Jun 13, 2023
Part 2 catalogs Smiley's journey
out of high school and into the world of jobs and being a young
adult.
Then we get to her time at BVOH,
which began about four years ago. It started with an entry-level
job, which she didn't mind doing because it got her foot in the
door. Built in 1888 by the Masons, the then-designated "South San
Francisco Opera House" was a spot for them to meet and host
performances. Acoustically, that intention shows to this day. The
opera house also has dressing rooms with direct access to the stage
(which Smiley told me is not a common feature in buildings of this
kind).
With the Great Migration and its
influx of Black shipyard workers here in San Francisco, the
building became more of a community center. It also changed
demographically, from white folks to members of that Black
community. But, in Smiley's words, over the years, the building
"wasn't loved on," and fell into some dilapidation. In the 1950s,
The City wanted to tear the opera house down and build apartment
buildings ... until Ruth Williams said "no."
Black Panther free breakfasts
happened there. People met each other there. Performances like
plays and dance classes happened on the regular. Voters cast
ballots there.
In 1966, SFPD officers shot and
killed a young Black boy named Matthew "Peanut" Johnson, sparking a
riot. The opera house was hit with several hundred bullets in the
ensuing melee. Things were so bad for Black folks in SF, James
Baldwin filmed Take This
Hammer just outside the opera house in 1964. As
Smiley puts it, Bayview Opera House "has always been a place for
history-making and Black culture."
In 1989, an organization was formed
through the SF Arts Commission to manage programs at the building.
The opera house was established as San Francisco Historical
Landmark No. 8. Over the years, it changed hands several times, and
in 2015, a multimillion dollar grant was secured to do much-needed
renovations, including a new outdoor amphitheater that came in
handy during the pandemic.
2023 has been all about re-inviting
people inside. There are world premieres of operas and films. The
calendar is full. See for yourself.
We end the podcast hearing from two
folks who've been through BVOH's Tools of the Trade
program: Joe Kool and Miss
White, the First Lady of Frisco.
Photography by Jeff Hunt