SF Theatre Natives

EDIT: I sold the Billboard (original post topic)

But by all means, keep this thread open! It has adapted itself into the unofficial San Francisco natives theatre chat thread!

So far, no bickering or fighting or anything. Just good ol' San Franciscans shootin' the breeze! It's rather nice :)

Updated On: 5/28/06 at 10:23 PM

No, it's from one of the stations.

If you ask the right person, you can get the old show ads they put up in the underground station frames. I can't tell you how many shows have come and gone that I wish I would have gotten.

Perhaps I can rebuild my collection once I move apartments. Especially with A Chorus Line, Piazza, RENT, and Jersey Boys on the way.

Or, to be more practical concerning size, there are the 2x2 foot ads inside the BART trains that are so cute. I wish I knew who to ask for those. They just toss them out after the show's gone.

Updated On: 5/27/06 at 10:27 PM

Yeah, looking at the way the frames in BART are built (in the actual trains, usually at the end of the cars), I think they *snap* the ads in... but once they're in, have to physically be torn out.

I've noticed however that both MUNI and BART have really been honing in on Best of Broadway over the past 2 years. Good publicity for the Bay at large.

BTW, why haven't we met yet?

Jim... do you think they still do that? The bus shelter... on Mission? Where'd you go to pick it up? Who'd you call? How big was the "Joseph" one and how many years ago was that? Think they'd still be accomodating?

Updated On: 5/27/06 at 10:32 PM

Yeah, most of the billboards in MUNI and BART have a small "Viacom" logo at their base. But there's got to be a local company that handles all the SF Public Transit publicity, at least... perhaps not Gannett (sp?) but another business.

If I feel so inclined later, I'll do some hunting for more info... because *geez* some of those posters stay up for months later (like you said) and then my heart weeps a little to know they're just gonna be compost. When a happy SF theatre diva could give it such a cozy home.

Yeah, the Les Miz ones were up for months after it finally closed.

The guy I talked to at BART (who incidentally, was very nice) told me they don't take ads down until there's a specific one to replace them. I guess that's why you so rarely see a blank area where an ad would usually go.

Regarding the giant posters IN the stations, they told me to call BART HQ in Oakland whenever it got closer to a closing date (this was when Urinetown was at ACT), and then maybe they could hold it for me, but I completely forgot.

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Funny story. When I first came to college (Fall 2003) I remember taking my first MUNI ride into Downtown. When we got to Powell Station I saw the ACT "Urinetown" advertisement and was revolted!

You see, back then I wasn't a huge musical theatre buff and thought this ad was some sort of political statement towards SF... that it's a urine-town or something. Like some sort of message that SF needed to clean up its streets...

It wasn't until later that I learned this was the name of an actual musical and when I saw the catch-phrase: "Is that really the title?" on the cast recording, I totally felt sucker-punched. Just months ago, I was one of the ignorant non-theatre-know-it-alls thinkin' the advertisement was gross. By then, "Urinetown" had shuttered already and I was PISSED (pun intended) that I'd missed it.

I saw "Urinetown" in NY and at the ACT in SF. It's not for all tastes as my friend did not find it funny. I laughed a lot. Anyway, I think there is a local production in the Bay Area running now or coming up? I thought I read it here or on the other site.

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"Urinetown" just finished a fun run at Foothill College also. That San Jose one sounds fab. I wonder if I can get myself there to see it. I freakin' love that show.

Updated On: 5/27/06 at 11:09 PM

Austin was great but I don't know who is in the tour these days. Anyone?

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SOLD!

But by all means, keep this thread going. It has metamorphasized itself into an SF Natives Theatre Appreciation Thread! And it's nice. No bickering or fighting yet. Just SF folk shootin' the breeze. Me like.

Updated On: 5/28/06 at 01:18 AM

Your thread has probably gotten more views than the all the posts on the SF BWW board combined.

Oh, since I'm here, at least one Spelling Bee standby is posting when he'll be on in advance (if he knows).
http://homepage.mac.com/evandangeles/Menu2.html

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Updated On: 5/28/06 at 01:22 AM

he's going on as Mitch tomorrow...hmm...