Stars of the Early San Francisco Stage March 3, 2011

This exhibition is based upon photographs of stars of the early stage from the permanent collection here at the Museum of Performance and Design including a studio portrait of Luisa Tetrazzini, the famed Italian soprano who made her debut in San Francisco in 1905. Also in the exhibition are the Callender Minstrels, who made several Bay Area appearances and are thought to be the first African-American minstrel company to visit San Francisco. Lotta Crabtree is also featured in this exhibition as she was the most popular comedienne of her era, as well as the highest paid performer on the Broadway stage until that time.