2021

Review: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass make too nice in ‘The Agitators’ by Lily Janiak

We've been pitting the struggles of Black men against the struggles of white women for a long, long time, according to "The Agitators."

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 02:58PM
Thursday, July 29, 2021

Review: San Francisco Playhouse’s ‘The Song of Summer’ is artistry that makes a dent by Lily Janiak

After more than a year without indoor, in-person theater, actors performing right in front of you packs a surprise wallop.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 01:09PM
Friday, July 23, 2021

I thought a fellow theater critic was white. When I learned I was wrong, I had much to reassess by Lily Janiak

John Wilkins and his reviews remain the same; it's my understanding that changed.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM

‘Dream Life of Malcolm X’ heightens the debate about who has the right to tell which story by Lily Janiak and Morayo Ogunbayo

Though playwright John Wilkins identifies as African American, he is light-skinned enough not to get followed at the grocery store.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Thursday, July 22, 2021

Review: It’s time for the S.F. Mime Troupe to work harder to earn its audience by Lily Janiak

For too long now, the 62-year-old company has been coasting on nostalgia.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM

California’s increased funding for the arts called ‘historic,’ ‘bold’ and ‘unprecedented’ by Lily Janiak

The $616 million allocation could herald a new era in how the state supports the arts.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Monday, July 12, 2021

Review: 600 Highwaymen’s ‘A Thousand Ways’ teaches us a new way to interact by Lily Janiak

First strangers met by phone. This time, audiences meet in person, separated by a pane of glass.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 02:28PM

San Francisco Playhouse’s next season to be in-person only by Lily Janiak

The company's in-person season starts in October. There are no plans to offer an online option.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 12:00PM
Sunday, July 11, 2021

Review: ‘When Your Skin Calls You Home’ makes feminist call to arms of Celtic myth by Lily Janiak

Melusina Gomez, who both writes and directs, invites audience participation, but only of the gentlest sort.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 12:24PM
Tuesday, July 6, 2021

‘I don’t own that job’: Rethinking the theater scene’s long tenures and limited opportunities by Lily Janiak

What's best for the industry and the art form and what's best for individual careers and pocketbooks aren't always the same.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Friday, July 2, 2021

As economy reopens, Bay Area venues ‘left behind’ by bungled federal program by Lily Janiak

Applicants for grants administered by the Small Business Administration express frustration over delays and bureaucracy.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Tuesday, June 29, 2021

San Francisco’s Club Fugazi unveils name of city’s newest circus by Lily Janiak

Performances for 'Dear San Francisco,' which succeeds Beach Blanket Babylon, begin Sept. 22, new producer Club Fugazi Experiences announced Tuesday, June 29.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 02:19PM
Monday, June 28, 2021

Shortened, one-part ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ to return to S.F. in January by Lily Janiak

The new version allows audiences to take in the entire "Cursed Child" story in one sitting.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 04:42PM
Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Remote Theater was born of the pandemic, a liver disease and an epiphany by Lily Janiak

In spring of last year, he got the idea to produce Naomi Wallace's "One Flea Spare" — and a new company, Remote Theater was born.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Artistic directors on their craft: ‘You need at least a little bit of peace to create’ by Lily Janiak

How does a theater leader know when her work is complete? Lily Janiak asked outgoing Golden Threads head Torange Yeghiazarian and her successor, Sahar Assaf.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Monday, June 21, 2021

Brad Erickson to depart Theatre Bay Area after 18 years as theater industry’s de facto spokesman by Lily Janiak

Theatre Bay Area plans to select Erickson's successor by early 2022.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 10:00PM
Thursday, June 17, 2021

In person? At home? Bay Area summer theater has a show for you by Lily Janiak

Even in-person shows on actual stages are making sure not to leave out their loyal patrons who are staying home.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Thursday, June 10, 2021

Artists at small theaters on what they learned from ‘In the Heights’ before the movie came out by Lily Janiak

Here are a few insights into the show as told by four Bay Area theater workers who've worked on "In the Heights" productions over the years.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Lin-Manuel Miranda happy to pass lead role in ‘In the Heights,’ Usnavi, along to Anthony Ramos by Lily Janiak

Miranda says when he saw Ramos as Usnavi for the first time, "it was sort of like watching your kid try on your childhood clothes, and it fits him better."

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Saturday, June 5, 2021

Director, actor see ‘Hold These Truths’ as tool to help Asians counter fear and hate by Lily Janiak

The story of Gordon Hirabayashi, who fought his World War II internment all the way to the Supreme Court, is no mere artifact.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Thursday, June 3, 2021

Review: ACT’s ‘Communion’ is theater tailor made for the isolation and invasiveness of Zoom by Lily Janiak

"Communion" celebrates that we can still believe and commune against the odds, even when we're told not to.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 01:08PM
Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Guaranteed income programs aren’t just funded by governments. Now a theater is in on the game by Lily Janiak

California Shakespeare Theater's program, which sent its first checks to artists in January, is among the first of its kind.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Tuesday, June 1, 2021

‘Hamilton’ to return to S.F. with ‘100% capacity’ audiences by Lily Janiak

"We’re excited that 'Hamilton' is coming back to the Orpheum Theatre," said S.F. Mayor London N. Breed.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 04:25PM
Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Review: ‘Brilliant Mind’ is digital theater that actually uses technology in a new way by Lily Janiak

The production utilizes digital gadgetry that enhances storytelling in inventive ways, including a texting component that engages audiences.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 09:21PM
Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Signs you might be secretly trapped inside a Great American Play™ by Lily Janiak

If you discover a proscenium arch, try to break the fourth wall, but other warning signs might be more subtle.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 07:00AM
Wednesday, May 19, 2021

New circus show to take the stage in Club Fugazi, former venue of ‘Beach Blanket Babylon’ by Lily Janiak

Club Fugazi Experiences plans to make the by 7 Fingers show a love letter to San Francisco for both tourists and locals.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 10:00AM
Monday, May 17, 2021

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’ join BroadwaySF’s new season lineup by Lily Janiak

The Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical is going to be BroadwaySF's first production in the fall.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 04:01PM

Review: We Players’ ‘Psychopomp’ in McLaren Park is a wondrous gateway back to in-person theater by Lily Janiak

If you're comfortable going on a fully masked walk in a park, you'll likely feel safe at "Psychopomp."

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle at 01:34PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic