Latest news with #ClayTheater
San Francisco Chronicle
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Peaches Christ to direct new movie about making of a cult S.F. drag film
The making of a cult San Francisco drag movie is about to be the focus of a film of its own. San Francisco filmmaker Joshua Grannell plans to direct the adaptation of Craig Seligman's 2023 biography of drag performer Doris Fish, 'Who Does That Bitch Think She Is? ,' focusing specifically on the making of the 1991 film 'Vegas in Space.' 'Vegas in Space' stars Doris Fish — along with fellow San Francisco drag performers Miss X, Ginger Quest and Timmy Spence — in a story about male astronauts who must change their gender via pills to enter the all-female planet of Clitoris. The script for the forthcoming project will be written by Grannell, also known as drag performer Peaches Christ, and Michael Varrati, a screenwriter and Grannell's cohost on the 'Midnight Mass' podcast. 'I want to do for Doris Fish what Tim Burton did for Ed Wood,' Grannell told the Chronicle, referring to Burton's 1994 biopic on the low-budget horror master that reintroduced Wood to a new generation of fans. 'It's a great San Francisco story of drag, filmmaking, drugs and chosen family.' Grannell said he's wanted to make a film about Doris Fish since screening 'Vegas in Space' at a 'Midnight Mass' event at the Clay Theater in 2006 that also featured Grannell interviewing costars Ginger Quest, Ramona Fischer and director Phillip R. Ford. The stories they shared about the film's origin as a drag theme party, the years-long delays in the San Francisco production and how Doris Fish funded the movie through prostitution immediately inspired him. 'I turned to Phillip at one point and said there should be a movie about the making of 'Vegas in Space,' and he kind of raised an eyebrow and said, 'Yeah, there should be. Maybe you should be the one to do it,'' Peaches Christ recalled. 'Vegas in Space' was filmed at Doris Fish's apartment at 422 Oak St. over the course of 18 months. But it took eight years for Ford and Doris Fish, who also co-wrote the film and helped design the production, to raise the money to complete the project. The movie went on to have a cult following on video and late night television. Doris Fish was born Philip Mills in Sydney, Australia, in 1952, and found his way to drag through the glitter and androgyny of late 1960s and '70s music and fashion. (While he was known by most as Doris Fish, he identified as a cisgender male and used male pronouns.) As a teenager, he formed the Sydney drag group Sylvia and the Synthetics. He eventually moved to San Francisco where he found a drag community with performers such as Tippi and Miss X, with whom he formed the Sluts A-Go-Go. Doris Fish and the Sluts A-Go-Go are seen as among the most significant drag artists of the 1980s San Francisco, akin to the Cockettes of the 1970s or the Trannyshack scene of the 1990s. 'Vegas in Space' remains Doris Fish and the Sluts' greatest legacy. 'Throughout the history of San Francisco there are people who really changed the game, and Doris was that person for San Francisco drag in the '80s,' said Grannell, director of the 2010 horror film 'All About Evil' starring Natasha Lyonne. 'One of the things that she wanted to do was make movies. Movies were forever, stage shows could be fleeting. If they wanted to preserve what they were doing with drag you had to do it in a movie.' Doris Fish battled AIDS as 'Vegas in Space' was in post-production and died in June 1991 at age 38. The film premiered that October at the Castro Theatre, just a few months after co-star Tippi also died from AIDS. The film was released by Troma Entertainment, and former Troma executive Marty Sokol is on board as a producer on Grannell's forthcoming film. Given Sokol's role in acquiring 'Vegas in Space' for the company in 1991, Grannell said his involvement feels especially meaningful. 'From the moment I first saw 'Vegas in Space' when it aired on 'USA Up All Night' in the early-90s, I was enchanted,' said Varrati, referring to the weekly late night movie program that aired on the USA cable network. 'Before I even understood the significance of the film's upfront and unapologetic queerness, I was enamored by its indie spirit.' Seligman's book led to a revival of attention on Doris Fish, which has since included the launch of the website as the official store and archive for Doris Fish and the Sluts-A-Go-Go. A documentary directed by Scott Braucht is also currently in production. 'The resurgence has been quite exciting,' said Miss X, who also co-wrote the screenplay for 'Vegas in Space.' 'To see the legs this thing has had — our silly little movie has a lot going for it.' Grannell said the renewed interest in Fish added urgency to finalizing his own project. He hopes to film in San Francisco and acknowledged that casting a member of the queer community as Doris Fish is important. The film will also employ a number of drag artists to play supporting roles, he said. 'Peaches and I often discussed our desire to bring the true-life story of these dynamic individuals to a larger audience, and now we have the opportunity. It's a dream come true,' said Varrati, who is slated to host a special screening of 'Vegas in Space' at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on July 11. 'To us, this is about more than the making of a cult classic, but a deeply impactful story about the power of queer persistence.'
San Francisco Chronicle
10-06-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Long-vacant Clay Theater in S.F.'s Pacific Heights to finally undergo renovation
The historic Clay Theater, which has sat vacant for five years, will undergo a renovation starting later this year, good news for San Francisco's Upper Fillmore retail corridor. The Clay is one of a string of aging properties on Upper Fillmore that tech investor Neil Mehta bought roughly a year ago with grand plans to revitalize them. Mehta has said that he plans to bring in new retail tenants and improve a stretch of the corridor between Pine and Clay Streets that, in his view, had been falling short of its potential. One longstanding business shuttered as a result of the ownership change, one of a half dozen storefronts now owned by Mehta that remain vacant. The Upper Fillmore Revitalization Project, as Mehta's bid to improve the area is called, has appointed Ted Gerike as director and chief creative officer leading the theater's reboot. Gerike is the founder of Now Instant, a 'Los Angeles cinema-bookstore hybrid' and previously led digital content for New York's Metrograph theater, Mehta's team said in a statement. 'I envision The Clay as both a home for local voices and a bridge connecting San Francisco to the wider world of cinema and ideas,' Gerike said. At the Clay, he will oversee a 'dynamic slate of programming at the historic theater, including first-run premieres, repertory classics, filmmaker talks, and cinema-focused events,' according to UFRP. The theater at 2261 Fillmore St. will remain known as the Clay, and its landmarked sign and marquee will remain. A timeline for the renovation work was not given, but it will likely stretch into next year: the revitalization project said that it plans to submit plans to the city later this year and that the building requires 'extensive rehabilitation and modernization.' The plan is to preserve the theater's 'architectural heritage while outfitting it for 21st-century audiences.' Architectural firm Page & Turnbull will spearhead the rehabilitation work, along with Min Design. Design studio Perron-Roettinger has been tapped for the Clay's interior design, and global engineering and design firm Arup will serve as the acoustic, audiovisual, and theater consultant. Planned upgrades include 4K digital projection, 35mm film capabilities, new acoustics and handicap accessibility and fire safety improvements, Mehta's team said. Once completed, the 5,000-square-foot theater space is expected to feature 200 seats and host more than 500 film screenings annually. 'Our approach to this storied theater is emblematic of our broader vision: we aim to support unique and experiential small business entrepreneurs who will bring something new and special to the neighborhood we live in and love,' said Cody Allen, UFRP's executive director. Mehta, who is the managing partner of Greenoaks Capital and also lives in Pacific Heights, was initially accused of a ' hostile takeover ' of the area by former Supervisor Aaron Peskin and several small business owners who said he was pushing them out by not renewing their leases. Mysterious shell companies connected to Mehta spent some $40 million acquiring the Fillmore Street buildings. The string of subsequent business closures in connection with expiring leases caused friction in the community, which initially welcomed the fresh investment, the Chronicle first reported last year. The 46-year-old sushi restaurant Ten Ichi shuttered its doors after Mehta bought its building at 2235 Fillmore St. — owner Steve Amano accused the venture capitalist of displacing the business, which had been operating on a month-to-month lease. He said that his prior landlord told him he had to vacate the space when the building was in escrow to Mehta. Mehta pushed back on allegations that he displaced the family-run restaurant, stating that the parties came to an agreement that involved forgiving back-rent owed by Amano. 'I'm still looking for a new space,' Amano told the Chronicle in an email last month. Across the street, Mediterranean restaurant La Mediterranee late last year won its fight to remain in its home of more than four decades after Mehta agreed to extend its lease through 2028. The deal came after community members and city officials pressured Mehta. A Starbucks that operated at 2222 Fillmore St. for more than three decades also closed after its building was sold to Mehta and its lease expired last year. Noosh, a restaurant at 2001 Fillmore St., also closed for mechanical repairs after its building was sold to Mehta last year and never reopened. Mehta has described the revitalization project as a 'deeply personal' effort to boost the neighborhood where he grew up. During a podcast interview earlier this year, Mehta revealed plans to restore the theater and open an all-day diner on Upper Fillmore without sharing specifics. He also promised to lease the retail spaces in his building at below market rates. While Mehta's storefronts remain empty, the neighborhood appears to be in a better place than a year ago. 'The return of the Clay Theater is more than the reopening of a beloved movie house — it's the revival of a cultural cornerstone that has shaped the soul of Pacific Heights for generations. Since its closure in 2020, our community has deeply felt its absence,' the Fillmore Merchants Association said in a statement. 'Its return signals not just a nod to our past, but an investment in the vibrant, connected future of our neighborhood.' Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, who represents the area, said he's 'ecstatic' that 'this cherished landmark will remain a theater and cinematic centerpiece.' Allen, of UFRP, declined to provide updates on the team's plans for the other buildings, but said that more announcements are planned in the coming months.
