ACT's 'The Tosca Project'

[PeggyR]

On Sunday before San Francisco Ballet's performance of The Little Mermaid I attended a Meet the Artist interview with Pascal Molat who mentioned that after the SFB season concludes this year, instead of going back to Paris to visit family he would be staying in San Francisco and participating in an American Conservatory Theater production created by ACT artistic director and SFB character dancer/choreographer/et al Val Caniparoli called The Tosca Project. No, not the opera; the Tosca Cafe on Columbus Ave. has been an institution in North Beach for many years -- the juke box played/plays opera arias and Italian folk songs -- claims are that patrons have included everyone from Luciano Pavarotti to Johnny Depp. Not sure how it was 'infamous' (see quote below); when my friends and I used to go back in the early '70s, we were usually the most interesting people there, which is pretty depressing (sigh).

From the ACT on-line brochure:

Conjuring a world in which love, betrayal, and hope emerge from the shadows and disappear with the clink of a glass, The Tosca Project is a world premiere dance-theater work that brings internationally acclaimed artists from San Francisco Ballet together with a cast of renowned actors. Drawing inspiration from the infamous North Beach watering hole that bears its name, and set to an exciting score of music from Hendrix to Puccini, this gorgeously choreographed and achingly moving event continues A.C.T.'s exploration of multidisciplinary storytelling through original large-scale works.

For production photos, click on the multimedia tab.

There's no cast listed, but based on the photos, SFB dancers seem to include Molat and two retired SFB ballerinas, Muriel Maffre and Sabina Allemann.

Production plays in June; here's the link to the schedule