“Silicon Valley gets the Hamilton treatment”FINANCIAL TIMES
Rafe Uddin
“A tool to spark critical conversations and identify common ground”KQED
Pendarvis Harshaw
“Wildly creative, bristling with kinetic energy”BROADWAY WORLD
Steve Murray
“Silicon Valley gets the Hamilton treatment”FINANCIAL TIMES
Rafe Uddin
“A tool to spark critical conversations and identify common ground”KQED
Pendarvis Harshaw
“Wildly creative, bristling with kinetic energy”BROADWAY WORLD
Steve Murray
Press
World Premiere,
we did that
Thanks to the people who SOLD OUT the 40-show run at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), making Co-Founders one of the highest demanded shows in Bay Area history.
DSC_4523
CFS_306
810_3155
DSC_4547
810_1500
810_1761
DSC00006
DSC00040
DSC09988
DSC_4340
DSC_4714
810_8446
CFS_065
CFS_100
CFS_141
CFS_226
DSC_3621
810_3239
DSC_7876
DSC_7900
DSC_7912
DSC_7936
DSC_8097
DSC_8291
DSC_8869
DSC_8932
DSC_8949
DSC_8976
DSC_9020
DSC_9090
DSC_9109
DSC_9139
DSC_9153
DSC_9166
DSC_9186
DSC_9232
DSC_9249
IMG_4658
DSC_8593
CFS_222
DSC_7848
810_1543
DSC00003
DSC00010
DSC00045
DSC09989
DSC_4654
810_3414
CFS_015
CFS_080
CFS_134
CFS_143
CFS_271
DSC_8900
DSC_7793
DSC_7879
DSC_7907
DSC_7923
DSC_7948
DSC_8121
DSC_8784
DSC_8918
DSC_8940
DSC_8967
DSC_9005
DSC_9051
DSC_9103
DSC_9119
DSC_9144
DSC_9155
DSC_9175
DSC_9191
DSC_9233
DSC_9250
IMG_4665
DSC_8272
CFS_186
DSC_8955
810_1706
DSC00004
DSC00020
DSC09980
DSC_4286
DSC_4692
810_3419
CFS_043
CFS_092
CFS_137
CFS_169
CFS_299
DSC_8912
DSC_7873
DSC_7883
DSC_7910
DSC_7931
DSC_8040
DSC_8130
DSC_8858
DSC_8929
DSC_8944
DSC_8970
DSC_9007
DSC_9063
DSC_9107
DSC_9130
DSC_9152
DSC_9158
DSC_9181
DSC_9214
DSC_9237
IMG_4653
IMG_4668
→Synopsis
“Co-Founders” is the story of a young Oakland coder who builds an AI avatar of her late father — and watches it become the breakout product of Silicon Valley’s most competitive startup accelerator. As her company takes off, she has to decide what’s worth scaling, what’s worth grieving, and what it means to stay connected as humans in a world racing to replace us.
→Development History
The Public Theater (Joe's Pub, NYC)
Musical Review / 2022
The Strand Theater (A.C.T. SF)
American Conservatory Theater, Writers Workshop / 2022
NAMT Festival of New Works (NYC)
National Alliance of Musical Theater / 2020
O.D.C. Theater (SF)
Staged Workshop / 2019
Netflix (Silicon Valley)
Nextplay Events Showcase / 2018
Folsom St Foundry (SF)
Staged Workshop / 2018
Palace of Fine Arts (SF)
Lean Startup Conference / 2018
Silicon Valley Fashion Week (SF)
BetaBrand Showcase / 2017
→Creative Team
WRITER
(01)
Ryan Nicole Austin
Grammy-nominated polymath working at the intersection of art & activism. Featured on TEDx San Francisco, ESPN's NBA at Christmas, performed for Google, Sony, LinkedIn, Apple & Barack Obama. Playwright-in-residence at Public Theater, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, California Shakespeare Theater, and American Conservatory Theater. B.A. in Sociology and Political Science, San Diego State University.
WRITER / PRODUCER
(02)
Beau Lewis
Emmy-winning writer, producer, viral media expert. Music videos exceed 250M views. Featured in NY Times, Atlantic, Fortune, Good Morning America. CEO of Rhyme Combinator. Co-Founded GoldieBlox board. BS Engineering from Stanford, international relations focus from Oxford.
WRITER
(03)
Adesha Adefela
Actor in musical theater since age 5. Independent artist and Billboard-charted musician from Oakland, CA. Shared stages with Jazmine Sullivan, Carl Thomas, Ledisi, Goapele. Co-starred in Warner Brothers reality TV show.
DIRECTOR
(04)
Jamil Jude
Director, producer, playwright, dramaturg. Artistic Director at Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre in Atlanta. Co-Founder of The New Griots Festival and Colored People's Theatre in Washington, DC. Focus on socially relevant and justice-driven work.
CO-PRODUCER
(05)
Anthony Veneziale
Conceiver/co-creator of Tony Award-winning "Freestyle Love Supreme." 20+ years performing/teaching improv, leader in musical improvisation. Founding member of American Immigrants (SF). Worked with Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs. Co-founded Speechless improv thinking company.
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
(06)
Victoria Theodore
Pianist, singer-songwriter, composer, music director. Beyoncé Formation World Tour (2016), Stevie Wonder touring band (2007+). Performed for President Obama, Queen Elizabeth. Arranged national anthem for 2020 NFL Kickoff, co-arranged Super Bowl LIII. Music Director for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Broadway 2017-2018).
VISUAL DIRECTOR
(07)
David Richardson
Visual director and co-inventor of PRISM holograms. Work recognized as transformative to storytelling by Forbes and Guardian. Recent show: CAGES (Los Angeles and London).
Does it take the same hustle
to sell a tape out of a trunk
as a computer out of a garage?