Genet’s play tells the story of a revolutionary uprising in the streets of an unnamed city. While armed rebels fight to take control of the city’s power structures, most of the action takes place in an elite brothel or “house of illusions,” where clients act out their fantasies of institutional power: they play judges, bishops, and generals as their counterparts in the “real” world struggle to maintain their authority. The Balcony is a landmark in modern theatre: the eminent American critic Edmund White noted that, with The Balcony’s foregrounding of the role of illusion and meta-theatricality in creating contemporary power and desire, Genet invented modern theatre.
The dynamic interaction between Genet’s play and The Old Mint is powerful. Percolating cultural conflicts in San Francisco over who has access to the city and who gets to make its legacy remind us of the survival of The Old Mint through San Francisco’s turbulent history, both literally and figuratively. Currently, resurging actions on local, national, and global scales introduce the reality of high-stakes social protest to new generations, and activate memories of the Bay Area’s own important history in cultural and political upheaval. The Balcony speaks directly to these contemporary and historical energies.
Madame Irma: Val Sinckler
Police Chief: Scott Baker
Carmen: Ryan Tacata
General: Jack Halton
Judge: Lauren Dunagan
Bishop: Jeff Schwartz
Beggar/Envoy: Florentina Mocanu-Schendel
Arthur: Valerie Fachman
Elyane: Audrey Dundee Hannah
Roger: Kellen Hoxworth
Beggar’s Girl/Chantal/Slave: Nathalie Brilliant
Thief/Georgette: Amy Munz
Margot: Tonyanna Borkovi
Rosine/Armand/Blood: Todd Pivetti
Luke/Sperm: M.G. Renu Cappelli
Louis/Tears: Will Trichon
Co- Directosr/Producers: Jamie Lyons & Michael Hunter
Visual Art & Costumes: Latifa Medjdoub
Lead Designer: Angrette McCloskey
Music Director/Composer: Nathaniel Berman
Sound Artist: Derek Philips
Production Manager: Jamie Freebury
Producer/Community Outreach: Elizabeth Nordt
Props: Megan Hillard
Art Director: Niki Ulehla
Set & Construction: Ariane Fehrenkamp
Special Thanks: Tim Yarish, Rebecca Lee, Jason Araujo, Derek Remski, Jason Macario, Jon Lau, Brant Downes, Barry Kendall, Matthew Daube, Jeanette Hunter, John Hadden, Lauren Dietrich Chavez and We Players, Ann Hatch, Braden Weeks Earp, Kristie Wu.
