People are jumping for joy at American Conservatory Theater. It happens a lot during performances of the sinuous production of “Passengers,” now playing through Oct. 9. There’s also joy in the fact that last month’s opening night was not just the start of the first full season of A.C.T. performances since the onslaught of COVID-19 but also the start of performances at the newly minted Toni Rembe Theater.
What’s that, you ask? The Columbia Theatre is changing its name. Sorry, the Wilkes Theatre. Wait, no. The Lurie Theatre. Actually, as of 1928, the Geary Theatre, or Geary Theater, following the style of the current owner. (A wonderfully exhaustive history of the venue can be seen at sanfranciscotheatres.blogspot.com.) Now, however, it is the Toni Rembe Theater.
“Toni who?” would be a fair question from the casual Bay Area theater patron, but not to staunch supporters of A.C.T., where Rembe has served over two decades on the board of trustees, including stints as president and chair. She also served on the search committee that hired Tony Award-winner Pam MacKinnon as artistic director following the quarter-century-
plus leadership of Carey Perloff.
“Toni Rembe has been central to the health and well-being of the Bay Area theater scene,” said MacKinnon. “Her wide-ranging artistic taste and appreciation of artists and the special act of audiences coming together for a story make her a true theater lover. I am profoundly grateful for her stewardship and love of theater in her chosen city of San Francisco.”
Rembe, described as a private person, was unavailable for interview but said in a prepared statement that she is “deeply honored and humbled to receive this recognition as part of American Conservatory Theater. A.C.T. is an organization that has brought a profound sense of joy and enrichment to my life and the lives of the San Francisco Bay Area community for decades.”
It’s actually Rembe’s second named presence at A.C.T. Opened to much fanfare in 2015, the creatively refurbished Strand Theater on Market Street houses an intimate and versatile performance space called The Rueff, which sits atop the main stage 283-seat Toni Rembe Theater.
Concert and sports arenas are frequently renamed for a series of sponsors, but theater names have tended to sink deep roots. When names change, it is usually an honorific favoring some easily identifiable practitioner of the art.
In 2010, Henry Miller’s Theatre, named for the prolific but increasingly obscure British-born Broadway actor and producer, became the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. (In 2019, the Queen’s Theatre on London’s West End also adopted the Sondheim name.) This year the Cort Theatre on Broadway, named for businessman John Cort, became the James Earl Jones Theatre; and soon the Brooks Atkinson, named for the New York Times theatre critic, will become the Lena Horne Theatre.
Ex // Top Stories
Arizona waste-hauling abruptly withdrew contract to beat out Recology's San Francisco bid
San Francisco Baykeeper alleges that The City discharges a mix of sewage and other pollutants during heavy rains, which could pose a public-health risk
The Department of Elections said it expects to certify the results of The City’s election within the next two weeks
More the former, but with a dash of the latter, the naming update on Geary Street was instigated by an anonymous gift of $35 million that came with at least one string. “It is the largest single donation that A.C.T. has ever received,” confirmed Jennifer Bielstein, current executive director.
“Starting in late 2019, we had begun looking at pursuing naming rights as a source of revenue to fund what we do. We thought at the time it would be a corporate sponsor that would give us an annual gift of maybe a million dollars annually to name this theater, and they might make a commitment of 10 years or even 20 years, after which we might need to seek a new sponsor or might be able to renew them,” said Bielstein.
The much larger gift now allows A.C.T. the security to expand its outreach programs and invest a portion of the money, similar to an endowment model that generates annual income. Current outreach includes making some $25 tickets available at every production at either theater and giving free tickets to any San Francisco Unified School District student who wants to attend an A.C.T. performance, as well as pursuing subsidies and scholarships for conservatory and other education programs.
“We’re now looking at how to really lean into bold access to our work for the future,” said Bielstein, “and this gift gives us the runway and ability to do that. So, I guess I’m saying more to come soon.”
In addition to her extended work with A.C.T. and other Bay Area theatres, Toni Rembe was a founding member of the Theatre Communication Group’s National Council for the American Theater and has advocated for the arts in Washington, D.C. Collaborating with Rembe over the last four years has impressed Bielstein. She is also president of the van Lӧben Sels/Rembe Rock Foundation, a private foundation specializing in the promotion of social justice through legal services and advocacy.
“She’s a good listener and collaborator,” said Bielstein, “and someone with a strong point of view. She’s also really a pioneer for women. She was the first female partner at Pillsbury and one of the first woman partners in a major law firm anywhere in the country. (She’s) just a great role model and advisor and really loves the art.”
Bielstein acknowledges that it may take a while for “the Rembe” to supplant “the Geary” in the lingua franca. “When a building or an organization has had a name for a long, long, long time, it will take time for (the new name) to gain traction. So, we will be referencing that it was formerly the Geary Theater for a period of time.”
“It gives me hope for the art,” said Bielstein. “The pandemic has been devastating, as we all know. Among the key things for A.C.T. to have a sustainable model are building back audiences and securing new sources of revenue. Naming rights is one of those building blocks, and this gift gives us great confidence in the future.”
Naming rights for the Strand may be available for $25 million — give or take.
