Turnabout Theatre / Encore / Showcase / One Act / Cable Car Theatre / Fifth Arrow

430 Mason St. | map |

Opening: 1912 as Native Sons Hall, a fraternal meeting space. This venue is downstairs in the Native Sons of the Golden West Building, 414-430 Mason St. It's on the east side of the street between Geary and Post. The main floor performance space, now a music club called August Hall, was earlier known as the Stage Door Theatre, Regency III and Ruby Skye. 
 
Seating: It varied with different tenants. When it was the Encore Theatre the capacity was 140.
 

A 1956 view of the entrance taken while the Stage Door was running "Invitation to the Dance," a May release. It's from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.  

This became the Turnabout Theatre in 1956 with a July 24 opening. The troupe led by Harry Burnett, Forman Brown and Richard Brandon had earlier operated the Turnabout Theatre on La Cienega in Los Angeles. Beginning in April 1956 they had been at California Hall at Polk and Turk. 
 

The Turnabout awning. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. 

The entrance in 1956 during the run of "Tommy Turnabout's Circus." It's a photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.  
 
 

A 1956 "Tommy Turnabout" flyer. It's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.  
 
 

A fall 1956 display advertising guest star Corinna Mura. It's a Los Angelres Public Library photo. 

 

An October/November 1956 flyer for Corinna Mura and an engagement of the Duncan Sisters. It's from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
 

A sandwich board advertising an appearance by "lovely singing star" Marion Bell. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

Thanks to Kevin Walsh for locating this mention about the Turnabout in the December 1956 issue of California Visitor: 

"In San Francisco, at its own theatre, the Turnabout Theatre continues to duplicate its remarkable success, and decades long run in Los Angeles. This unique dual entertainment starts with a witty and highly diverting puppet revue at one end of the theatre, and after intermission and coffee in the Green Room, the seats (from old street cars) are all reversed, and a live stage show, or olio, takes place at the opposite end of the theatre. Very clever, generally offbeat, highly amusing, and some excellent talents. Furthermore, it is cheery and simple enough so that you can take your most shockable relatives with impunity."

A view of a lobby item from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
 

The Turnabout Green Room. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. 
 

The refreshment bar. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. Also see: puppet workshop | another workshop view |

They closed January 13, 1957. See a typed program for the final weekend -- because they couldn't afford to have any printed. After leaving San Francisco the Turnabout team had an engagement in Balboa Park in San Diego. 

More photos related to the Turnabout troupe's time in San Francisco can be seen via a search for "Turnabout San Francisco" on the Los Angeles Public Library website. Also see "Life on a String," the Library's site based on their collection of Yale Puppeteers and Turnabout Theatre memorabilia. 

Kevin Walsh notes that the 1957 city directory listed 430 Mason as vacant. 
 
By 1959 the space was called the Encore Theatre. Herbert Blau and Julius Irving's San Francisco Actor's Workshop had been using the Marines' Memorial Theatre since 1955 and started using the Encore as a studio space. Their first production there was Samuel Beckett's "Endgame," opening May 10, 1959. See the San Francisco Actor's Workshop website for a history of the company. Thanks to Steve Sigel for the data.


 
In 1964 the Encore had a production of "The Chalk Garden" while the Stage Door was running "What A Way To Go," a film that opened June 24. It's an Alan J.Canterbury photo in the San Francisco Public Library collection. This larger version comes from Jack Tillmany. 
 
"The Caretaker" was a summer 1964 production at the Encore from San Francisco Actor's Workshop.  



A 1966 flyer for The Mime Troupe at the Encore. Thanks to Mike Howard for sharing it on the Fillmore Poster Appreciation Society Facebook page. And thanks to Kevin Walsh for spotting the post.
 
An adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's "Rain" opened January 23, 1968 for a four week run with Carol Doda as Sadie Thompson. There's a clip of KTVU footage of her singing "God Bless the Child" on the SFSU Diva website from the Bay Area Television Archive. Thanks to Steve Sigel for locating it. 



 
A May 1968 look at the building. Thanks to Bill Gabel for locating it for a Cinema Treasures post. Jack Tillmany comments: "If you look closely, the downstairs space, operating as the Encore Theatre, seems to be offering 'Fortune and Men's Eyes.' Even though the little marquee seems to be blank, the name of the show is readable on the poster. Fact of the matter is, 'Fortune' had just closed after a successful run of 55 performances during March and April 1968, and the Encore was between engagements."
 

It was the First Stage Showcase running "Special Friends" at the time of this July 1975 photo by Tom Gray. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for sharing it. 

 

The downstairs space is seen as the Showcase Theatre in this c.1980 "San Francisco Experience" era shot from the Jack Tillmany collection. 
 

It was called the One Act Theatre and offering "San Joaquin Blues" at the time of this March 1982 photo by Tom Gray. Blumenfeld's Regency III had "Missing." It's from the Jack Tillmany collection. 
 
 

A closer look at the One Act entrance. It's another March 1982 Tom Gray photo from Jack Tillmany. He notes that the One Act people had expanded next door to 432 Mason for a theatre called the One Act II. Steve Sigel comments: 
 
"I remember designing that logo over the door when I was the General Manager of the One Act. And persuading the friendly minister of the Congregational Church next door to allow us to convert their basement function hall into One Act II, (we thought that was a clever name) a workshop for emerging playwrights. I remember Sam Shepard stopping in to support his wife O-lan's new work. SJB was the first of the creative collabs between playwright Michael Lynch , director Simon Levy and my music. Glory days."

 

It was the Cable Car Theatre and running "Co-Ed Prison Sluts" at the time of this March 1998 photo. Upstairs Elizabeth Ashley was performing "Gallop," her one woman show based on the life of Diana Vreeland. It's a photo from the Jack Tillmany collection.

Glen A. Micheletti comments: 

"As a legitimate theater space, I performed at the subterranean theatre space that was called The Cable Car many times, while upstairs was the nightclub Ruby Skye. I co-produced and performed in an improv show called 'Liquid Soap!, The Interactive Soap Opera.' Then I was in a show that was a mainstay in Chicago by the Annoyance Theater, the musical 'Co-ed Prison Sluts,' in which I played the killer clown. It was a 1998 production here by Pipedream Productions. 

"Then a production of Neil Simon's semi autobiographical 'Laughter on the 23rd Floor,' based on his days working for Sid Caesar. I played a character based on Woody Allen. After that production Pipedream produced their final show which was 'Play It Again, Sam' (I was not in that production). Finally I spent a couple of years in the immersive theater production of the NY hit, 'Tony & Tina‘s Wedding,' a production that opened New Year's Eve 2000. I knew every part of that space and I am thankful for the time I got to spend performing there."

Marie T. Riccobene adds:

"Did attend holiday dinners with friends who were NSGW in the 90s. Later performed in 'Tony & Tina's Wedding' in the small basement theatre of the building...and our cast would occasionally Conga dance in costume through the upstairs nightclub, Ruby Skye. Relieved this historic building is still standing!!"
 
Glen A. Micheletti adds that from about 2009 until 2017 the space was operated by the Ruby Skye team as a lounge called Slide that you could enter either via stairs or a slide.
 
 

A 2013 Slide photo from Brian T on a page about the club on Foursquare.  
 
 

A 2014 photo by Brad K on Foursquare.
 

 
The building in 2015. No signage was need for the Slide entrance over on the left. The doors on the right are for the building's upper floors. Photo: Bill Counter
 
Hoodline had a March 2017 story about the impending closure of Slide and Ruby Skye. 
 
Status: Since 2018 it's been called Fifth Arrow, operated in conjunction with August Hall upstairs. The 6,000 sf space has vintage arcade games, several bowling lanes, a bar and food service. It has a capacity of 200 for receptions or 85 for seated theatre-type events. See the Fifth Arrow website
 
 
 
At the bottom of the stairs. Photo: FA website
 
 

Bowling anyone? Photo: FA website
 
 

The bar. Photo: FA website
 
 

A 2022 view from Google Maps. 

More information: Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller.

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6 comments:

  1. Great history. Was the GM of the One Act and composed and music directed for San Joaquin Blues

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  2. The One Act was the beginning of my career as an L . D . in San Francisco in the 80’s . The connections I made there helped put me where I am now . Will be forever grateful .

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  3. Wonderful photo. Is it possible to get a copy of it. I am Michael Lynch...the playwright of SJ Blues

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    1. Well, both of the "San Joaquin Blues" shots are from the Jack Tillmany collection. But that's all now in the archives of the Niles Film Museum. You might try contacting them. But you might do just as well downloading them from the page.

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  4. I'm wondering if this is the downstairs theatre used as a rehearsal space by the Jefferson Airplane, sometime in 1965?
    “I was a teenager visiting S.F. in the Summer of ’65. I walked the city a lot. Question: Where the trolley cars turned around by the Floresheim Shoe Store, across the street was an underground facility where I watched the Jefferson Airplane psychedelic hearse show up for practice with Jerry Garcia in hand. I wandered down some steps and listened for half an hour. Anyone know what that place was?”1

    1. Reps, Mark, 2022-12-14, The 1960's & 70's San Francisco & Bay Area Music Scene, facebook.com

    I can be reached at slipnut01@gmail.com.

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    Replies
    1. Well, anything's possible. But it's not like we have a cable car turnaround on Mason between Post and Geary. Maybe it was some other venue? I don't have any data for bookings downstairs in the summer of '65.

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