Stage Work

THEATER

Overview

A Playwright at the Heart of SF's Independent Theater Scene

Gabriel Leif Bellman has been a fixture of San Francisco's independent theater scene for over a decade, with plays and stories performed at the city's most celebrated literary and theatrical venues. His work spans short plays, live fiction performances, and experimental theater — often blurring the line between the page and the stage.

At PianoFight, Gabriel had multiple plays produced across their flagship festivals — including ShortLived, The Music Scene, and Mixtape: Fury Road. His plays are known for their wit, economy of language, and unexpected emotional turns.

Through SF Theater Pub, Gabriel has been a recurring playwright in the Pint Sized Play Festival and the On the Spot series, earning interviews and features in their publication. His play "Polling Place" was selected for the 2016 Pint-Sized Play Festival and performed to audiences at PianoFight.

Gabriel has also been a regular presence at Action Fiction — the live literary performance series where short fiction is performed on stage — with stories performed at StageWerx, Omnibucket, and as part of Litquake's annual LitCrawl, the world's largest literary pub crawl. His play "Resistance!" was performed as part of Occupy Theater on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, directed by Eileen Tull.

Key Venues & Series

PianoFight

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San Francisco's premier independent theater and arts venue. Gabriel has had multiple plays produced here, including works in the ShortLived festival, The Music Scene series, and Mixtape: Fury Road.

SF Theater Pub

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A beloved San Francisco theater collective known for its Pint Sized Play Festival and On the Spot series. Gabriel has been a recurring playwright and has been featured in multiple interviews on their blog.

Action Fiction

A live literary performance series where short fiction is performed on stage. Gabriel has had multiple stories performed at Action Fiction events at StageWerx and Omnibucket venues across San Francisco.

Litquake / LitCrawl

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The world's largest literary pub crawl, held annually in San Francisco. Gabriel has performed at multiple LitCrawl events, with stories performed live as part of the Action Fiction stage.

Exit Theater

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One of San Francisco's most storied fringe theater venues. Gabriel's play "Environmental Dissonance" was performed here as part of Cabaret Dada, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Dada movement.

Productions & Performances
November 2018
PianoFight, San Francisco
Nov. 5 – Dec. 10, 2018

Ambiguity

Gabriel's play "Ambiguity" ran as part of Mixtape: Fury Road at PianoFight.

Event Details
July 2018
PianoFight, San Francisco
July 12–14, 2018

Tuesday

Gabriel's play "Tuesday" was part of PianoFight's ShortLived VII: Round 5.

Event Details
March 2018
PianoFight, San Francisco
March 2018

Flo

Gabriel's play "Flo" was performed as part of "The Music Scene" for the month of March.

Event Details
October 2017
Litquake / Action Fiction, San Francisco
October 14, 2017

Vids

Gabriel's story "Vids" was performed by Jimmy Cross at Litquake's "Litcrawl" as part of Action Fiction.

Litquake 2017
September 2017
PianoFight / SF Music Scene
September 2017

Short Play (Music Scene)

Gabriel wrote a short play as part of SF's Music Scene.

Event Details
May 2017
Stagewerx Theatre, San Francisco
May 28, 2017

The Four Rs

Action Fiction performed Gabriel's story "The Four Rs" at Stagewerx Theater.

October 2016
Stage Werx Theatre / Litquake LitCrawl
October 15, 2016

How to take a man's jar of cherries out the front door with nary a smile

Gabriel's story was performed at Stage Werx as part of Litquake, the world's largest literary pub crawl.

LitCrawl 2016
August 2016
SF Theater Pub / Pint Sized Play Festival
August 15–29, 2016

Polling Place

Gabriel's play "Polling Place" was featured in the Pint Sized Play lineup, August 15–29. An interview about the production appeared in SF Theater Pub.

Read Interview
June 2016
PianoFight / SF Theater Pub Pint-Sized Play Festival
August 22–30, 2016

Polling Place

Gabriel's play "Polling Place" was selected for the 2016 Pint-Sized Play Festival, performed August 22, 23, 29, and 30 at 8 PM at PianoFight.

Announcement
March 2016
StageWerx Theatre / Action Fiction
March 20, 2016

Excepting Winter

Gabriel's play "Excepting Winter" was performed as part of Action Fiction! — Stories Performed.

March 2016
SF Theater Pub — On the Spot
March 21–29, 2016

I used to be a ball of wax

Gabriel's new play "I used to be a ball of wax" ran at SF Theater Pub's "On the Spot" festival.

Announcement
February 2016
Exit Theater, San Francisco
February 5, 2016

Environmental Dissonance

Gabriel's play "Environmental Dissonance" was part of Cabaret Dada, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dada theater.

Event Details
November 2015
SF Theater Pub
November 16–24, 2015

I Like That

Gabriel's play "I Like That" had its world premiere in San Francisco. An interview about the production appeared in SF Theater Pub.

Read Interview
September 2015
SF Theater Pub — On the Spot
March 23–31, 2015

Short Play

Gabriel's play was performed in SF Theater Pub's "On The Spot" festival.

SF Theater Pub
October 2013
LitCrawl SF / Action Fiction
October 19, 2013

Story Performance

Gabriel's story was performed at San Francisco's 2013 LitCrawl, Phase 3, as part of Action Fiction.

Action Fiction
April 2012
Action Fiction SF
April 5, 2012

Short Story Performance

Gabriel's short story was performed live as part of Action Fiction S.F.

Action Fiction
January 2012
SF Theater Pub — Occupy Theater
January 16–27, 2012

Resistance!

Gabriel's play "Resistance!" was performed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as part of a series on civil disobedience, directed by Eileen Tull and starring Kirstin Broadbent and Charles Lewis. It also opened SF Theater Pub's season on January 16.

SF Theater Pub
August 2011
SF Theater Pub — Pint Sized Plays
August 2011

Pint Sized Play

Gabriel was featured in SF Theater Pub's Pint Sized Plays. An interview appeared on the SF Theater Pub blog.

Read Interview