David John Chávez

KQED Contributor

Based in San José, David is a theater critic and reporter who serves as Executive Chair of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association, as well as a regular theater contributor to The Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, American Theatre Magazine and KQED, among other publications. He is a two-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (’22-’23) and a 2020 fellow of the Eugene O'Neill National Critics Institute.

By David John ChávezBy David John Chávez

A young Black woman stands looking frightened at the center while two men dressed as video game characters run in opposing directions; lights and effects project upon a background screen

In Walnut Creek, ‘Froggy’ Finds Humanity Behind the Video Game Screen

The Best Bay Area Theater We Saw in 2024

A young Black male student in a blue private school uniform with a red striped tie sings in front of a backing choir of four, similarly dressed.

‘Choir Boy’ Sings to the Heavens at Shotgun Players

a man and a woman caught mid-dance atop a blue rug

Review: Love Is an Argentinian Tango in ACT’s ‘Private Lives’

The Best Plays and Musicals to See This Fall in the Bay Area

An older man sits inside a truck cab while a younger man in a sleeveless shirt and jeans sits on the hood.

A Bumpy Return Trip to Oklahoma for Tom Joad’s Descendants

A Battle Between Science and Religion, With Galileo Caught in the Middle

Your Guide to the Best Plays and Musicals in the Bay Area This Summer

A Chinese man speaks while determinedly making a fist against a backdrop of black with bright green Chinese lettering

‘The Far Country’ Explores Memory, Family and Angel Island’s Detention Horrors