Trending...
- J French's #1 Album "I Don't Believe in Bad Days" Enters the Grammy Conversation - 104
- Bitcoin at $115K: AZETHIO Launches Exchange Targeting Institutional Compliance Requirements
- Hiller's 2025 Flight Simulator Rally Inspires Golf Sim Revolution in Access and Training
San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO) pays tribute to Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest U.S. National Park Service Ranger. Betty Reid Soskin will be 100 years old on Wednesday, September 22nd.
She will be lauded with an original play including Reid Soskin's unpublished musical compositions at the inaugural SFBATCO two-day "NEW ROOTS THEATRE FESTIVAL" at the Brava Theater in the historic San Francisco Mission District, October 16 & 17, giving voice to legacy & emerging BIPOC art.
She will be lauded with an original play including Reid Soskin's unpublished musical compositions at the inaugural SFBATCO two-day "NEW ROOTS THEATRE FESTIVAL" at the Brava Theater in the historic San Francisco Mission District, October 16 & 17, giving voice to legacy & emerging BIPOC art.
SAN FRANCISCO - Californer -- POSTED COURTESY OF WRIGHT ENTERPRISES SAN FRANCISCO~DALLAS COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT~~~
Ninety-nine and counting until Wednesday, September 22nd when The U.S. National Park Services' oldest Park Ranger, Betty Reid Soskin (Rosie Riveter World War II Home Front Historical Park) turns 100 years old and the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO) continues to pay tribute with rehearsals for "Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin." The performance is one of eight projects of the inaugural two-day "New Roots Theatre Festival," October 16th and 17th at the historic Brava Theater Center in the historic Mission District of San Francisco.
Ms Soskin has among her many accolades and awards, the Bay Area famed "Golden Girl Award" of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. San Francisco Chapter; the West Contra Costa County School District renaming of a middle school in her honor on her birth date, September 22nd and Sunday, September 26th the Rosie Riveter Trust honors Ms. Soskin at their sold out in-person gala.
SFBATCO is honored to be the first theatrical company to tell the Reid Soskin story in support of lead artist Jamie Zimmer, who has created a musical based on Reid Soskin's book, "Sign My Name to Freedom: A Memoir of a Pioneering Life" with original music by Ms. Reid Soskin. "The planning of the 'New Roots Theatre Festival' has been underway for months and we are pleased to have the distinct honor of telling Ms. Soskin's advocacy and lifelong community service," said Mecca Billings, President of the Board of Directors of SFBATCO. "We are doubly honored that her daughter, Di'ara Reid will be at the debut performance of 'Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin.'"
More on The Californer
Accolades for Ms. Reid Soskin's accomplishments and the SFBATCO production "Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin" are being expressed. "As a board member for Rosie the Riveter Trust, I'm delighted to see SFBATCO celebrating Betty Reid Soskin on the occasion of her 100th birthday. As the oldest active park ranger, she is dedicated to sharing her experience as a file clerk during WWII, and she has given a much-needed voice to the experience of Blacks and other minorities during World War II. She is a treasure to the National Park Service and also to Rosie's, women in the workforce, and people of color all across the country," said Michelle Fadelli, Secretary of the Rosie Riveter Trust Board of Directors.
"As Jamie Zimmer, an LBGTQ Chinese-American artist along with Joanna Haigood, Laura Elaine Ellis and Dr. John Calloway pay tribute to Ms. Soskin, an African American Woman, 'Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin' is a manifestation of the SFBATCO mission to produce compelling theater that builds community, fosters cross-cultural dialogue and promotes social justice," said Rodney Earl Jackson Jr., Co-founder of SFBATCO.
"Adding to the synergy with Ms. Soskin's life, we both have September beginnings," said Marcelo Javier, Co-founder of SFBATCO. "We are celebrating our seventh anniversary this month and Ms. Soskin is celebrating her centennial birthday, in a sense signifying in another way, the 'new' and the 'root' in the "New Roots Theatre Festival."
An original SFBATCO Project, "Sign My Name To Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid-Soskin" explores the original music and metamorphic life of Bay Area legend Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest living park ranger in the United States of America, lead artist Jamie Zimmer (2020 California Jazz Conservatory graduate) has culled unreleased musical recordings from over fifty-years ago, interviews, and articles to create the first presentation of this musical. Laura Elaine Ellis will be joining as directing choreographer, Joanna Haigood as associate choreographer and Dr. John Calloway as associate musical arranger.
More on The Californer
Over the two-day festival, theater goers can create their own theatrical experience by mixing and matching the "Performance Blocks." In addition to "Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin, other plays emanating from SFBATCO are in house playwright Aidaa Peerzada's "Shining," a reimagined Afro-futurist take on the Greek myth of Phaeton, and SFBATCO's own Othello Jefferson, Jamie Yuen-Shore, and Christine Chung and the revival of "I, Too, Sing America."
Performances from legacy partners are: The African-American Shakespeare Company (The Complete Works of William Shakespeare {Abridged}[Revised];" The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (LHT Artistic Director, Margo Hall and Traci Tolmaire's "In the Evening by the Moonlight" about friends: Lorraine Hansberry, Nina Simone and James Baldwin); AfroSolo (Founder, Thomas Simpson's San Francisco: Variation of Black Joy, White Supremacy and Hope!);" Cuicacalli Ballet Folklórico ("México Lindo y Querido"); and PUSH Dance.
Two days of thought-provoking performances are available for the price of $30 for a "Two-Block Package" (4 projects) or $50 for the entire festival "Four-Block Package" (8 projects). For specific ticket information click this link: https://www.sfbatco.org/schedule.
For more information about the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company visit: www.sfbatco.org.
New Roots Theatre Festival Announcement:
https://youtu.be/tAnXEv-9_cg
-30-
ABOUT SFBATCO
SFBATCO, a Black, Latine, & Asian led non-profit organization, produces compelling theater that builds community, fosters cross-cultural dialogue, promotes social justice and authentically reflects the experiences of communities of color and LGBTQ people. Our theatrical productions address social justice issues from an intersectional perspective and present affirmative non-stereotypical representations of individuals and communities who are feared or ostracized for their gender, race, religion, sexual preference, socio-economic or immigration status.
Ninety-nine and counting until Wednesday, September 22nd when The U.S. National Park Services' oldest Park Ranger, Betty Reid Soskin (Rosie Riveter World War II Home Front Historical Park) turns 100 years old and the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO) continues to pay tribute with rehearsals for "Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin." The performance is one of eight projects of the inaugural two-day "New Roots Theatre Festival," October 16th and 17th at the historic Brava Theater Center in the historic Mission District of San Francisco.
Ms Soskin has among her many accolades and awards, the Bay Area famed "Golden Girl Award" of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. San Francisco Chapter; the West Contra Costa County School District renaming of a middle school in her honor on her birth date, September 22nd and Sunday, September 26th the Rosie Riveter Trust honors Ms. Soskin at their sold out in-person gala.
SFBATCO is honored to be the first theatrical company to tell the Reid Soskin story in support of lead artist Jamie Zimmer, who has created a musical based on Reid Soskin's book, "Sign My Name to Freedom: A Memoir of a Pioneering Life" with original music by Ms. Reid Soskin. "The planning of the 'New Roots Theatre Festival' has been underway for months and we are pleased to have the distinct honor of telling Ms. Soskin's advocacy and lifelong community service," said Mecca Billings, President of the Board of Directors of SFBATCO. "We are doubly honored that her daughter, Di'ara Reid will be at the debut performance of 'Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin.'"
More on The Californer
- DeployHub Joins Catalyst Campus SDA TAP Lab
- Veterans Day 2025: Virginia Veterans Can Claim Free Words of Veterans Book Vouchers
- Faces of Rap Mothers Clarifies Leadership Structure, Honorarium Designations, and Proprietary Comms
- FashionSonder Jewellery to Launch "X-Ray Luminescence" Affordable Jewellery Collection
- Ktrowe Digital Asset Center Enhances Risk Management and System Transparency
Accolades for Ms. Reid Soskin's accomplishments and the SFBATCO production "Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin" are being expressed. "As a board member for Rosie the Riveter Trust, I'm delighted to see SFBATCO celebrating Betty Reid Soskin on the occasion of her 100th birthday. As the oldest active park ranger, she is dedicated to sharing her experience as a file clerk during WWII, and she has given a much-needed voice to the experience of Blacks and other minorities during World War II. She is a treasure to the National Park Service and also to Rosie's, women in the workforce, and people of color all across the country," said Michelle Fadelli, Secretary of the Rosie Riveter Trust Board of Directors.
"As Jamie Zimmer, an LBGTQ Chinese-American artist along with Joanna Haigood, Laura Elaine Ellis and Dr. John Calloway pay tribute to Ms. Soskin, an African American Woman, 'Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin' is a manifestation of the SFBATCO mission to produce compelling theater that builds community, fosters cross-cultural dialogue and promotes social justice," said Rodney Earl Jackson Jr., Co-founder of SFBATCO.
"Adding to the synergy with Ms. Soskin's life, we both have September beginnings," said Marcelo Javier, Co-founder of SFBATCO. "We are celebrating our seventh anniversary this month and Ms. Soskin is celebrating her centennial birthday, in a sense signifying in another way, the 'new' and the 'root' in the "New Roots Theatre Festival."
An original SFBATCO Project, "Sign My Name To Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid-Soskin" explores the original music and metamorphic life of Bay Area legend Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest living park ranger in the United States of America, lead artist Jamie Zimmer (2020 California Jazz Conservatory graduate) has culled unreleased musical recordings from over fifty-years ago, interviews, and articles to create the first presentation of this musical. Laura Elaine Ellis will be joining as directing choreographer, Joanna Haigood as associate choreographer and Dr. John Calloway as associate musical arranger.
More on The Californer
- California: Governor Newsom announces appointments 10.31.2025
- Warrior Foundation Freedom Station Starts Give-A-Thon to Fly Our Warriors "Home for the Holidays!"
- Award-Winning Author Zane Carson Carruth Featured in USA Today for Inspiring Mission to Nurture Young Hearts Through Storytelling
- As Trump continues illegally federalizing the National Guard, California doubles down on challenge
- California: Governor Newsom applauds major win for all Americans as judges find Trump Administration illegally withheld SNAP benefits
Over the two-day festival, theater goers can create their own theatrical experience by mixing and matching the "Performance Blocks." In addition to "Sign My Name to Freedom: The Unheard Songs of Betty Reid Soskin, other plays emanating from SFBATCO are in house playwright Aidaa Peerzada's "Shining," a reimagined Afro-futurist take on the Greek myth of Phaeton, and SFBATCO's own Othello Jefferson, Jamie Yuen-Shore, and Christine Chung and the revival of "I, Too, Sing America."
Performances from legacy partners are: The African-American Shakespeare Company (The Complete Works of William Shakespeare {Abridged}[Revised];" The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (LHT Artistic Director, Margo Hall and Traci Tolmaire's "In the Evening by the Moonlight" about friends: Lorraine Hansberry, Nina Simone and James Baldwin); AfroSolo (Founder, Thomas Simpson's San Francisco: Variation of Black Joy, White Supremacy and Hope!);" Cuicacalli Ballet Folklórico ("México Lindo y Querido"); and PUSH Dance.
Two days of thought-provoking performances are available for the price of $30 for a "Two-Block Package" (4 projects) or $50 for the entire festival "Four-Block Package" (8 projects). For specific ticket information click this link: https://www.sfbatco.org/schedule.
For more information about the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company visit: www.sfbatco.org.
New Roots Theatre Festival Announcement:
https://youtu.be/tAnXEv-9_cg
-30-
ABOUT SFBATCO
SFBATCO, a Black, Latine, & Asian led non-profit organization, produces compelling theater that builds community, fosters cross-cultural dialogue, promotes social justice and authentically reflects the experiences of communities of color and LGBTQ people. Our theatrical productions address social justice issues from an intersectional perspective and present affirmative non-stereotypical representations of individuals and communities who are feared or ostracized for their gender, race, religion, sexual preference, socio-economic or immigration status.
Source: Wright Enterprises, www.wrightnow.biz
0 Comments
Latest on The Californer
- $73.6 Million Multi-Year Backlog and Florida State Term Contract Drive Momentum for AI-Cybersecurity Pioneer: Cycurion, Inc. (N A S D A Q: CYCU) $CYCU
- Year-Round Deals for Customers With Square Signs
- Liexs Digital Asset Center Launches Global Connectivity Initiative
- ProfitShock Investment Alliance Led by Ethan Mercer Launches Green Intelligence Initiative
- Aartha AI Launches Predictive Churn Modeling to Help Agencies and SaaS Companies
- GP Tha Boss Presents: Gang Gang LA
- Community Seeks Justice 40 Years After Timothy Charles Lee's Death with Memorial Walk
- SecurePII Raises US$3.5M (A$5M) to Unlock AI and Compliance for Voice Data and Expands Global Presence
- California: Governor Newsom announces appointments 10.30.2025
- California deploys search and rescue personnel to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa
- Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine to Offer Winter Recreation Classes
- Active Skin Repair: The Clean, Medical-Grade Solution Transforming Skin Health
- Long Beach: City to Host Planning for Housing Open House and Community HOME Roadshow
- Zachary Hunchar Unleashes His Debut Horror Novel — The Grange
- Peter Coe Verbica Stands with Rural Families and Horse Owners: "Keep Horses Classified as Livestock"
- The Mobile-First Company Raises $12M to Build Simple, Powerful Software for Small Teams
- Lick Pineapple Flavored Massage Oil Outperforming and Enticing
- City of Long Beach Unveils New Interim Housing Facility at 5950 Long Beach Blvd.
- California: Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom announce revamped Golden Bear Pass has significantly increased access to state parks
- Erika Christensen Draws Crowd at Ultimate Women's Expo LA with Message of Mental Resilience