Footloose is an arts-presenting and producing organization that also creates and develops work in collaboration with artists from all fields of the performing arts, especially emerging and established women artists. The company provides resources and a home base for women to develop their work from initial through exhibition stages of the production process in order to promote their professional careers.
Footloose was founded in 1972 by Irini Nadel. Mary Alice Fry was appointed Artistic Director in 1982 and in 1989 opened Shotwell Studios at 3252-A 19th Street, San Francisco. From 1996 to 2004, Fry was the driving force behind the creation and success of Venue 9, the premiere performance space in San Francisco's South of Market. When Venue 9 closed, Footloose remodeled Shotwell Studios into an excellent 49-seat space, available to the entire arts community for rehearsals, classes and performances. The studios are centrally located in the Mission district near Valencia Street, 16th and Mission BART and MUNI, making it accessible to one of the most thriving art communities on the west coast. See Shotwell Studios page for details on the facility, rentals and online calendar.
Footloose presents a multi-disciplinary format of theater, dance, music, comedy and multi-media performances. Programming includes Footloose's own productions, collaborations, residencies, and co-presentations with other producers. The centerpiece of the company's programming is the acclaimed, annual Women on the Way Festival held each January for three weekends. Currently, the festival is held at three venues: Shotwell Studios, ODC Theater, 351 Shotwell Street and The Garage at 975 Howard, all in San Francisco. See WOW FEST page for more information and details on the artists in this year's festival. Go to the PRESS ROOM for press materials related to current events.
AIM: Artists in Motion is the name for the performing arts residency program at Shotwell Studios. Footloose presents performances of the new work created during the residencies. An individual or group whose residency culminates in a showcase may also invite guest artists to share the bill. This ongoing, year-round series features live performances of dance, theater, music, spoken word and multi-media. Artists at Shotwell are considered for a variety of programming here and at other venues. In addition, participating artists in Footloose productions are offered free rehearsal space, publicity and marketing, technical and administrative support and mentoring on how to self-produce.
The Artistic and Executive Director of Footloose is the dynamic, multi-talented Mary Alice Fry. Her 35 years in dance and theatre as performer, director and producer make her intimately familiar with production from conception to finale, while her 25 years' experience in the fields of law, education, marketing and regional sales management have made her a natural candidate for her prominent leadership role in nonprofit community service organizations.
She has been responsible for coordinating the annual Women on the Way Festival, including recruiting and locating the talent, developing marketing strategies, monitoring press contacts, and presenting the material in a professional format. Other programming achievements include creating and producing the weekly and monthly series from 1996-2004 at Venue 9 including Women's Work, Meet the Beat, the Creative Music and Sunday Comedy series.
History: Born and educated in South Florida where she began her own artistic work, Mary Alice Fry studied acting at Herbert Berghoff/Uta Hagen Studios in New York. She moved to the Bay Area in 1980 to study movement theater with her mentor and master teacher, Irini Nadel. In 1982, she and Kathy Zetes, currently an advisory board member, were appointed co-directors of Footloose. Together, they performed and taught movement theater and contact improvisation, bringing about a much wider acceptance and understanding of the two art forms. In 1989, Mary Alice Fry started Footloose programs at Shotwell Studios, which she continues to oversee. In 1996, Footloose took over the lease for Climate Theater and renamed it Venue 9. Primarily through Fry's efforts in booking original material, Venue 9 became a successful intimate performance space which was highly regarded by artists, audiences, the press, and the local community.
Artistic accomplishments: Ms. Fry's directing credits include her own multi-media performances, Cactus, Falling Back to Earth, Sound Advice, To Infinity and Beyond, as well as Talking With by Jane Martin, In Mourning by Karin Cabello Moriarty, and recently 51 & Counting by Mary Ann Boyd. She was a collaborator and performer in the critically acclaimed dance theater productions by Footloose at Venue 9: A Thousand Grey Birds, and Mudwings, both directed by British director, Angus Balbernie. She was associate choreographer and performed in the award-winning 1985 experimental opera Tokens, created by David Schein and directed by Bob Ernst of the Blake St. Hawkeyes, and performed at Theater Artaud.
Community Service: In the mid-1980's Mary Alice Fry was executive director of the Haight Ashbury Community Coalition, a nonprofit organization that operated cultural, after-school and job placement programs for youth. She was also active in the Inner Sunset-Haight Ashbury Community Organization in planning the conversion of the abandoned Polytechnic High School's two gymnasiums into community-use spaces, now the San Francisco Circus Center and Acrosports. She is the mother of Rosie Fry, an up and coming hybrid performance artist in her own right.
Says Fry: "We want a home for many kinds of performance, especially cross discipline. We draw upon new talent that doesn't get much exposure and invite the established artists to return with new work."
Footloose is funded in part by grants from the Zellerbach Family Fund, the W. & F. Hewlett Foundation, the W.A. Gerbode Foundation, Grants for the Arts, San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, San Francisco Arts Commission Grants Program, The Argosy Foundation and generous individuals. Corporate sponsors include Copy Central and the SF Bay Guardian.
PLEASE DONATE TO WOW NOW!
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the arts, please send your check payable to Footloose at PO Box 885393, San Francisco, CA 94188 or through PAYPAL.
Footloose was founded in 1972 by Irini Nadel. Mary Alice Fry was appointed Artistic Director in 1982 and in 1989 opened Shotwell Studios at 3252-A 19th Street, San Francisco. From 1996 to 2004, Fry was the driving force behind the creation and success of Venue 9, the premiere performance space in San Francisco's South of Market. When Venue 9 closed, Footloose remodeled Shotwell Studios into an excellent 49-seat space, available to the entire arts community for rehearsals, classes and performances. The studios are centrally located in the Mission district near Valencia Street, 16th and Mission BART and MUNI, making it accessible to one of the most thriving art communities on the west coast. See Shotwell Studios page for details on the facility, rentals and online calendar.
Footloose presents a multi-disciplinary format of theater, dance, music, comedy and multi-media performances. Programming includes Footloose's own productions, collaborations, residencies, and co-presentations with other producers. The centerpiece of the company's programming is the acclaimed, annual Women on the Way Festival held each January for three weekends. Currently, the festival is held at three venues: Shotwell Studios, ODC Theater, 351 Shotwell Street and The Garage at 975 Howard, all in San Francisco. See WOW FEST page for more information and details on the artists in this year's festival. Go to the PRESS ROOM for press materials related to current events.
AIM: Artists in Motion is the name for the performing arts residency program at Shotwell Studios. Footloose presents performances of the new work created during the residencies. An individual or group whose residency culminates in a showcase may also invite guest artists to share the bill. This ongoing, year-round series features live performances of dance, theater, music, spoken word and multi-media. Artists at Shotwell are considered for a variety of programming here and at other venues. In addition, participating artists in Footloose productions are offered free rehearsal space, publicity and marketing, technical and administrative support and mentoring on how to self-produce.
The Artistic and Executive Director of Footloose is the dynamic, multi-talented Mary Alice Fry. Her 35 years in dance and theatre as performer, director and producer make her intimately familiar with production from conception to finale, while her 25 years' experience in the fields of law, education, marketing and regional sales management have made her a natural candidate for her prominent leadership role in nonprofit community service organizations.
She has been responsible for coordinating the annual Women on the Way Festival, including recruiting and locating the talent, developing marketing strategies, monitoring press contacts, and presenting the material in a professional format. Other programming achievements include creating and producing the weekly and monthly series from 1996-2004 at Venue 9 including Women's Work, Meet the Beat, the Creative Music and Sunday Comedy series.
History: Born and educated in South Florida where she began her own artistic work, Mary Alice Fry studied acting at Herbert Berghoff/Uta Hagen Studios in New York. She moved to the Bay Area in 1980 to study movement theater with her mentor and master teacher, Irini Nadel. In 1982, she and Kathy Zetes, currently an advisory board member, were appointed co-directors of Footloose. Together, they performed and taught movement theater and contact improvisation, bringing about a much wider acceptance and understanding of the two art forms. In 1989, Mary Alice Fry started Footloose programs at Shotwell Studios, which she continues to oversee. In 1996, Footloose took over the lease for Climate Theater and renamed it Venue 9. Primarily through Fry's efforts in booking original material, Venue 9 became a successful intimate performance space which was highly regarded by artists, audiences, the press, and the local community.
Artistic accomplishments: Ms. Fry's directing credits include her own multi-media performances, Cactus, Falling Back to Earth, Sound Advice, To Infinity and Beyond, as well as Talking With by Jane Martin, In Mourning by Karin Cabello Moriarty, and recently 51 & Counting by Mary Ann Boyd. She was a collaborator and performer in the critically acclaimed dance theater productions by Footloose at Venue 9: A Thousand Grey Birds, and Mudwings, both directed by British director, Angus Balbernie. She was associate choreographer and performed in the award-winning 1985 experimental opera Tokens, created by David Schein and directed by Bob Ernst of the Blake St. Hawkeyes, and performed at Theater Artaud.
Community Service: In the mid-1980's Mary Alice Fry was executive director of the Haight Ashbury Community Coalition, a nonprofit organization that operated cultural, after-school and job placement programs for youth. She was also active in the Inner Sunset-Haight Ashbury Community Organization in planning the conversion of the abandoned Polytechnic High School's two gymnasiums into community-use spaces, now the San Francisco Circus Center and Acrosports. She is the mother of Rosie Fry, an up and coming hybrid performance artist in her own right.
Says Fry: "We want a home for many kinds of performance, especially cross discipline. We draw upon new talent that doesn't get much exposure and invite the established artists to return with new work."
Footloose is funded in part by grants from the Zellerbach Family Fund, the W. & F. Hewlett Foundation, the W.A. Gerbode Foundation, Grants for the Arts, San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, San Francisco Arts Commission Grants Program, The Argosy Foundation and generous individuals. Corporate sponsors include Copy Central and the SF Bay Guardian.
PLEASE DONATE TO WOW NOW!
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the arts, please send your check payable to Footloose at PO Box 885393, San Francisco, CA 94188 or through PAYPAL.