In the 1920s, Shanghai was simultaneously the birthplace of a new and idealistic Communist party, an incubator of American jazz, and a city with one of the largest wealth gaps in history. Shidaiqu: A Partly-Historical Musical is the fictional story of a peasant from the countryside who travels to the big city to play jazz with the greats, and ends up falling in with a group of musicians and activists who introduce him to the communalism inherent in the creation of art. The musical takes place in a fictionalized world that blends elements of historical Shanghai with modern-day San Francisco, a city with a parallel arc in its art, activism, and socioeconomic scene.

Jord Liu / Playwright
Ely Sonny Orquiza / Director
Diana Lee / Music Director

Fri 11/10: 5:30 PM
Sat 11/11: 5:00 PM
↑ In-person or live stream
Sun 11/12: 1:00 PM*
*These shows include a talkback with the creative team

Commissioned by the Equal Justice Society, the work is a choreographed dance theater piece expressing both the struggle and the will to survive in an inherently dehumanizing system. The four male dancers performing in Dying While Black and Brown symbolically depict the extreme overrepresentation of black and brown men in the prison system and on Death Row, and how their voices are deliberately extinguished. The virtuosic movement style is highly physical and theatricalized as the men act out various scenarios that occur behind bars. But even in the most oppressive circumstances, there is always hope that transformation is at hand. Dying While Black and Brown manages to convey a hopeful message in the midst of seemingly overwhelming realities.

Dying While Black and Brown was created by choreographer Joanna Haigood in collaboration with composer Marcus Shelby, whose radiating jazz score energetically infuses the work. The piece runs about 30 minutes in length and is always immediately followed by a panel of experts and activists who further enhance the audience’s experience with the most up to date information from the front lines of the struggle.

Joanna Haigood / Choreographer
Marcus Shelby / Composer

Sat 11/11: 8:00 PM*
*These shows include a talkback with the creative team

DIRTY WHITE TESLAS MAKE ME SAD is a new performance work written by A.M. (Ashley) Smiley about the regentrification of San Francisco and the displacement of Black folks from their neighborhoods. DWTMMS is a testimonial about people and their struggles with hope. The story unfolds over a few days in the life of Sloosh, our protagonist. We follow Sloosh - a young Queer AfroLatina from Bayview Hunters Point caught up in a transcendental rut. This project is one of the recipients of the Gerbode Foundation Theatre Commission Award and will premiere at the Magic Theatre to start the 2024 Programming Year.

This offering will share some of the project's approach to storytelling through theatre and video simultaneously. The event will feature performance, readings, and video from the project, and an open discussion with folx engaging in stories, memories, rants, and reflections of Black San Francisco. This performance set up continues Campo Santo's "Open Process" model for developing new performance works since 1996.

Ashley Smiley / Playwright
Sean San Jose / Campo Santo Artistic Director
Tanika Baptiste / Performer
Anna Marie Sharpe / Performer
Ahmad Walker / Visual Artist
Nina Fabunmi / Visual Artist
Rhonel Roberts / Visual Artist

Fri 11/10: 7:00 PM
Sat 11/11: 4:30 PM*
Sun 11/12: 1:30 PM*
*These shows include a talkback with the creative team

There Is No Hatred Here, a one man show, is the story of a young man’s growth into Black militancy, his turbulent relationship with his pacifist father, a prominent minister, and the resolution of their relationship during the Civil Rights era. Written by Thomas Robert Simpson.

Thomas Robert Simpson / Director

Sat 11/11: 1:30 PM*
Sat 11/11: 7:00 PM*
Sun 11/12: 4:30 PM*
*These shows include a talkback with the creative team