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Lily Janiak

@lilyjaniak.bsky.social

1.1K followers 280 following 340 posts

San Francisco Chronicle theater critic, wheelwoman, How can there be any sin in sincere?

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · Aug 19

Breaking: The executive director of Boxcar Theatre in San Francisco resigned Sunday, the organization said, after anonymous internet vigilantes accused him of attempting to meet up with someone who had posed online as a 14-year-old boy. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

S.F. theater director resigns after anti-predator group posts alleged ‘catch’ video

In announcing Nick Olivero’s exit, Boxcar Theatre said in a statement, “We are shocked and appalled by these allegations and take them very seriously.”

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 14h

I'm that weird person who rewatched "Gilmore Girls" in anticipation of its 25th anniversary this week, curious about its secret sauce and why it still means so much to so many. Herein are a theory or two. What are yours, fellow fans? www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Why ‘Gilmore Girls’ still works, 25 years later

“Gilmore Girls” fans still swoon over Luke and Lorelai’s unresolved romance, but that unspoken passion hid a deeper love story at the heart of the show.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Reposted by Lily Janiak

Peter Hartlaub @peterhartlaub.bsky.social · 1d

"This exists in San Francisco?"

That will be your mantra on the city's new perimeter trail — a path filled with good dogs, great sandwiches, art everywhere, and a reassuring number of public restrooms.

I covered it all by bike. Here are the highlights:

🚴‍♀️ 🌁 ❤️

www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...

An epic walk around San Francisco: Highlights of the 38-mile Roundabout Trail

Where to stop on San Francisco's new perimeter trail, including Heron Head Park, Cayuga Playground and more under-the-radar city treasures.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Reposted by Lily Janiak

Gremliny Nussboo @emilynussbaum.bsky.social · 1d

Terrific, complex piece by @jasonzinoman.bsky.social about the Riyadh Comedy Festival: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/a...

Why Arguments About Free Speech Don’t Apply to the Riyadh Comedy Festival

www.nytimes.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 2d

Love to hear it!!!

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 2d

In case it's not obvious, my time working at NCTC made me revere Ed Decker, and now that he's retiring, he's picked a wonderful successor. 45 years in, the company's in great hands. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

For the first time in 45 years, this queer theater in S.F. has a new leader

Ed Decker is retiring from LGBTQ company New Conservatory Theatre Center, and his heir apparent has long been standing by his side.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 3d

Happening TONIGHT: Worried about the state of Bay Area theater? Wondering where the bright spots are, and if they're replicable? Join panelists Ted Russell, Susi Damilano and Jonathan Spector and me at Manny's for a discussion about our sector's future: www.sfchronicle.com/events/artic...

Chronicle Live: Where does Bay Area theater go from here?

Bay Area theater is struggling. Join Chronicle Theater Critic Lily Janiak and local experts for an evening about the state of theater and what the future could look like.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 3d

When a Bay Area theater does their season announcement, that means I get to have my annual chat with its artistic director, and who's more fun to talk to than Patrick Dooley, that salty sea captain at the helm of Shotgun Players? www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Shotgun’s next season brings a long-awaited return of this Bay Area auteur

Bay Area artists Mark Jackson and Erika Chong Shuch are among the writers and directors in the Berkeley theater’s 2026 lineup.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 6d

One of my favorite moments in reporting the whole thing is that Mark plays at BART so often that I ran into him there when I was going to the theater for another story. He's a fixture, and if you happen to hear him play, I hope it brightens your wait for a train as it did mine.

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 6d

His story involves mental illness and Child Protective Services, but also mighty artistic talent in multiple media. It's also much more complicated than I thought it would be, and it made me think about the Bay Area's long history as a haven for runaways.

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 6d

Over the past few months, I've gotten to know 20-year-old BART busker @markpdyson.bsky.social after he posted on Reddit that tips from passengers saved him from homelessness. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

‘The luckiest unlucky guy’: 20-year-old escapes homelessness by busking at BART

A piano player has found an audience among transit riders at BART stations throughout the Bay Area.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 7d

Kamala Harris is coming to the Masonic on Sunday to discuss her campaign memoir "107 Days," and here's what it felt like to read it. My review of a book that mixes cringey résumé-brandishing with legit insight: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Kamala Harris’ memoir shows why the left keeps losing

OPINION: “107 Days” helps mourn Kamala Harris’ loss and what the country’s suffered since then, and it reminds us that our political present doesn’t have to last forever, Lily Janiak...

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 8d

I don't use words like "dazzling" lightly. But as I was in the audience for @sfplayhouse.org's latest, I genuinely thought, "I am dazzled." On "Noises Off": www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Dazzling ‘Noises Off’ at S.F. Playhouse shows that farce is our reality right now

Somehow, director Bill English sets the top of Michael Frayn’s comedy spinning and only accelerates it.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 12d

Pondering what keeps us coming back to Louisa May Alcott and how stage chemistry works. On “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” at TheatreWorks: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

‘Little Women’ paints a world as cheery as a Christmas card. Does it have to be a fantasy?

Louisa May Alcott’s novel, now in a TheatreWorks Silicon Valley world-premiere adaptation, endures in part because we want to believe the March’s homestead isn’t a bubble.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 13d

Getting to TheatreWorks for “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” via Tunitas Creek Road. I like to think Jo March would approve.

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 14d

Since “Les Mis” keeps making headlines, it felt like a good time to revisit the show and ask: Why does it hold special appeal to Trump? My theories herein; what are yours? www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Why Trump loves ‘Les Misérables’ — and what that says about 2025

Trump’s made the 45-year-old musical juggernaut a repeat news item. Here’s what it might be like to see the show through his eyes.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 14d

Now I have infinite respect for the demanding art of scare acting! Read on for tips on how to scare trick-or-treaters (or just your family members) better!

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 14d

I have long been wondering what it would be like if I took an acting class again after [redacted] years, and this story taught me that I am NOT READY!

But I *am* ready for "Hexed" by Terror Vault! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Scare smarter, not harder: Pro tips from Terror Vault’s haunted house acting workshop

In advance of “Hexed” at the Mint, Terror Vault’s Peaches Christ and David Flower led a free scare acting workshop in San Francisco for would-be actors — and one theater critic.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 14d

Today's must-read: Tony Bravo's story on Heklina's closet: www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...

Inside Heklina's closet: S.F. drag icon's costumes, wigs and makeup tell her full story

Heklina shaped drag culture. After her death, her community is making sure it lasts.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 15d

Little-known musical. We’ll see if it catches on!

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 15d

Ins Choi is such a star! 🤩 On "Kim's Convenience" at American Conservatory Theater: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Review: Ins Choi’s quiet star power lights up ACT’s 'Kim’s Convenience'

In his 2011 play, which later became a TV series that Netflix picked up, Ins Choi’s unusual breed of star power lights up the Toni Rembe Theater in San Francisco.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 16d

A beautiful sunset for an ACT opening night!

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 17d

Always love seeing a Christopher Chen play — even when it still needs work. On Shotgun's latest: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Review: Christopher Chen’s ‘The Motion’ is more thought experiment than play

The San Francisco native has made a career out of a kind of dramatic sleight-of-hand, but his latest, at Shotgun Players, feels like a first draft.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 22d

I got to tag along with the great Tasi Alabastro as he shot photos for an American Conservatory Theater exhibit highlighting some of San Francisco’s immigrant small business owners. What a fabulous community engagement idea for “Kim’s Convenience”: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

S.F.’s immigrant small business owners share the limelight with ‘Kim’s Convenience’

American Conservatory Theater’s photo exhibit highlights the parallels between Ins Choi’s play about a Korean-Canadian impresario and the immigrant entrepreneurs of our own city.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 24d

I would like to live inside Ray Oppenheimer’s lighting design for Crowded Fire's latest, please! On "Limp Wrist on the Lever": www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Review: In ‘Limp Wrist on the Lever,’ tonal whiplash blurs Crowded Fire’s bold vision

Crowded Fire’s gutsy and imaginative world premiere production about gay teens at a conversion camp crosses “Lord of the Flies” with “Animal Farm” and “But I’m a Cheerleader.”

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 25d

I love living in a region where I can see the debauched indulgence of Vau de Vire Society on Friday, then the crystalline moral debate of "Dead Man Walking" on Sunday. On Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally's opera — your girl's first @sfopera.bsky.social review! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...