Carrying the Counterculture Torch

Sarah Nina Hayon’s first visit to the Magic Theatre was unforgettable. She was just a child when her grandmother took her to what she thought was a magic show at the storied San Francisco venue. Instead of rabbits emerging from top hats, they witnessed something far more memorable. “It was Taiwanese puppets having very adult human experiences,” she laughs about her fateful introduction to the legendary counterculture collective, which assembled during San Francisco’s hippie heyday in the late 1960s.

Today, Hayon is the Magic Theatre’s artistic director, but that surprising culture-clash moment remains core to the independent spirit maintained by the leadership team. “We’re looking for the wild and the weird, and the brave and mold-breaking voices,” Hayon says. “We are making work that is asking people to confront uncomfortable subjects, to ask themselves difficult questions about humanity and lived-experience, and to challenge our audience – to get them on the edge of their seat and lean in.”

First founded by John Lion and other UC Berkeley students, the nonprofit Magic Theatre became a hotbed of experimentation for artists, writers – including Beat poet Michael McClure – and musicians who pushed the boundaries of expression. In 1976, the Magic Theatre became one of the first arts organizations to inhabit the former military complex at Fort Mason, where it has resided ever since. Playwright and actor Sam Shepard wrote many of his most celebrated works during a long residency there. “The Magic makes and shapes American theater,” Hayon says. “These are plays that go on to have productions all over the country and around the world.”

A Home for Reinvention

It was an original “incubator,” long before the term was co-opted by the tech industry in neighboring Silicon Valley, where creatives could test and develop new works alongside an open-minded community. And it still is today. “We are still very much dedicated to creating a safe space for artists to take risks without any commercial pressure of success,” Hayon says.

As the organization turns 60, Hayon says the Fort Mason facility could use operational support – everything from new seats and stage lights to renovations that increase accessibility for diverse populations. She adds that expanding social media, marketing, and outreach efforts could help attract new audiences and talent, especially as San Francisco’s high cost of living has driven an exodus of creatives from the city. “We’re looking for our generation’s next voice,” she says, referencing recent talent like MacArthur Fellowship finalists Luis Alfaro and Taylor Mac who developed works there.

In an age of algorithms and echo chambers, Hayon says the transformative experience of live performance is more vital now than ever. “Live theater brings you stories that you may not hear, experiences that you’ve never known about, and you’re even seated next to people that you may not be connected to in daily life. After we experience theater together, we see the world differently around us.”