Stanford alums direct monologue show with executive producer Rosario Dawson

Carly Steyer, a 2020 graduate of Stanford’s Film and Media Studies program, brought her hit monologue show Crushing to San Francisco in February 2025 following a sold-out run in New York in 2023. The 80-minute production, staged at Fort Mason, featured nine writer-performers sharing original, true stories.

The lineup included recording artist ROZZI, Oakland-based poet and Stanford ITALIC lecturer Sam Sax—whose novel was a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award—and political TikTok personality Karan Menon. Also featured was Drew Semler (Stanford ‘20). Each contributor performed their own monologue, creating an evening Arianna Huffington called “beautifully honest.”

Steyer is joined in her directing and producing efforts by playwright and director Megan Calfas (Stanford ‘18). Calfas debuted a show at the Edinburgh Fringe festival this past summer and now works at the Stanford Storytelling Project. Actress and activist Rosario Dawson, a longtime mentor to Steyer, has come on as an executive producer, following her involvement with playwright Eve Ensler’s (who now goes by “V”) monologue shows.

Steyer and Calfas, both formerly based in New York, were elated to return home to the Bay and contribute to its current artistic renaissance. Crushing completed a sold-out run in San Francisco. Stay tuned for future shows.