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Articles by David Chavez
What Midyear Trends Are Telling Us About Cyber Risk In 2026
More than halfway through 2026, it still feels like every time you turn a corner in cyber, there’s something new to deal with. The environment is more connected than ever, technology is moving fast, and everything ties together in ways that aren’t always easy to see. AI, third-party dependencies, and infrastructure concentration are now part of the day-to-day, and they’re changing how teams think about exposure and resilience. Preparation has evolved too.
Bay Area composer reflects on Pulitzer Prize win ahead of Met Opera premiere
As Gabriela Lena Frank prepares for a career-defining moment at the Metropolitan Opera, the Bay Area composer is also reckoning with another milestone that arrived almost simultaneously. Frank, a Berkeley High School alumna who now lives in Mendocino County, earned the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music for “Picaflor: A future myth,” a work inspired by Andean mythology, climate activism and California wildfires.
Nokia Stock Skyrockets 17% After NVIDIA’s $1B AI Partnership Deal
Nokia stock soared 17% in Helsinki trading on Tuesday after the Finnish telecom giant announced a $1 billion strategic investment from U.S. chipmaker NVIDIA, marking one of the most significant cross-industry partnerships in recent years. The deal establishes a deep collaboration in the development of AI-driven Radio Access Networks (AI-RAN) and next-generation connectivity infrastructure, cementing Nokia’s renewed presence in the global AI race.
Misha Berson, an influential Bay Area theater Critic, dies at 74
Misha Berson, a Seattle theater critic who spent years writing in the Bay Area, died Feb. 13, 2025 at age 74. Photo: Courtesy of Paul Schiavo When Misha Berson was writing theater criticism in the 1980s for the alternative weekly San Francisco Bay Guardian, a review raised the hackles of Tony Taccone, then artistic director of San Francisco’s Eureka Theatre.
Review: Oakland A's final Coliseum moments echo in ‘King James’ play
Kenny Scott as Shawn, left, and Jordan Lane Shappell as Matt in TheatreWorks' "King James." Photo: Kevin Berne/TheatreWorks Silicon Valley It’s been a few weeks since my last visit to the Oakland Coliseum, but some very specific observations made that night come roaring back while watching Rajiv Joseph’s “King James.” In any other season, a late-September, last-inning Oakland Athletics victory would have sent this baseball fan skyrocketing through the brutalist concrete structure at 7000...
Review: Berkeley Rep’s thrilling ‘Mexodus’ celebrates hip-hop, power of unity
Brian Quijada, left, and Nygel D. Robinson in “Mexodus,” now at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Photo: Ben Krantz Studios Our ancestors couldn’t have imagined a day when their descendants would be sitting in plush chairs inside a cool theater in the heart of Berkeley, taking in a hip-hop musical that dramatizes their story.
San Francisco’s favorite nanny returns on stage in ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’
Rob McClure as Mrs. Doubtfire roams the Castro in San Francisco on May 29, 2024. McClure toured the neighborhood to promote “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the musical comedy at BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre starting July 2.
Compositional duo infuses ‘Galileo’ musical with rebellious sound
For composer Michael Weiner, the life of Galileo Galilei feels like rock music. It was Galileo’s role as an intellectual threat within strict Catholic doctrine in the 16th and 17th centuries that disrupted societal norms. Whether it was a discovery, or even a telescope, Galileo leaned into disruption just like the most memorable rockers in history.
Broadway’s unlikely usher: How ‘A Strange Loop’ became a decorated musical
James Jackson, Jr., left, L Morgan Lee, Antwayn Hopper, John-Andrew Morrison, Jaquel Spivey, Jason Veasey and John-Michael Lyles in “A Strange Loop,” which comes to American Conservatory Theater. Photo: Marc J. Franklin The description of Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical “A Strange Loop” may sound a little convoluted.
How San Francisco prepared this actor for a career in arts and activism
Kristina Wong in front of now closed Mercy High School, which she attended in early 1990s. Photo: David John Chávez Kristina Wong has many fond memories of growing up in San Francisco’s Sunset District, but middle school is nowhere near those lovely recollections. As a young teen in the early ’90s, once her school day ended, she trudged up the massive 14th Street hill to her house, the peak of her walk offering picturesque views from the Golden Gate Bridge to Sutro Tower.
Review: The profound life and scintillating music of Betty Reid Soskin shine in ‘Sign My Name to Freedom’
Left to right: Tierra Allen as Little Betty and Cathleen Riddley as Betty Reid Soskin in “Sign My Name To Freedom.” Photo: Alexa “LexMex” Treviño Betty Reid Soskin’s amazing life was often a societal reminder that Black women like her may not thrive without a man, run businesses, sing to the heavens or speak out against racism's horrific past and crippling present. Fortunately, she was entirely too busy changing the universe to let that message drag her down.
Review: In ‘Larry the Musical,’ Filipinos fight to make labor leader a household name
In “Larry the Musical: An American Journey,” fighting is a critical theme. Filipinos who came to the United States for the same reason all immigrants come to the country had to fight to be heard, seen and respected. To hear Larry Itliong say it, the mission is clear: “Let’s fight for the voiceless.” “Larry the Musical: An American Journey”: Co-written by Gayle Romasanta and Kevin Camia. Directed and choreographed by Billy Bustamante. Through April 14. $55-$150, subject to change.
Magic Theatre’s ‘Dirty White Teslas’ examines the future of Black San Francisco
Ashley Smiley watches rehearsal of her play “Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad.” Photo: Benjamin Fanjoy/The Chronicle The mind of playwright Ashley Smiley is awash in perception. The Bayview-Hunters Point native’s thoughts about the San Francisco neighborhood where she was raised are full of contradictions. The picturesque nature of the city’s southeast corner of rich culture and history remains intact in her memory, but the long list of well-documented challenges have certainly left an imprint.
‘Kooza’ features plenty of magic, not all of it reserved for the stage
San Francisco Chronicle LogoHearst Newspapers Logo Presiding over the seven-day construction of a massive circus village that includes a 2,542-seat big top and a full-service restaurant for the more than 200 performers, crew members and extended family of a Cirque du Soleil production would be a lot for most people. But not for Jean-Francois Raymond.
How the Bay Area helped shape Disney's blockbuster stage productions
Thomas Schumacher at D23 EXPO in August 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Photo: Matt Petit/Disney Enterprises via Getty Images/Disney General Entertainment Con After 15 minutes of Thomas Schumacher chatting it up about all things Broadway, an impromptu conversation he saturates with boundless, youthful energy, he asks a critical question.
Mother and son choreograph story of Afro-Brazilian capoeira legend
Choreographer SeQuoiia and dancer Tara Bucknor Photo: Bekah Lynn Photography SeQuoiia lives firmly within multiple sets of eight counts. As he slides across the faded wood floor of MoonSchool studio in San Francisco, counting beats to himself, every movement he makes is calculated. His influence is gentle as he shares details with the cast members he choreographs, but his guidance is authoritative.
How offstage tragedies made ‘Rent’ seem even more real
Actor Anthony Rapp performs his one-man show, “Without You.” Photo: Russ Rowland Some 19 years before the phenomenon of “Hamilton,” there was “Rent.” Back in 1996, the baby-faced cast of the future Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical found themselves in the middle of a cultural explosion. Fans known as Rent-heads camped out for hours to score a $20 rush ticket, a younger, hipper demographic that planted its flag on Broadway.
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By Bob Strauss Verified, Aidin Vaziri Verified, David Chavez, David John Chávez, Zack Ruskin Verified
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