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Lily Janiak

@lilyjaniak.bsky.social

1.1K followers 280 following 350 posts

San Francisco Chronicle theater critic, wheelwoman, How can there be any sin in sincere?

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Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 1d

Tell the aspiring arts journalists in your life: the Chronicle is hiring a Datebook intern for next summer! Application deadline: Nov. 3. eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Datebook Intern, Summer 2026

The San Francisco Chronicle is seeking to create a pipeline for the next generation of arts journalists. The position will be based with Datebook, our guide to arts, entertainment and culture in the B...

eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 1d

I knew there would be contemporary parallels, but I don't think I anticipated quite so many. Theatre Lunatico's show is required viewing for every AI proponent or apologist. The rest of us can just savor those scrumptious Gothic thrills this Halloween. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Why ‘Frankenstein’ gets AI better than Silicon Valley ever will

Theatre Lunatico’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel seems tailor made for our artificial intelligence era.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 1d

Tell the aspiring arts journalists in your life: the Chronicle is hiring a Datebook intern for next summer! Application deadline: Nov. 3. eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Datebook Intern, Summer 2026

The San Francisco Chronicle is seeking to create a pipeline for the next generation of arts journalists. The position will be based with Datebook, our guide to arts, entertainment and culture in the B...

eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 2d

I love shows that clean me out and hang me out to dry. On Word for Word: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Word for Word’s latest will leave you an emotional wreck — in the best way

“Hard Times: Appalachian Stories by Ron Rash” exposes in real time how soft men harden.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 3d

I am READY for some Word for Word at Z Space!

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 3d

Most potent rendition of "I'm Going Home" from "Rocky Horror" I will ever see in my life. On SF Oasis and Ray of Light Theatre's latest as Oasis' long goodbye begins. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

A ‘Rocky Horror’ so good you might cry: Oasis’ send-off begins

Ray of Light Theatre and Oasis Arts’ production of “The Rocky Horror Show” helps usher the queer nightclub out the way it came in.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 4d

I'm that weird person who rewatched "Gilmore Girls" in anticipation of its 25th anniversary this week, curious about its secret sauce and why it still means so much to so many. Herein are a theory or two. What are yours, fellow fans? www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Why ‘Gilmore Girls’ still works, 25 years later

“Gilmore Girls” fans still swoon over Luke and Lorelai’s unresolved romance, but that unspoken passion hid a deeper love story at the heart of the show.

www.sfchronicle.com

Reposted by Lily Janiak

Peter Hartlaub @peterhartlaub.bsky.social · 5d

"This exists in San Francisco?"

That will be your mantra on the city's new perimeter trail — a path filled with good dogs, great sandwiches, art everywhere, and a reassuring number of public restrooms.

I covered it all by bike. Here are the highlights:

🚴‍♀️ 🌁 ❤️

www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...

An epic walk around San Francisco: Highlights of the 38-mile Roundabout Trail

Where to stop on San Francisco's new perimeter trail, including Heron Head Park, Cayuga Playground and more under-the-radar city treasures.

www.sfchronicle.com

Reposted by Lily Janiak

Gremliny Nussboo @emilynussbaum.bsky.social · 5d

Terrific, complex piece by @jasonzinoman.bsky.social about the Riyadh Comedy Festival: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/a...

Why Arguments About Free Speech Don’t Apply to the Riyadh Comedy Festival

www.nytimes.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 6d

Love to hear it!!!

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 6d

In case it's not obvious, my time working at NCTC made me revere Ed Decker, and now that he's retiring, he's picked a wonderful successor. 45 years in, the company's in great hands. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

For the first time in 45 years, this queer theater in S.F. has a new leader

Ed Decker is retiring from LGBTQ company New Conservatory Theatre Center, and his heir apparent has long been standing by his side.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 7d

Happening TONIGHT: Worried about the state of Bay Area theater? Wondering where the bright spots are, and if they're replicable? Join panelists Ted Russell, Susi Damilano and Jonathan Spector and me at Manny's for a discussion about our sector's future: www.sfchronicle.com/events/artic...

Chronicle Live: Where does Bay Area theater go from here?

Bay Area theater is struggling. Join Chronicle Theater Critic Lily Janiak and local experts for an evening about the state of theater and what the future could look like.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 7d

When a Bay Area theater does their season announcement, that means I get to have my annual chat with its artistic director, and who's more fun to talk to than Patrick Dooley, that salty sea captain at the helm of Shotgun Players? www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Shotgun’s next season brings a long-awaited return of this Bay Area auteur

Bay Area artists Mark Jackson and Erika Chong Shuch are among the writers and directors in the Berkeley theater’s 2026 lineup.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 10d

One of my favorite moments in reporting the whole thing is that Mark plays at BART so often that I ran into him there when I was going to the theater for another story. He's a fixture, and if you happen to hear him play, I hope it brightens your wait for a train as it did mine.

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 10d

His story involves mental illness and Child Protective Services, but also mighty artistic talent in multiple media. It's also much more complicated than I thought it would be, and it made me think about the Bay Area's long history as a haven for runaways.

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 10d

Over the past few months, I've gotten to know 20-year-old BART busker @markpdyson.bsky.social after he posted on Reddit that tips from passengers saved him from homelessness. www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

‘The luckiest unlucky guy’: 20-year-old escapes homelessness by busking at BART

A piano player has found an audience among transit riders at BART stations throughout the Bay Area.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 11d

Kamala Harris is coming to the Masonic on Sunday to discuss her campaign memoir "107 Days," and here's what it felt like to read it. My review of a book that mixes cringey résumé-brandishing with legit insight: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Kamala Harris’ memoir shows why the left keeps losing

OPINION: “107 Days” helps mourn Kamala Harris’ loss and what the country’s suffered since then, and it reminds us that our political present doesn’t have to last forever, Lily Janiak...

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 12d

I don't use words like "dazzling" lightly. But as I was in the audience for @sfplayhouse.org's latest, I genuinely thought, "I am dazzled." On "Noises Off": www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Dazzling ‘Noises Off’ at S.F. Playhouse shows that farce is our reality right now

Somehow, director Bill English sets the top of Michael Frayn’s comedy spinning and only accelerates it.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 16d

Pondering what keeps us coming back to Louisa May Alcott and how stage chemistry works. On “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” at TheatreWorks: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

‘Little Women’ paints a world as cheery as a Christmas card. Does it have to be a fantasy?

Louisa May Alcott’s novel, now in a TheatreWorks Silicon Valley world-premiere adaptation, endures in part because we want to believe the March’s homestead isn’t a bubble.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 16d

Getting to TheatreWorks for “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” via Tunitas Creek Road. I like to think Jo March would approve.

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 18d

Since “Les Mis” keeps making headlines, it felt like a good time to revisit the show and ask: Why does it hold special appeal to Trump? My theories herein; what are yours? www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Why Trump loves ‘Les Misérables’ — and what that says about 2025

Trump’s made the 45-year-old musical juggernaut a repeat news item. Here’s what it might be like to see the show through his eyes.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 18d

Now I have infinite respect for the demanding art of scare acting! Read on for tips on how to scare trick-or-treaters (or just your family members) better!

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 18d

I have long been wondering what it would be like if I took an acting class again after [redacted] years, and this story taught me that I am NOT READY!

But I *am* ready for "Hexed" by Terror Vault! www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Scare smarter, not harder: Pro tips from Terror Vault’s haunted house acting workshop

In advance of “Hexed” at the Mint, Terror Vault’s Peaches Christ and David Flower led a free scare acting workshop in San Francisco for would-be actors — and one theater critic.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 18d

Today's must-read: Tony Bravo's story on Heklina's closet: www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...

Inside Heklina's closet: S.F. drag icon's costumes, wigs and makeup tell her full story

Heklina shaped drag culture. After her death, her community is making sure it lasts.

www.sfchronicle.com

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 19d

Little-known musical. We’ll see if it catches on!

Lily Janiak @lilyjaniak.bsky.social · 19d

Ins Choi is such a star! 🤩 On "Kim's Convenience" at American Conservatory Theater: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Review: Ins Choi’s quiet star power lights up ACT’s 'Kim’s Convenience'

In his 2011 play, which later became a TV series that Netflix picked up, Ins Choi’s unusual breed of star power lights up the Toni Rembe Theater in San Francisco.

www.sfchronicle.com