The Castro Theatre, located in the Castro district of San Francisco, a historically LGBTQ+ neighborhood, reopened under new management on Feb. 6. The theater’s new management company, Another Planet Entertainment, plans to serve the LGBTQ+ community by highlighting queer artists in music, movies and more.
Another Planet Entertainment is a live music company. They manage Bay Area venues and events such as the Greek Theatre at the University of California (UC) Berkeley and San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park.
In early 2022, Another Planet took over management of the Castro Theatre from the Nasser family, who have owned the theater since 1922 and will remain the owners. From 2024 to 2026, Another Planet led a $41 million renovation to upgrade the theater, replacing and restoring elements of the venue such as the organ, HVAC system, sound system and neon Castro sign.
Urban community members have high expectations for Another Planet’s service to the LGBTQ+ community. “I’m sitting with fingers crossed that Another Planet understands what neighborhood they are occupying space in, and will be thoughtful about [the] types of acts that they bring in there,” said Scott Foster, performing arts department chair and music teacher.
Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) co-leader Harper Lind ’27 saw queer cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show shortly before the theater closed for renovation in 2024. “I felt very enveloped in this warm, supportive group of people who are all kind of strange and doing their own thing, in a really nice way,” they said.
Another Planet has pledged dedication to the queer community as they plan concerts, films, comedy shows, podcasts and drag shows. “We know that it’s a privilege and an honor to operate such a historic building in a historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood like The Castro,” Castro Theatre general manager Garrett Blanchard wrote in an email to The Urban Legend. “Making the theater have a variety of different types of programming allows us to bring many different types of people and groups together and to the neighborhood.”
In 2023, Another Planet promised that at least a quarter of their programming would consist of work by LGBTQ+ artists. “Twenty-five percent seems like a fair minimum, but I feel like it [should] be more than that, because people are gonna go to the Castro to see queer stuff,” Lind said.
Another Planet plans to incorporate live music into their programming at the Castro Theatre.
The Castro Theatre reopened in February with 20 sold-out performances by nonbinary singer Sam Smith. Transgender popstar Kim Petras accompanied the final performance on March 14. Upcoming performances and events include the 69th annual San Francisco International Film Festival from April 24 to May 4 and the 29th annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival from May 6 to 10.
The Castro Theatre’s inclusion of music performances in addition to movies might encourage community building. According to UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine, listening to music can chemically impact the brain to feel close and connected to others.
“There’s nothing like being in communion and experiencing those vibrations in a room with other people,” Foster said. “The power and my favorite thing about music is how it can create community, camaraderie and highlight the commonality between people.”
For some members of the LGBTQ+ community, performances by queer artists are deeply touching. “It’s about seeing the possibilities of who you can be,” Lind said. “It’s a very spiritual experience to see something that really speaks to you.”
After the Castro Theatre’s reopening, some have noticed a general rise in energy along the entire street. “[The Theatre’s reopening] changed business up here, for everyone up and down the block,” Foster said. “Everybody’s just risen up so much.”