© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Hindsight is 2020: Reimagining Women’s History – Pocket Opera’s 2020 Season

Mario Parnell
Back row L-R: Pamela Hollings, Susan Jackson, Sierra Marie Gonzalez, AJ Baker; Front row L-R: Elizabeth Flanagan, Leyla Eraslan, Cat Brooks

This week on Open Air, KALW’s radio magazine for the Bay Area performing arts in times of Coronavirus, host David Latulippe talks with AJ Baker, founder and executive artistic director of 3Girls Theatre Company, about their 8th New Works Festival, titled Hindsight is 2020: Reimagining Women’s History The festival runs from runs from March 20-29 at Z Below (470 Florida St.) in San Francisco. 

AJ Baker recently brought her 3-decade long private law practice to a close in order to dedicate her time and energy to the company exclusively. “My specialty as a lawyer has been employment law… I’ve seen firsthand how unless you take action to stop it, history has a way of repeating itself.”

The Company is committed to contributing to the Bay Area's artistic economy, with the unique twist that while all are welcome, the playwrights are exclusively women. “3GT's mission” says Baker, “is to support the development of our women playwrights, who range in age from pre-teen to 80+. 

Festival highlights include two performances of We Player's Mother Lear, and an evening dedicated to “flipping the script” of history that features seven short plays; a program of LezWritesBTQ performances curated by Tina D’Elia; as well an afternoon of Salon Series Finalist staged readings vying for the 2020 Festival Prize. 

Plus, we talk with general manager Chung-Wai Soong, and newly appointed artistic director Nicolas Garcia of Pocket Opera, the Bay Area’s premiere chamber opera company. 

Pocket Opera’s 2020 season just opened with Mozart’s Don Giovanni (running through March 15) and continues on March 29 and April 5 with a double bill: Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, coupled with The Cat Became a Woman by Jacques Offenbach. 

The rest of the season brings Wagner’s early work, No Love Allowed (Das Liebesverbot), conducted by Jonathan Khuner; followed by Bizet’s Carmen; and Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola).

As always, Pocket Opera’s lively productions are fully staged, performed completely in English, and accompanied by the 5-10 player strong Pocket Philharmonic. The company has offered English language versions of both well-loved classic operas, as well as lesser-known gems of operatic literature, since 1978.

Open Air with host David Latulippe; broadcast live on Thursday March 12, 1-2pm. Thereafter archived and available for listening, right here…