San Francisco Ballet Dance Festival in Massachusetts. In 1957, it was the first American ballet company to tour the Far East, performing in 11 Asian nations. On New Year's Day 1965, ABC-TV televised a one-hour abridgement of the Lew Christensen-choreographed production of "Nutcracker" featuring San Francisco Ballet. In 1972, San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House was named the official residence of San Francisco Ballet. In 1973, Michael Smuin became co-artistic director of San Francisco Ballet with Lew Christensen; Smuin had danced with the Company from 1953 to 1961. Under his direction, the national and international profile of SF Ballet was raised significantly by
San Francisco Playhouse to the new voices in American Theater. San Francisco Playhouse San Francisco Playhouse (formerly SF Playhouse) is a non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, founded in 2003 by Bill English and Susi Damilano. The theater stages nine plays yearly, including Broadway plays, musicals, and world and regional premieres. San Francisco Playhouse has been home to several notable world premieres, including "Bauer" by Lauren Gunderson, "Ideation" by Aaron Loeb, "Grounded" by George Brant, and "Seared" by Theresa Rebeck. As part of its mission to shape and promote the growth of performing arts in the Bay Area, San Francisco Playhouse created