• Art Street Theatre was founded in San Francisco in 1995. The company’s first production was Artistic Director Mark Jackson’s one-act play, Little Extremes, produced under the umbrella of the San Francisco Fringe Festival. Subsequent productions included Oscar Wilde’s Salome; a splintered and hallucinatory rendition of Shakespeare’s famous love story, R&J, which we produced twice; and the world premieres of several original plays by Jackson, including Brave, BANG, Messenger #1, Io Princess of Argos (with music and lyrics by Marci Karr), and I Am Hamlet.

In addition to productions, Art Street produced several public and private workshops in order to further develop the physical techniques used in rehearsal and performance. These techniques included Viewpoints, Buto, the Suzuki method of actor training, and Meyerhold’s Biomechanics.

In 1999, Art Street was among the recipients of the inaugural round of the Theatre Bay Area CA$H Grant Program. Art Street was commissioned by EXIT Theater to create The Lost Plays of Jacques du Bon Temps, an original absurdist piece, in 2000. The company received the San Francisco Bay Guardian’s annual Goldie Award in 2001. In 2002, Encore Theater Company revived Art Street’s 2001 production of Io Princess of Argos. Over the years, Art Street and its artists received numerous awards of recognition from the local press, including the San Francisco Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, San Francisco Magazine, the Bay Area Theater Critics Circle, and the Bay Area’s favorite critic and theater lover, Dean Goodman.

With each endeavor, be it a workshop or production, Art Street’s aim was to provide an opportunity for people to gather in the same space at the same time for an experience that was simultaneously funny, moving, thought provoking, and only possible in a live theater.

In 2004, after producing the revival of company member Beth Wilmurt’s theatrical cabaret act, Cabaret Rebel, Art Street put its producing activities on hiatus. Founding members Mark Jackson and Beth Wilmurt relocated temporarily to Berlin, Germany, for the 04/05 season, and now continue to pursue freelance work in the San Francisco Bay Area – as do fellow company members Kevin Clarke and Jake Rodriguez. The plan for Art Street’s eventual rebirth is a grand one. We won’t disclose the details here, but we will say that the incubation process will be long and careful. As with each of our productions and workshops between 1995 and 2004, we want to do this gig right. You can be sure that as things develop we will keep you posted here on this website.
Little Extremes
 
Salome
 
 
 
R&J
 
 
 
Brave
 
 
 
BANG!
 
 
 
Messenger #1
 
 
 
The Lost Plays of
Jacques du Bon Temps
 
 
 
Io Princess of Argos
 
 
 
I Am Hamlet
 
 
 
Cabaret Rebel
 
 
 
Yes, Yes to Moscow
Yes, Yes to Moscow
 
 
 
Art Street Theatre’s project history from 1995 to 2004

• Little Extremes (1995) Co-produced by the San Francisco Fringe Festival. Written and directed by Mark Jackson. Performed by Gillian Brecker, Caroline Ford, Jake Rodriguez, and Frank Torrano. Stage Managed by Lisa Maher.

• Salome (1996) Written by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Mark Jackson. Performed by Noel Benoza, Deborah Ben-Eliezer, Caroline Ford, Jordon Flato, Lisa Maher, Bricine Mitchell, Jake Rodriguez, and Frank Torrano. Scenery, lighting, and sound Mark Jackson. Costumes Tammy Bates. Stage Managed by Ryan Hodgkin.

• Workshop Project #1 (1996) Four-week private workshop for company members and guests exploring Viewpoints, Buto, and the Suzuki method of actor training.

• R&J (1996) Co-produced by the San Francisco Fringe Festival. Adapted from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and directed by Mark Jackson. Performed by Gillian Brecker, Mark Jackson, Bricine Mitchell, Jake Rodriguez, and Beth Wilmurt. Costumes Tammy Bates. Sound Mark Jackson. Stage Managed by Ryan Hodgkin.

• Workshop Project #2 (1996) Three-week public workshop exploring Buto and Viewpoints.

• R&J (1997) Revival of the 1996 production.

• Workshop Project #3 (1997) One-weekend public workshop exploring Buto and Viewpoints.

• Brave (1998) Conceived by Jordon Flato and Mark Jackson. Written, directed, scenery, and lights by Mark Jackson. Performed by Jordon Flato, Mark Jackson, Lisa Maher, Bricine Mitchell, Jake Rodriguez, and Beth Wilmurt. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Kathryn Clark.

• Workshop Project #4 (1998) Four-month private workshop for company members and guests exploring Viewpoints, Suzuki, Biomechanics, and sound improvisation.

• BANG! (1999) Written and directed by Mark Jackson. Performed by Kathryn Clark, Caroline Ford, Karen Hallock, Chris Kuckenbaker, Eric Miller, and Beth Wilmurt. Costumes Lori Oldham. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Kathryn Clark.

• THEATREWORK (2000) Art Street publishes Mark Jackson’s book detailing the company’s first five years of work.

• Messenger #1 (2000) Written, directed, and set design by Mark Jackson. Performed by David Babich, Gillian Chadsey, Kevin Clarke, Karl Ramsey, Michelle Talgarow, and Beth Wilmurt. Costumes Elizabeth Spreen. Lights Jason Ries. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Kathryn Clark.

• The Lost Plays of Jacques du Bon Temps (2000) An original commission produced by EXIT Theater. Directed by Mark Jackson. Created and performed by Rob Bean, Gillian Brecker, Gillian Chadsey, Kevin Clarke, Mark Jackson, Chris Kuckenbaker, and Beth Wilmurt. Lights Jason Ries. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Kathryn Clark.

• Io Princess of Argos (2001) Book, lyrics, scenery, costumes, and directed by Mark Jackson. Music and lyrics by Marci Karr. Performed by Kevin Clarke, Loren Nordlund, Janet Roitz, and Beth Wilmurt. Musical Direction David Babich. Lights Jason Ries. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Kathryn Clark.

• A Sixth of Streetcar (2001) Ten-minute adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire commissioned by EXIT Theater. Created and performed by Mark Jackson and Beth Wilmurt. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Lights Jason Ries.

• I Am Hamlet (2002) Written by Mark Jackson. Directed by Kevin Clarke. Performed by Temple Crocker and Mark Jackson. Costumes and props Temple Crocker. Lights Jason Ries. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Loraine Olsen.

• Io Princess of Argos (2002) Revival produced by Encore Theater Company. Book, lyrics, scenery, costumes, and directed by Mark Jackson. Music and lyrics by Marci Karr. Performed by Kevin Clarke, Craig Jessup, Janet Roitz, and Beth Wilmurt. Musical Direction David Babich. Lights Jason Ries. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Kathryn Clark.

• Don Juan Workshop (2003) Eight-week workshop of the Don Juan legend, using both the Moliere and Pushkin texts. Co-produced by EXIT Theatre. Adaptation and directed by Mark Jackson, in collaboration with Andrew Alabran, Kevin Clarke, Temple Crocker, Jason Ries, Jake Rodriguez, and Beth Wilmurt.

• Cabaret Rebel (2004) Revival of the 2003 EXIT Theater Diva Fest production. Conceived and performed by Beth Wilmurt. Directed by Mark Jackson. Musicians David Babich, Natalie Grant-Villegas, and Dave Malloy. Lights Jason Ries. Sound Jake Rodriguez. Stage Managed by Jay Martin.


• Yes, Yes to Moscow (2008) Presentation with the San Francisco International Arts Festival of the 2007 production at Deutsches Theater Berlin, Germany. Directed by Mark Jackson and Sommer Ulrickson. Created and performed by Mark Jackson, Tilla Kratockwil, Sommer Ulrickson and Beth Wilmurt. Design Suna Elbasi and Alexander Polzin. Costumes Ute Grenz.


   
THEATREWORK, the Art Street book!
In 2000, Art Street published Mark Jackson’s book, THEATREWORK, a chronicle of the company’s first five years of work.

THEATREWORK examines five theatrical productions, as well as the ongoing Acting Workshop Projects, produced in San Francisco by Art Street Theatre between 1995 and 2000. By examining in detail the process and content of each project, THEATREWORK provides a living, working example of America's fringe theater movement, where much of the innovation in American theater is generated despite thread-bare resources – or, perhaps, precisely because of them.

THEATREWORK addresses the practical, personal, and artistic concerns faced by those on the Fringe. Professional theatre practitioners, teachers, and students interested in methods that make stage performance unique from that of film will find the book useful for its discussions of contemporary physical theatre techniques – including Viewpoints and Japanese buto dance. Fans of Oscar Wilde and William Shakespeare will find the chapters devoted to Salome and Romeo and Juliet of particular interest. These chapters analyze the texts, virtually line by line, as they were rendered onstage by Art Street Theatre, guiding the reader through the entire process from rehearsal to performance. The complete texts of the plays Little Extremes, R&J, and BANG! are also included.

THEATREWORK is currently available exclusively through this website. But there aren’t many copies left! To order a copy, email your request to Artstmail@aol.com. After we reply to verify availability, snail-mail a check for $20, made payable to “Mark Jackson,” to: THEATREWORK order, c/o Mark Jackson, 1978A Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA. 94117. Be sure to include the address to which you would like the book sent. For international orders, please email your request and we will follow up with specific details.