MISSION, VALUES, and HISTORY
MISSION
42nd Street Moon tells universal stories through the production of contemporary and classic musical theatre. We celebrate humanity’s common heart and champion characters who sing their truth. We honor the best of the past by providing an outlet for the voices of the present, and we commit to a better future through our programming, education and community outreach.
VALUES
• Our art and the artists who create it reflect the diversity, inclusivity, and values of our community.
• We honor the work of creators past and present, interpreting their work through the lens of our time, and encourage the creators of the future.
• We nurture and champion the remarkable talent that the Bay Area produces.
• We provide a safe and welcoming place for diverse artists to create and audiences of all demographics to experience musical theatre.
HISTORY
42nd Street Moon was founded in 1993 in San Francisco by Artistic Directors Greg MacKellan and Stephanie Rhoads. At the time, the company’s mission was to present staged concert performances of lesser-known and “forgotten” Broadway musicals of the 1920s through the 1970s. Actors held scripts in-hand throughout the performance, usually accompanied by a single piano, and there were no sets or elaborate costumes. The company continued in this concert format for 15 years; but in 2008 Moon put down the scripts and added costumes, choreography, and full blocking.
During this time Moon presented the American premieres of lost musical scores such as Jerome Kern’s THREE SISTERS, which was written in 1934 but never heard in America until Moon’s 1995 season, 61 years later, then revived again with additional material in 2011. In other cases, Moon gave the public the first production of a musical since its original Broadway run, such as Rodgers and Hart’s 1926 musical PEGGY-ANN.42nd Street Moon also fostered the development of new works, including the world premieres of MURDER FOR TWO in 2021 and SCROOGE IN LOVE! in 2015.
The retirement of Greg MacKellan in 2016 and the hiring of Executive Artistic Director Daniel Thomas and Producing Artistic Director Daren A.C. Carollo saw a shift in Moon’s mission: while continuing to bring less-often-produced musicals from Broadway’s Golden Age to the stage such as FIORELLO!, NEW GIRL IN TOWN, and SATURDAY NIGHT, more recent shows that fit well in the intimate Gateway Theatre like THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, and FUN HOME have also become part of Moon’s repertoire. In 2019 Moon’s production of ONCE won the Theatre Bay Award for Best Musical.
Celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2023, 42nd Street Moon honors the past, present, and future of musical theatre, and looks forward to continuing to celebrate the vitality and vibrancy of this art form.As a professional company, 42nd Street Moon is a signatory to the Bay Area Theatre Agreement of Actors’ Equity Association.