A Rashomon - performing at African American Artist & Cultural Center

We’re excited to share that The Magic Theatre’s upcoming production of A Rashomon will take place at the African American Art & Culture Complex (AAACC).

This move is more than a change of venue. It is an opportunity to bring this important work into a space whose cultural significance deepens its resonance.

The African American Art & Culture Complex is a vital home for Black artistic expression, cultural memory, and community in San Francisco. Given A Rashomon’s engagement with the erasure of Black life, culture, and community, presenting the work at AAACC creates a meaningful connection between the play and the living cultural landscape around it.

A great inspiration in transporting Kurosawa's "Rashomon" to modern San Francisco is the local legend Robert Henry Johnson. In his too short lifetime, RHJ not only was deeply connected to AAACC artistically, but along with his mother, was a nearby resident. 

This venue shift is also rooted in the belief and commitment to create collaboratively. One of the only ways arts groups will survive and thrive will be to continue to collaborate. The grouping of the Magic Theatre, Campo Santo, and AAACC is emblematic of the exciting, organic, and beneficial cross organizational collaborations that help create more work and broaden all of our circles. 

We believe this setting will offer audiences a powerful way to encounter the work, bringing its questions into conversation with a place deeply rooted in the artistic voices and histories that shape San Francisco.

We’re grateful to AAACC for welcoming this production and look forward to sharing A Rashomon with you in this new setting.

Thank you for being part of The Magic Theatre community. We look forward to seeing you there.