A little bit of history on the AATC, from their website:…read more "The mission of the Asian American Theater Company (AATC) is to inspire, nurture and promote Asian and Pacific American theater. AATC has been in full operation since 1973, when it was born out of an initiative by the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) of San Francisco." The AATC is a true asset to the San Francisco performing arts community, providing a space for Asian Pacific American theatre where there previously was none.

I've always enjoyed the live theater performances of the San Francisco based PlayGround series, but…read moreaside from that my knowledge of other performing arts groups based in San Francisco is quite weak. When I received the email from Connie C. at Yelp offering free tickets to the recent weekend performance of "Fayette-Nam" I requested the complimentary tickets simply out of curiosity. The performance was outstanding. The production written by Aurorae Khoo is based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, home of the 82nd Airborne, and deals with a young African-American soldier (portrayed magnificently by actor Jon Gentry) who goes AWOL just hours prior to being deployed to the battlefront. He takes refuge inside the egg roll and donut shop of an Asian American woman (played by Lisa Kang) with whom he feels an emotional bond with. Adding much emotion and at times comedy into the story are issues being dealt with by the woman's son (played by Kenneth Tan Ronquillo) who obviously has a problem with low self-esteem and the woman's rebellious, pyromaniac daughter (played by Kathleen Mendoza) who has dropped out of college and is also hiding out after burning down her college dormitory. All of the actors/actresses gave riveting performances full of drama and emotion. In one scene I was not only fascinated by Kenneth Tan Ronquillo's acting ability but by his athleticism and balance as well. Those of you who have seen the play probably know which scene I am referring to. I thought the set was built up very creatively, and I loved the way the lights and music were used to highlight different scenes and stir up different emotions. It was such a fabulous production. So thanks to Yelp I think the AATC has a new fan in me, and I'm certain I will return to view other productions presented by this company.

Had Timothy our today for our sons 7th birthday party and it was AMAZING! He was courteous and…read moreprofessional during the booking process, but what he did during the show was just incredible! We had a room of 26 kids aged 2-10, and he kept their attention, had everyone laughing the entire time, and was so well received by young and old. He was incredible. I can't recommend him highly enough. My son, now hours after the party ended, keeps bringing up different parts of the show and giggling. Thank you so much, Timothy, for making his birthday so special!

I have had the pleasure of watching Tim perform at the California Magic Dinner theater in Martinez,…read morea private party and a charity event as well! He is nothing short of spectacular! He is an entertainer through and through and you can tell that he takes great pride in his craft. Every time I've seen him perform, he is courteous, professional, and above all -- entertaining! His illusions will leave you speechless. (I know I've been!) But be warned -- Tim is not a children's magician. He doesn't utilize any silly gags and clown outfits. His type of magic is specifically for adults and you'll be amazed at how amazed you'll be. Lol! If you check out his website, he's got some video and photos of his performances. A tip from one intelligent person to the next: don't feel bad.. you'll never figure out how it works. Just enjoy the mystery and try not to lose sleep over it. ;)

Stephen is a fantastic guitarist and a natural teacher with a great sense of humor. His training is…read moretop notch and his repertoire vast. I learned a variety of Latin American rhythms from Stephen and had a lot of fun in the process. Stephen is very adept at working with people with different skill levels. for example; one day i showed up early for a lesson and heard him working with an advanced player and it was as if they were speaking a different language ,but with me he simply switched gears and we worked at a level that I could understand. He would methodically break down the complex syncopated rhythms into easy to grasp segments and then we would link them together into a seamless song. We taped each lesson so i could continue to work on the material at home...and still do. It blows me away that he can sing and teach in four languages...from flamenco,Cuban and Brazilian to rock, jazz and classical and lots in between ..i can not recommend Stephen highly enough!

I can't believe no one has reviewed Nick yet!?!…read more He is fantastic. Totally professional with adults, appropriately silly with kids. Wonderfully engaging performances, with hand-made puppets, creative story lines and songs, and all aimed at the interests and attention span of young children (ages 3-9 or so) - performances are 25-30 minutes long. Then he opens up the sides of the puppet theater to show the kids how it all works. Totally fascinating. Nick performed at my daughter's (turning 5) birthday party recently, and not only did the kids love it, the adults had rave reviews too. There's a lot more information on his website - including photos of the puppets, story outlines, and some schedule info (he performs often at public libraries around the Bay Area). Now I'm scheming to see if he could perform at the next preschool fundraiser...

Djay Slim READS THE ROOM and KNOWS THE HITS!!! He didn't need a bunch of tips or suggestions, and I…read moredidn't have any questions, comments or concerns!!! The dance floor at my party STAYED PACKED, and guests asked if he deejayed somewhere regularly so they could become regulars!!! THANK YOU, Djay Slim!!! THANK YOU!!!!

DJ Slim has been our family DJ for many years. I like that he 'reads' the room and knows how to…read morekeep guests entertained throughout the event. This weekend he DJ'ed for my 50th birthday party. It was epic! My guests can't stop giving compliments. The owner of the venue was blown away. Here are some direct words he said... - ⁠"That is the best party we have ever held in this venue and I have held thousands" - ⁠"Your DJ was amazing. He did not only DJ, he did much more, like playing the songs in between speeches and what he did with the toast. I learned some new things from him and I have been hosting for 20 years" - "Now I see why you wanted to bring your own DJ"

We hired Alan for a Hanukkah party at our home. Alan went above and beyond with his preparation to…read moreincorporate interesting facts/jokes about our guests. He opened the party with our family front and center and then mingled with guests doing several tricks. He then closed out his time with a show for the whole party. The tricks were all engaging and guests very much enjoyed. Alan was very professional and we would highly recommend him for any event. So fun!

Alan did a remote (Zoom) magic show for my team at Zillow. He catered the show to our team and made…read moresure people felt engaged and included. The team really loved having Alan on to celebrate the end of our year. He brightened everyone's mood and had us ending the year with smiles on our faces. I really appreciate all the energy that Alan put into the show and made sure he showed us things we've never seen. Thank you for the great show and memorable times, Alan!

"Earth's Premiere Science Comedian", Brian is the funniest stand-up comedian I've seen in a LONG…read moretime! I saw him for the first time at a comedy club tonight and barely paused my laughing long enough to breathe for his entire set. I'm now trying to think of excuses or opportunities to convince my company and other groups to hire him to perform. (His website lists the host of companies, colleges, and conferences at which he's performed.) His show is family-friendly enough for teens and funny for a general audience. That said, the nerdier and more science-oriented you are, the funnier his material becomes. As he noted in his act, making a joke about a superconductor is mildly funny to many people but gets more interesting when someone in the audience actually uses them on a day-to-day basis. For private events, he offers a general science routine, as well as routines focused on biology, chemistry, physics, science education, and entomology (insects). He's also apparently happy to customize. His introduction noted that while he commonly travels cross-country, he'd be happy to work off-planet if someone offers to pick up the travel expenses. At the end of his prepared act, Brian also did some improv riffs based on science-related questions from the audience. As a tip though, when his girlfriend is in the audience, you might not want to point out a humorous discrepancy in his act and ask a follow-up question that's could lead to him sleeping on the couch, at least not if you don't want to get heckled a bit. Learning that lesson was a fun and hilarious experience. :))

I saw Brian Malow perform two nights in a row, doing his science comedy show "Rational Comedy for…read morean Irrational Planet." (Jan 13 at the Punch Line in San Francisco, then Jan 14 at Rooster T Feather's in Sunnyvale). "Earth's Premier Science Comedian?" thought I, "Impossible. Science is dry and crusty and tends to make one sleepy, not pee one's pants or spit out one's drink." Permit me a WRONG on that count, and an OMG! This guy is FUNNY! I've never laughed so hard at Newton's Equation for Gravity (levity from gravity....hell yeah!). The jokes are science-y, but still really, really accessible. You don't need an advanced degree to 'get it'. It's science applied to our everyday experiences, but here, it's presented with a twist and a laugh. The act was not only smart, but nearly squeaky clean, too. It was nice -- downright refreshing, really -- to be able to hear a joke without every other word being f*** this and s**t that. So, why two nights in a row, you ask (in my mind, as I imagine us discussing the marvels of the evening over a cup of good coffee...)? Because Brian is one of those rare comedians who does something that geeks (and I am proudly one of that number) crave: He doesn't pander to the Lowest Common Denominator. Many comics strap a half-dozen f-bombs on to a joke to get the crowd to laugh, but this guy does the opposite: he relies on the strength of his joke and, even more importantly, in doing so says to the audience, "I recognize and respect your intellect." Wow! How often do you see that? He also did Q&A at the end of both shows with hilarious results. You've GOT to hear his story about Pluto and the curator of the meteorite collection for the Vatican...! I'll be keeping tabs on your website, Brian...the two shows were great but please, give us more! (Oh...and while I didn't pee my pants, I did spit out my drink during his bit on bad science in movies...) Also...and for those who missed the shows... www.ScienceComedian.com/blog

Again: dudes I know and adore... saw them improvise together for the first time in a long time last…read morenight and they were stellar as always. They are really -- I don't know -- I want to say "scatological" because their humor is SCATTERED all over the fucking place and leads you from one laughing moment to the next w/out you realizing the moments were connected... But, that would be the wrong contextual use of the word "scatological," wouldn't it? I could still use it considering that Libby and Dickson did a scene where they were on the crapper together... so it works. These guys are funny. And, Libby (in the time since I saw him last) has grown a hell of a 'stache - which - in of it's self is worth the price of admission just to view.

Blind Dynamite is an improv comedy troupe that will have you laughing until it hurts! Craig…read moreDickson, Chris Libby, and Rob Miles are three of the funniest guys around. What's awesome about them is that they actually have the power to make other people funnier too! Whenever I see these guys perform I, in turn, become hilarious as well. You should totally check them out! But don't eat a really big meal before you go - you'll for sure get a cramp from laughing so hard.