Crushing

Crushing is a genre-defiant live show where multidisciplinary artists—playwrights, actors, novelists, poets, comedians—perform true stories from their love lives onstage.

Co-directed by Megan Calfas and Carly Steyer, and executive produced by Rosario Dawson, the show debuted with a sold-out run in NYC in 2023 (where Arianna Huffington called it "beautifully honest") and sold out again at SF's Bayfront Theater in 2025. Crushing returns to San Francisco at the Strand with an all-new lineup of artists.

We're anchored by the belief that romantic love is a connective tissue of the human experience, and one that teaches us profound things about who we are as individuals. Yet, for all its universality, it can still feel profoundly isolating. We hope our show is an antidote to that.

Previously Featured Artists and Works

See past casts: 2025 // 2023

Past performers include National Book Award-nominated novelist/poet sam sax, recording artist ROZZI (an A.C.T. alum!), four-time NAACP Image Award-winning podcaster Ashley Hobbs, Washington Post/Cosmopolitan contributor Natachi Onwuamaegbu—plus emerging playwrights, screenwriters, standup comedians, an Oakland high school freshman, and more.

The line-up for this year’s show will be announced in mid-August.