Located in the heart of Union Square in San Francisco, Firescape Theatre seeks to blaze a new theatrical trail by aggressively presenting new American voices that create dialogue, not division, as well as similarly relevant works from the Great American Catalogue of Theater. Firescape practices a policy of completely open ethnic casting (where story and logic allow) to demonstrate the storytelling value of such varied inclusiveness.
Robert Zimmerman
Executive Director of the Beverly Hills Playhouse/SF, Rob started working professionally at age eleven at The Sharon Playhouse. He has been lucky enough to work with some of the top directors in the business including Jack O'Brien, Des McEnuff, Tony Richardson and David Lynch.
It is from these directors Rob learned the need for storytellers to always be 'pushing the envelope' whether the story is being told for the first or the thousandth time. He tries to bring this sensibility to every Firescape production.
As an actor Rob has appeared in Twin Peaks, The Larry Sanders Show, Port Charles and starred in the BBC made for TV movie, Murder, Too. Other film credits include Don's Plum with Leonardo DiCaprio & Tobey Maguire and Working Trash with Ben Stiller & George Carlin.
Peter Allas trained at Boston University Theatre BFA program and Fordham U. (Lincoln Center NYC) as well as the famed "Circle Rep Co.” directors program under B. Rodney Marriott. He studied under Master teacher and director Milton Katselas for over 21 years and has been associated with the Beverly Hills Playhouse as a teacher for over 10 years. In 2003 he started BHP/New York and then joined Rob Zimmerman in teaching at BHP/San Francisco.
He is an LA Critics (Dt. Story) and Helen Hayes (American Buffalo-Wash. DC) nominated stage actor and has 30+ years of major stage experience including Seattle Rep (Anna in The Tropics), Jupiter/Maltz (Glengarry Glen Ross), and Mark Taper (Expecting Isabel). He also starred in a special engagement revival of Talk Radio in San Francisco directed by Rob Zimmerman.
From TV he is widely recognized for Seinfeld (Calzone Man), The Sopranos (Salvatore from Napoli), and Il MIo Fratello Gioacchino - My Brother Jack (Naples & Method Fest winner). Films include Spider-Man 2, Encino Man & S.W.A.T.
He has directed some notable revivals such as American Buffalo, Extremities, Greek Fables, the world premiere of Winter Chimes in NYC, Savage In Limbo (1995 LA Critics pick), Italian American Reconciliation (2002) to his San Francisco directorial debut with Reasons To Be Pretty.
Peter Allas
