Dear San Francisco blends acrobatic and circus performances with a storyline that leads you through the history of SF and into our modern lives. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt, action-packed show that you’ll be talking about for weeks afterward. And due to massive demand, Dear San Francisco has now been extended until December 30, 2023 meaning we have until the end of the year to enjoy these spectacular performances, although there will be a brief hiatus in August.
The 90-minute show has no intermission and commands your attention for every second of it.
The performance is packed with hair-raising pole climbs (and descents), extraordinary trapeze acts, and various other flips, tosses, and twirls that most of us wouldn’t attempt in our wildest dreams.
“Our goal was to make a show that demystified the circus and made it a visceral, emotional, theatrical experience,” mentioned Gypsy Snider, one of the shows creators and artistic directors. “When we do the acrobatics, it feels like it’s falling off the stage the whole time. They’re literally reaching out and touching the audience.“
During the course of the show, performers regularly travel into the audience, deftly balancing, juggling, and twirling above the heads of the wide-eyed guests.
Devin Henderson, an SF native who has been with The 7 Fingers for 10+ years, enjoys the intimate setting.
“I think the size of the stage and the proximity to the audience is really important for this show in particular because I think all of us, as artists, really feed off that energy,” Henderson mused. “For them to be that close, you can tell when they’re actually engaged in what we’re doing.”
Audience members are often treated more like part of the cast than spectators. This is especially true if you snag one of the coveted on-stage seats.
“As corny as it sounds, it’s really just about making sure the audience is experiencing something that’s not just about the technique,” shared Sereno Aguilar Izzo, a juggler, and acrobat. “That they’re feeling a connection with the whole group, however they want to feel that.”
The show takes place at North Beach’s Club Fugazi – most famously known as the former home of Beach Blanket Babylon, the world’s longest-running musical revue, which closed in 2019.
Bay Area natives Gypsy Snider and Shana Carroll jumped at the chance to create something new in the space.
“Beach Blanket was a thousand percent authentic to itself. That’s why it was so good, ” Snider shared. ” I knew if there was one lesson to learn from them it was to be as authentic as possible.”
The pair have worked together since they were teenagers, performing together in The Pickle Family Circus, Cirque Du Soleil, and eventually co-founded The 7 Fingers, a contemporary circus troupe with several shows currently touring the globe.
The show follows SF history from the 1906 earthquake, to beat poetry and the ’60s psychedelic craze. There’s even a Ted Talk-style bit that speaks to daily life in SF.
Dear San Francisco also puts a spotlight on their home neighborhood of North Beach. Drinks and small bites are offered throughout the performance which includes neighborhood favorites like salami from Molinari Deli, cookies and Tiramisu from Stella Bakery, and an Italian-style pilsner from SF’s Fort Point Beer Co.
Dear San Francisco is performed at Club Fugazi, located at 678 Green Street in North Beach.
Shows start at 7:30pm Wednesday-Sunday, with additional 2pm shows available on Saturday and Sunday.