Will the Academy of Art Evict the City's Premier African-American Theatre?

San Francisco African American leaders and Bay Area theatre lovers were shocked earlier this week that the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre could be forced out from its long time home at 620 Sutter Street. The Lorraine Hansberry, which last year celebrate its 25th anniversary and has been cited by theatre critics as one of the premier African American theatre companies in the United States, could lose its performance space because the Academy of Art University (not to be confused with the non-profit San Francisco Art Institute) that recently purchased the Julia Morgan-designed building that houses the theatre, informed Lorraine Hansberry directors Stanley Williams and Quentin Easter on June 5 that their lease would not be renewed. Williams and Easter have attempted to negotiate an amicable agreement with the Academy of Art University to remain at the 620 Sutter theatre space, but sources close to those discussions say the University is determined to turn the theatre space into a gym.

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