CRUSHING Closing Night

Event: CRUSHING Closing
Date: August 27, 2026
Location: The Marker Union Square, San Francisco
Photos: Katie Ravas for Drew Altizer Photography

Over the weekend of September 10–12, 2026, the genre-defiant theater hit Crushing brought vibrant energy back to Market Street with a sold-out run at A.C.T.’s Strand Theater. The live show features multidisciplinary artists—both emerging and established—performing true, stories about formative experiences in romantic love. Co-directed and independently produced by San Francisco-based duo Carly Steyer and Megan Calfas, the production capped off its victory lap—following previous sold-out engagements in New York and Fort Mason—with an electric closing-night celebration featuring activist and actress Rosario Dawson. The three-night event served as a bold rallying cry for the local arts scene, bringing together leaders from Berkeley Rep, Crowded Fire Theater, and Boots Riley’s Cinemama to champion independent Bay Area storytelling.
​
​What had the lobby buzzing late into the night was the show’s powerhouse, genre-bending cast. Award-winning playwright Danielle Stagger kicked off the evening with a riotous 8-minute piece on modern dating that had the audience doubled over, set alongside a moving performance by Gerald Casper of the Formerly Incarcerated People’s Performance Project on the relationship that sustained him through a 28-year sentence, as well as Oakland novelist Tomas Moniz, viral comedian Karan Menon, actress Isabella Tagliati, and local drag icon Imelda Glucose of The Rice Rockettes. Between an opening-night Q&A moderated by playwright Julius Rea and a packed closing-night lobby party driven by a live DJ set by MEUDE, Crushing proved to be the ultimate celebration of San Francisco’s creative renaissance.

Notable attendees:
​Rosario Dawson – Executive producer of Crushing, actress and activist, Carly Steyer – Co-director/producer of Crushing, SF-based artist, Megan Calfas – Co-director/producer of Crushing, SF-based artist, Jim Steyer – Supporter of Crushing, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, Karan Menon – Cast member of Crushing, nationally-touring comedian known for his political satire