Acclaimed Play On TL Gentrification Returns, With Hopes Of Offering Free Tickets To Community

Acclaimed Play On TL Gentrification Returns, With Hopes Of Offering Free Tickets To CommunityPhoto: Will Given/People of Interest
Brittany Hopkins
Published on July 22, 2016

Back in 2014—as tensions flared over tax breaks for technology companies descending on Mid-Market—the nonprofit theater company People of Interest debuted 'Campo Maldito,' a dark comedy that turned the strife into a relatable ghost story.

The play's synopsis: Angry ghosts are disrupting business at a tech startup based in the Tenderloin. The company's young white CEO hires a Latino Santeria priest to purify the office—underscoring "the cost of gentrification and the price you pay when you piss off the dead."

After first debuting at the UC San Diego Wagner New Play Festival and New York Fringe Festival to rave reviews, the production came to the 2014 San Francisco Fringe Festival—and completely sold out before the curtains rose.

Now—amid battles over development and ongoing protests over labor contracts, as well as assurances that Twitter's arrival has not displaced low-income Tenderloin residents—the play is returning for another run at Exit Theater from Thursday, July 28th-Saturday, Aug. 13th.   

But this time they're hoping to set aside a batch of tickets for those who can't normally afford to attend live theater.

"Campo Maldito is really a play for the Tenderloin community, and we want everyone in that community to see it—regardless of their financial status," Jesca Pudencio—artistic director of People of Interest and the play’s director—said in the video accompanying their newly launched Kickstarter campaign.

Tickets to the show are $20 each, and the company is aiming to raise $1,000 to cover 50 free tickets for local community members.

Assuming their goal is met, People of Interest plans to work with the Tenderloin Museum to distribute the free tickets during the show's opening weekend.

If you'd like to contribute to the campaign, head over to their Kickstarter page. And to purchase your own tickets, visit Exit Theater's online box office.