About Us

What We Do

In the fall of 2016, a group of amateur thespians decided to put on a musical in a backyard. Inspired by world events at the time, we made it a fundraiser for a charitable cause.

Since that first show, we've been putting on musicals twice a year (except for a little break from 2020-2022) and have raised tens of thousands of dollars for local charities such as The Women's Building and SF Women's Centers, the SF LGBT Center, and the San Francisco Education Fund. 

Our People

Andrea H. began her career early as a toddler-prodigy, performing timeless renditions of "Salsa Beat #7" and "Demo Instrument" on her handheld Casio synthesizer while screaming at the top of her lungs and running circles through the house. Pianist, aspiring bassist, composer, arranger, imagineer, and winner of six RAFFI BANANAPHONES, Andrea would like to remind you that everyone poops and that’s okay.

Annette F. teaches the importance of maintaining a diverse color palette in one's life. Hers currently includes burgundy, maroon, crimson, claret, bordeaux, merlot, berry, oxblood, garnet, plum, mulberry, deep carmine, firebrick, dark raspberry, deep/dark chestnut, and rosy brown.

Aowyn S. needs no introduction.

Aseem S. пересек границу Карелии с Финляндией в 1967 году и в большинстве случаев не жалеет об этом. Он не уверен, что случилось с его семьей.

Ashley C. is an introvert who enjoys the spotlight only when blinded by it. She's currently trying on punctuality as a lifestyle choice, though her track record suggests she'll arrive just in time for curtain call.

Brian L. was bullied for having a roller backpack all throughout high school, and he has channeled that spite and quirkiness into what critics are calling “a performance of all time.” He wants to be a voice actor because he loves the sound of his own voice, but he doesn’t want you to know that.

Brandon W. was homeschooled, and it shows.

Clara M. did not try out for her middle school's play because she was "too old to try something new" and "really needed to focus on her career." She now thinks maybe it's ok to learn new things after you turn 13.

Desmond S. had a life story at one point, but now we don't know where it is.

Elliot C. debuted in Backyard Theater as a member of the Unbitten cast. He loves to make people laugh and sing and dance with his backyard theater pals.

George B. hasn't gotten his bio in yet.

Isaac S. comes with a wealth of experience, including drumming for the Ladies and Lords of the Rings: A Drag Experience pit orchestra and drumming for the Enya cover band Ñ. He works for a nonprofit called Imperfect Imperfect Produce that collects and distributes fruit and vegetables that were rejected from Imperfect Produce delivery boxes.

Jonathan P. was once told, "You're just doing that for attention." He was and still is. He made his stage debut in Daddy Dia!, the touching musical about Father's Day featuring the music of ABBA.

Kylie P. got 3rd place in the 4th grade Idaho state spelling bee and has spent the rest of her life trying to prove she has big-league potential. She's available if you need a consult on "onomatopoeia."

Laura D. did not get into her high school's musical because, as the director put it bluntly, "[she] can't act." Lacking a growth mindset, Laura came up with an alternative plan for success in life -- privilege and connections. Backyard Theater is no exception; she was grandfathered into the group in the pre-audition era by living with two cast members. A true hypocrite, her day job is to preach the meritocracy myth to local high school students.

Meg R. got her start in showbiz as "giggling baby" in a well-known Stevie Wonder Isn’t She Lovely cover band. When she’s not eulogizing her 20s, Meg enjoys bland foods and feminism.

Patty S. thrives in her roles as "meaningful side characters" to all of your favorite hits. She hopes that one day she'll get to play the Cat in the Hat's hat and Garfunkel in the Paul Simon and Friends straight-to-backyard-theater production.

Quay dislikes being perceived but, alas, such is the nature of theater. Don't look her in the eye.

Sam T. is not his real name. When it came time to stop being the citizen of no nation and become a citizen of the US of A, he was allowed to pick a new cooler sounding name. Samuel Beckett seemed like a classy and mysterious name. And so Samuel it was, forevermore. And this was the only connection to theater he had until being chosen out of a cattle call for the BYT Lion Queen pit bass chair.

Sarah W. is most likely rotting on a stool somewhere in front of either a clay lump or the piano bar. She has been a dog in four Backyard Theater productions.

Seth W. is a not-quite-classically trained backyard Shakespearean actor. His favorite ISO screw thread is M4. 

Ty A. dug a big hole in his backyard in middle school. There was a lot of clay in the dirt and he didn't find any buried treasure. But maybe the clay had more potential than he realized.

Previous Participants

Aileen K. (Actor)

Aimee Z. (Choreographer)

Akwasi A. (Instrumentalist)

Alyssa N. (Actor)

Andrea L. (Instrumentalist)

Ashur B. (Actor)

Bevan G. S. (Lights)

Chris C. (Actor)

Cole A. (Vocalist)

Divya R. (Actor, Head Writer, Instrumentalist, Vocalist)

Elena V. (Vocalist)

Ellen H. (Actor)

Emily M. (Actor)

Emma S. (Choreographer) 

Hadley B. (Instrumentalist)

Hannah T. (Actor)

Jesse R. (Actor, Instrumentalist)

Jordan E. (Actor)

Leo W. d B. (Actor)

Kyle M. (Actor, Set Designer)

Matt P. (Actor)

Nick D. (Vocalist)

Pramod T. (Actor)

Reena B. (Actor)

Riya A. (Actor, Instrumentalist)

Rory B. (Lighting Designer)

Rujul G. (Lighting Designer)

Ryder M. (Actor, Lighting Designer, Set Designer)

Sam L. (Actor)

Sonja D. (Choreographer)

Stephanie W. (Choreographer)

Willa Z. (Choreographer)