SAN FRANCISCO — A new musical premiering at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco is turning heads with its unique blend of hip-hop, tech, and Bay Area culture. Titled Co-Founders, the production began in a garage and now aims to redefine how theater can look and feel in the digital age.
NBC Bay Area was invited behind the scenes to witness rehearsals at ACT’s downtown San Francisco studio. The creative team includes Ryan Nicole Austin, Beau Lewis, Adesha Adessela, and director Jami Jude. Austin and Adessela, both Oakland natives, bring a strong local voice to the show.
“For me personally, I want this to represent the Bay Area proudly,” Austin said. “In multiple ways.”
Co-Founders tells the story of a Black woman from West Oakland who teams up with a white college dropout to pursue a startup dream in Silicon Valley. The plot is loosely inspired by Beau Lewis’s own journey. Lewis worked in tech in Seattle before moving to the Bay Area in 2016 to launch a viral media company.
“I started a freestyle rap therapy group called Rhyme Combinator with three other founders,” Lewis said. “That experience became a big part of the material for the show.”
The musical doesn’t shy away from difficult themes. It looks at how tech has reshaped the Bay Area, particularly through gentrification. Austin explained that the main character is fighting to keep her home—the last one standing on the block—as the story unfolds into something bigger.
“Tech isn’t the villain,” Adessela said. “Tech means innovation and creativity. But when the focus becomes profit, that spirit gets lost.”
Austin agreed, noting, “It depends on the moral compass of those using the technology. The impact on the community really matters.”
Adessela added that people from urban areas are often left out of tech narratives. “This musical brings them to the forefront,” she said. “The spirit of innovation in these communities is just as strong. Imagine what could happen if both worlds came together.”
The production is also designed to get audiences moving. Its anthem, “Silicon Valley to Vallejo,” features legendary Bay Area artists like E-40, Tajai from Hieroglyphics, and Stunna-Man.
“These are my heroes—the sounds and energy that shaped me,” Lewis said.
But the innovation doesn’t stop with music. The team says Co-Founders is among the most technologically advanced musicals ever staged. Director Jami Jude explained that merging theater with cutting-edge tools has been a significant challenge.
The crew is using Unreal Engine, a video game software, to create digital avatars. “We have human actors performing as digital holograms interacting with real people,” Lewis said. “We believe this is a first for live theater.”
Austin simplified it: “A human is playing a character on the screen and acting with another person on stage.”
Beyond the technology and choreography, the creators have bigger goals. They hope to take Co-Founders to Broadway and on a national tour. But more than that, they want audiences to feel seen and connected.
“I hope we’re laying the foundation for a thriving creative industry here in the Bay Area,” Austin said. “The talent exists—we just need more opportunities.”
Adessela emphasized the importance of shifting the spotlight back to Oakland. “There’s so much negative press, people forget how much innovation comes from this city.”
Lewis summed it up with a hopeful message: “We want to bring people together—people who seem different on the surface—but if they see themselves in this story, maybe they’ll see the potential for partnership and building a future together.”
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