Esto No Tiene Nombre

Performances

Esto No Tiene Nombre

Presented by YBCA |

July 11–19, 2026

In Esto No Tiene Nombre, acclaimed poet Denice Frohman brings the oral histories of Latina lesbian elders to life—placing herself and the audience inside their stories, to arrive at a tender and at times humorous self portrait.

The show draws upon interviews gathered for I See My Light Shining: Oral Histories of Our Elders, including recollections of first kisses, pre-Stonewall police raids, clandestine community gatherings, and histories erased. Through monologue, poetry, audio interviews, and visual projections, Frohman inhabits these stories as a way to break free from what she’s been carrying, and to find her own path forward.

Esto No Tiene Nombre is a vibrant look at Latina lesbian lives, families, and communities. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is proud to present its official premiere from July 11–19, 2026.

The Forum, YBCA

Tickets: $35, general admission. $25 for Students/Senior/Military

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Saturday, July 11, 2026

7:30 PM

The Forum, YBCA

TICKETS

Sunday, July 12, 2026

2 PM

The Forum, YBCA

TICKETS

Friday, July 17, 2026

7:30 PM

The Forum, YBCA

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Saturday, July 18, 2026

2 PM

The Forum, YBCA

TICKETS

7:30 PM*

The Forum, YBCA

TICKETS

*Following this evening performance, stay for a rare and intimate talkback between Denice Frohman and Caro De Robertis, co-curator of Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements.

Sunday, July 19, 2026

2 PM

The Forum, YBCA

TICKETS

Post-performance Talkback, Saturday, July 18, 7:30 PM

Following the evening performance, stay for a rare and intimate talkback between Denice Frohman and Caro De Robertis, co-curator of Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements.

Frohman and De Robertis first connected as fellows in the Baldwin-Emerson Elders Project, where both artists immersed themselves in intergenerational storytelling and archival work. That shared experience became the creative foundation for their respective projects—Frohman’s Esto No Tiene Nombre and De Robertis’ So Many Stars—as well as the oral histories featured in the Conjuring Power exhibition.

Now, they reunite to reflect on the journeys that grew from that collaboration: the responsibility of holding elders’ stories, the alchemy of transforming history into art, and the ongoing dialogue between performance and narrative.

Denice Frohman

Nia Benjamin

Alex Torra

Written/Performed by: Denice Frohman
Directed/Co-Created by: Alex Torra
Production Design by: Nia Benjamin
Sound Design by: DJ Potts
Lighting Design by: Xotchil Musser
Production Manager/Stage Manager: Kat Larson
Original Sound Design by: Nic Rodriguez Villafañe
Original Lighting Concept by: Isabella Gill-Gomez

Lead image: Photo by Yuri K. Fujita.

The show’s title is inspired by Esto No Tiene Nombre, the first Latina lesbian magazine, founded in the 1990s by Colombian poet and activist tatiana de la tierra.

Esto No Tiene Nombre was created and developed with support from Baldwin for the Arts, Emerson Collective, Journey Arts, the Philadelphia Foundation, and The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center’s Historias Initiative.

YBCA programs are made possible in part by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Shield Of California, Bob A. Ross Foundation, City and County of San Francisco, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Malia Simonds, Mayor Daniel Lurie, National Endowment for the Arts, Pisces Foundation, The Ron Conway Family, Salesforce, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, The Svane Family Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy, Yerba Buena Partnership, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Board of Directors and Members.