“I.D. is a standing theme, it is not just for this year,” festival director Andrew Wood told the Bay Area Reporter. “We believe that the demographic shift in the United States to being a majority of people of color has the potential to be both pivotal and transcendent. I.D. asks artists to contemplate these changing demographics and apply the ideas of social justice to reflect on the conditions of minority, migrant disenfranchised and/or displaced peoples in this and other countries and continents.
“We want to present ideas that offer a progressive statement for the identity of the future,” Wood continued. “We are looking for projects that conduct explorations at the confluence of democracy, identity, and social, economic and environmental justice.”
Global outreach
The festival came to be when, back in the late 1990s, Wood realized how little of the work presented to the world made it to the United States. And of those productions that were making it to the U.S., few appeared in San Francisco. Wood and his colleagues wanted to develop a platform where local and international artists could present their work and share a space. An emphasis was placed on artists who did not usually or had never previously presented their work in the USA.
Wood feels that it’s very important to include LGBTQ artists given the current political climate.
“The conservative backlash against any perceived rights for the LGBTQ+ community might have claimed has been building up in this country and around the world for the last few years,” he said. “Similar to the types of bullying that is being meted out to other minorities, the attacks have gone from being pernicious dog whistles to a loud and ugly drum beat that is impossible to ignore. We wanted to include a cross section of high quality international and Bay Area work by or featuring LGBTQ+ artists that speaks to how these geopolitical trends are manifest in specific parts of the world.”
Aussie eye
The B.A.R. also spoke to Ben Noble, a queer, disabled, Australian-based actor who will be performing his show “Member” as part of the arts festival. “Member,” which Noble also wrote, is inspired by the gay hate crimes which took place in Sydney from the 1970s into the 1990s. According to Noble, many of these crimes were never properly investigated or were mistakenly closed by the police.
“Gangs, driven by homophobia, targeted gay men in and around coastal areas,” Noble said. “They’d stalk, harass, and in some cases brutally assault or even push victims off cliffs. For decades, these deaths were dismissed as accidents or suicides. It’s only more recently that the truth has come to light, and the fight for justice is still ongoing. 88 deaths and 30 unsolved cases may have been caused by gay hate crimes.”
Noble shared the story of Scott Johnson, a 27-year-old American who was found dead at the base of a cliff in Manly, Sydney. Authorities quickly ruled his death a suicide, however his brother, Steve Johnson, refused to accept this conclusion.
Believing Scott to be a victim of a hate crime, Steve spent the better part of three decades funding independent investigations, lobbying for multiple inquiries, and offering significant rewards to anyone who might be able to uncover the truth. His perseverance resulted in a new inquest in 2017, which concluded that Scott Johnson had died as the result of a gay hate attack.
There was a new police investigation, and in 2020 Scott White was arrested for the murder. White pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
“The question of how the hate manifested and what was done about it is what we hope to raise in this show and is not one we can simply answer with a quick reply,” Noble said.
Noble admits that performing a one-man show can be a bit scary.
“To be the only one on stage without another actor to play with, just horrible,” he said. “But instead of running away from that fear, I wanted to rise up to the challenge as an actor. The play follows Corey’s story, a former gang member, who talks about everyone that surrounds him. It’s told from his perspective so it just felt right that the one person would provide the voice for everyone around him. However, I’m not the only person on stage. As it’s intended this is a conversation and I get to have a call and response to a musician who underscores the piece throughout the whole performance and we as a duo get to create another conversation with the audience.”
Noble hopes that the audience will talk about the show among their own social circles and in the wider community.
“Our play is for theater lovers who thrive on storytelling and new writing,” he said. “The play has about thirteen characters told by one actor. And although some of the material can be tough to hear at times, the play is actually about love to those we lost. Also, good theater stays with you. It creates a visceral experience. This piece is one where audiences will stop and talk to me about their experience and memories of it and that is something special.”
Here are all of the LGBT acts that will perform at the San Francisco International Arts Festival this year.
April 30 and May 8, 8pm, El Rio, 3158 Mission St.
The Wandering Ensemble (USA) Lost & Found (World Premiere)
An immersive performance ceremony exploring loss and emerging futures through dance, music, theater and ritual. Pay what you can, $20 suggested.
May 1, 7pm, May 3, 6:30pm, Theater of Yugen NOH Space, 2840 Mariposa St.
Wachowicz/Fret Studio (Poland) “Granica/The Border” (US premiere) Witness the raw and poignant true story of Transgender Ukrainian performance artist Antonina Romanova, drafted into the war, in this solo performance with video. Free/donation.
May 2, 7pm, Community Music Center, 544 Capp St.
Dee Spencer Trio with Michelle Jacques and Students: Women in Jazz and World Music Graduation Concert. Celebrate the culmination of SFIAF’s free vocal training course for young adults. Free/donation.
May 8 and 9, 7pm, May 10, 6:30 pm, May 11, 2:30pm. The Marsh Studio, 1062 Valencia St.
Fairly Lucid Productions (Australia) “Member” (US premiere) A gripping, award winning tale exploring Sydney’s gay hate crimes (1970s-1990s). Written and performed by Ben Noble, with cello accompaniment. $20-$28.
May 8, 8:30pm, May 10, 8pm, Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24 St.
Agathe and Adrian (Canada): N. Ormes (West Coast Premiere)
This circus duo pushes the boundaries of physicality and gender norms in a provocative and tender exploration of equity. $20-$28
May 9, 8:30pm, May 10, 4pm, Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St.
Suichu-megane (Japan): “my body, my choice” and “anchor” (US premieres)
Ayane Nakagawa’s company explores freedom through a fusion of Nihon Buyo and contemporary dance, confronting societal norms and celebrating autonomy. $20-$28.
May 10, 2:30pm, May 11, 6pm, The Marsh Studio, 1062 Valencia St.
Anneli Kanninen: “HOMEing” (Estonia/Finland) (work-in-progress) A personal exploration of building a home in a new place through contemporary dance and language. Shared bill with Algiin. $20-$28.
www.sfiaf.org
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