35 Years, 35 Faces:
Peter Sinn Nachtrieb by / Theatre Bay Area Staff

Who are you? Can you give a little bit of background about how you got to where you are today?

I am Peter Sinn Nachtrieb. As a kid I often entertained myself by mounting my own puppet shows. This spawned an interest for theatre and acting and improv and comedy that grew all the way to college where I was a theatre (and biology) major. My original focus was on performance, but I really got into writing comedy sketches, then solo performances, then a one-act. When I moved back to San Francisco after college I began to pursue acting and writing, working often with Killing My Lobster. At a certain juncture, I decided to double down on playwriting, and went to grad school at SF State. KML produced one of my plays, Hunter Gatherers; the ball started rolling, and I'm continuing to remain on top of said ball as opposed to under it.

What is your history with Theatre Bay Area?

I've been a member since the late 90s. I did one General Audition (nailed it), have received two New Works Fund grants, some very generous articles, the Glickman prize, and a bunch of comp tickets.

You are being honored particularly for receiving the Glickman Award. Please tell us about your association with that aspect of Theatre Bay Area.

Working on the production of "Hunter Gatherers" still remains one of the most wonderful theatrical projects I've worked on. Everything and everyone seemed to click in the right way and then to observe the effect it had on its audience was wonderful. It was a major triumph for all of us to see KML’s first production of a play be honored with the Glickman. As a playwright, it was great injection of confidence that perhaps I had chosen the correct profession. Theatre Bay Area has now given me financial support for two plays, incredible support in the pages of the magazine and published the "Hunter Gatherers" script to boot. It's a big part of the Bay Area being a good theatrical home for me.

Why is theatre important? What do you think your role is keeping it a vital part of civilization? How does Theatre Bay Area help?

I don't know if theatre is important. Culture seems to be doing just fine with it hunkered in the margins that it’s smooshed in. But I will say that theatre is FUCKING AWESOME. That it is powerful and can be engaging and affect people greatly or at least give them better than average night out. That it can be deeply satisfying to make. And that it's also an exciting, eclectic community to be a part of and I hope that generations of new people continue to find a home within it.

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