The Curran Theatre has a new owner—the San Francisco Giants—signaling a surprising crossover between sports spectacle and the city’s cultural life. But here’s where it gets controversial: will a major athletic organization’s stewardship energize the venue with fresh programming, or will it steer the Curran toward a more conventional schedule at odds with its adventurous heritage?
The sale, confirmed this week in a joint press release from the Giants and Carole Shorenstein Hays, involved an undisclosed price. Larry Baer, the Giants’ president and CEO, stated that BroadwaySF—the ongoing operator and lessee of the Curran and the successor to SHN—would continue to run the theatre. He also hinted at a broader slate of live events and concerts when the venue isn’t tied up with a production, suggesting potential new life beyond straight plays.
Baer framed the acquisition as a sign of the organization’s commitment to San Francisco and to collaboration with city leadership to keep the downtown area active. The announcement also touches on a long-running connection: Baer had ties to Walter Shorenstein, Carole Shorenstein Hays’s late father and a member of the original investor group that helped keep the Giants in San Francisco in the early 1990s. According to reports, Shorenstein Hays’s banker approached Baer about a possible sale in recent months.
Shorenstein Hays explained that she wanted the Curran to continue thriving under stewards who would maintain its vitality for artists and audiences alike, and she expressed satisfaction that the Giants stepped up to take on that role.
Historically, the Curran has been a bellwether venue within BroadwaySF’s touring-season lineup since 2022. It hosted shows such as Shucked and Stereophonic (the latter a Tony-winning production brought to the Curran in a collaboration with ACT). Yet much of the year the theatre has not been in constant use, remaining largely unbooked and dark.
Under Shorenstein Hays’s leadership, the Curran became known for energizing, less-commercial theatricals that diverged from SHN’s traditional repertoire. Notable past efforts included Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music in 2017 and The Jungle in 2019, which radically transformed the space into the Calais Jungle refugee encampment with a built-in performance area on top of the orchestra section.
The prior ownership saga also involved a high-profile legal dispute: Shorenstein Hays was sued by former SHN partners in 2019 over the Curran’s handling of Broadway imports like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Dear Evan Hansen. A non-compete-related agreement tied to her acquisition of the theatre was at issue, and she ultimately transferred management to the British company Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) in 2019. In 2021 ATG expanded by acquiring BroadwaySF and two other San Francisco theatres formerly owned by the Nederlander Organization.
As for the near future, the Giants aren’t signaling a complete pivot away from the Curran’s artistic mission. Baer has suggested that while boundary-pushing programming might not be the immediate focus, the organization envisions notable concerts and live events supplementing the theatrical calendar. He notes that the team has a roster of potential collaborators, tempered by the realities of scheduling around the Giants’ ballpark commitments.
City leaders have welcomed the deal as a vote of confidence in downtown San Francisco and Union Square; Mayor Daniel Lurie described the sale as a strong sign of ongoing vitality in the area, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi commented that the Curran’s continued relevance is good news for the city. BroadwaySF’s General Manager Jamie Budgett added that the company looks forward to welcoming the Giants as new landlords.
So, what do you think—the Curran’s new ownership could bring fresh energy and expanded programming, but will a sports organization truly align with the venue’s bold, artistic ambitions? Is it possible to balance stadium-scale planning with intimate, boundary-pushing theatre, or will one side dominate? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments.
