Our Legacy
For nearly six decades, Magic Theatre has been a place where artists change the course of American theatre.
Founded in 1967 by a group of Berkeley graduate students who had no intention of starting a theater, Magic emerged from the creative energy that made the Bay Area a center of artistic experimentation and free expression. Poets, playwrights, musicians, filmmakers, and visual artists were questioning authority, testing the limits of free expression, and creating new forms of American art. This was a city where artistic expression could spark public controversy, where playwright and Beat poet Michael McClure's The Beard was raided by police, and where artists kept pushing boundaries. Magic became one of the places where that spirit took root, later becoming an artistic home for writers including McClure and Sam Shepard.
Over the next six decades, Magic helped shape the national landscape of new plays. The work developed here expanded the possibilities of contemporary American drama and influenced generations of artists who followed.
From the beginning, Magic has been driven by a belief that transformative art emerges when artists are given the freedom to take risks. Today, that commitment means creating opportunities for artists of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to develop new work, reach new audiences, and shape the future of storytelling.
As a San Francisco Legacy Business, Magic has long been part of the city's habit of reinvention. Among the first arts organizations to make a home at Fort Mason, Magic helped transform a former military post into one of the nation's leading centers for arts and culture. Nearly six decades after its founding, Magic's contributions to California's cultural life continue to be recognized as part of the state's artistic legacy.
In a city built on reinvention, Magic remains a place where artists imagine and create what comes next.
A BRAND NEW CHAPTER
The Magic Theatre is thrilled to announce the appointment of a new Executive Leadership Team, marking a pivotal moment in the organization's evolution. Through a shared leadership structure, The Magic is poised to strengthen its legacy as a home for groundbreaking new work while expanding its role as a year-round cultural hub for artists and audiences alike. Sarah Nina Hayon will serve as the new Artistic Director, Daniel Duque-Estrada as the Producing Director, and Joan Osato as Director of Sustainability and Growth.
Deeply rooted in both The Magic Theatre and the Bay Area arts community, they represent a combination of artistic excellence, entrepreneurial leadership, and deep community engagement, with decades of experience creating, producing, developing, and championing transformative work. Just as important, they share a longstanding commitment to The Magic's success as a vital home for Bay Area artists—a place where bold new work takes shape, and artistic communities can thrive.
The new leadership, taking over from departing Lead Director Sean San José who led the theatre since 2021, will continue the strong relationships with artists and Resident Companies and maintain the Magic Theatre’s commitment to developing and premiering new works. Despite challenging headwinds facing non-profit theaters, the Magic Theatre is dedicated to expanding on its decades-long artistic and community vision that is both unique and increasingly rare.
This transition also reflects the Magic Theatre Board of Trustees' commitment to building a resilient, sustainable, and artist-centered institution for the future. San José will conclude his tenure at the end of June, with the new leadership team assuming their roles immediately.
Existing projects already in development will proceed as planned, including new works from Home Resident Company Campo Santo, a premiere project led by Joan Osato “a rashomon” to open in the Fall, the annual Magic Theatre Gala, multiple collaborations with resident company Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, a special project starring and written by Lauren Gunderson and continued development of new works from resident company Play On Shakespeare and from writers Luis Alfaro, Star Finch, and many others.
Sean San José receives the official Legacy Business Award
Founded in 1967 by John Lion, dedicated to developing new American plays and playwrights. Its legacy includes world premieres by playwrights like Sam Shepard and a commitment to avant-garde work. The theater is currently undergoing transformation, particularly under Artistic Director Sean San José, to center Indigenous, Black, people of color and those who have been othered to foster inclusivity within the Bay Area's performing arts scene.
