The scrappy San Francisco theater company that birthed Angels in America, one of the most iconic American plays of the late 20th century, is closing after 45 years.
Founded in 1972, the Eureka Theatre helped to launch the careers of well-known actors, directors and playwrights, like Danny Glover and Anna Deavere Smith.
But it’s best known for commissioning Tony Kushner to write Angels in America. The searing political drama about the AIDS crisis had its world premiere at Eureka in 1991.
Kushner’s drama went on to acclaimed runs on Broadway and the UK’s National Theatre, and in 2003 became a hit TV miniseries starring Al Pacino and Meryl Streep.
Laird Rodet, Eureka’s executive director, cites several reasons for the decision to shut down the company, including escalating maintenance costs on its venue, located on Jackson Street in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District.