SAN FRANCISCO
- 42nd Street Moon –
- African-American Shakespeare Company –
- American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) –
- Awesome Theatre –
- Bindlestiff Studio –
- Brava Theater Center –
- Broadway SF –
- Campo Santo –
- Children’s Theatre Association San Francisco –
- Crowded Fire Theater –
- Curran –
- Custom Made Theatre Company –
- Cutting Ball Theater –
- The Department of Badassery
- Exit Theatre –
- Faultline Theater Company –
- Ferocious Lotus –
- foolsFury –
- Golden Thread Productions –
- Killing My Lobster –
- Lamplighters –
- Landmark Musical Theatre –
- Left-Hand Theatre Company –
- Lorraine Hansberry Theatre –
- The Magic Theatre –
- The Marsh –
- New Conservatory Theatre Center –
- Phoenix Theatre –
- PianoFight –
- The Playwright’s Center of San Francisco –
- Playwrights Foundation –
- Ray of Light Theatre –
- San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company –
- San Francisco Mime Troupe –
- San Francisco Playhouse –
- Shelton Theater –
- Theatre Rhinoceros –
- Troupe Theatre –
- Z Space –
PENINSULA
- Broadway by the Bay, Redwood City –
- Coastal Repertory Theatre, Half Moon Bay –
- Dragon Theatre, Redwood City –
- Fuse Theatre, Redwood City –
- Hillbarn Theatre, Foster City –
- Pacifica Spindrift Players –
- Palo Alto Players –
- The Pear Theatre,
- Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory –
- Stanford Repertory Theatre, Palo Alto –
- TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Palo Alto/Mountain View –
- Woodside Community Theatre –
NORTH BAY
- 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa –
- Alter Theater –
- Bay Area Stage Productions, Vallejo –
- The Buck Institute –
- Lucky Penny Productions, Napa –
- Marin Shakespeare Company –
- Marin Theatre Company, Mill Valley –
- Novato Theater Company –
- Ross Valley Players –
- Sonoma Arts Live –
- Spreckels Theatre Company –
EAST BAY
- Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley –
- Altarena Playhouse, Alameda –
- Anton’s Well Theater Company –
- Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley –
- Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Berkeley –
- Berkeley Playhouse –
- Berkeley Repertory Theatre –
- Cal Shakes –
- Center REPertory Theatre, Walnut Creek –
- Central Works, the New Play Theater, Berkeley –
- Chanticleers Theatre, Castro Valley –
- Clayton Theatre Company –
- Contra Costa Civic Theatre –
- Douglas Morrisson Theatre, Hayward –
- The Marsh, Berkeley –
- Masquers Playhouse, El Cerrito
- Oakland Theater Project –
- Pittsburg Community Theatre –
- Plethos Productions, Castro Valley –
- Ragged Wing Ensemble, Oakland –
- Shotgun Players, Berkeley –
- Stage 1 Theatre, Newark –
- Those Women Productions, Berkeley –
- Town Hall Theatre, Lafayette –
- Tri-Valley Rep, Livermore –
- UC Berkeley TDPS –
- Woodminster Amphitheater, Oakland –
SOUTH BAY
- 3 Below Theaters –
- Broadway San Jose -4
- Children’s Musical Theater San Jose –
- City Lights Theatre Company, San Jose –
- Foothill Music Theatre, Los Altos Hills –
- Los Altos Stage –
- Lyric Theater, San Jose –
- Naatak Indian Theater –
- Northside Theatre Company, San Jose –
- Pintello Comedy Theater, Gilroy –
- San Jose Stage Company –
- San Jose Theaters –
- San Jose Youth Shakespeare –
- Santa Clara Players –
- Santa Clara University Presents –
- Silicon Valley Shakespeare, San Jose –
- South Bay Musical Theatre, Saratoga –
- Sunnyvale Community Players –
- Tabard Theatre Company –
- Teatro Nahual –
- Teatro Vision, San Jose –
OPEN-ENDED RUNS/IMPROVISATION
- Bay Area Theatre Sports (BATS), San Francisco
- Comedysportz San Jose
- Made Up Theatre, Fremont
- Synergy Theater, Walnut Creek
- Un-Scripted Theater Company, San Francisco
OPERA
I’ve been looking for a listing like this for years – what a wonderful resource! Saw Harry Thaw tonight – it is terrific.
Thank you. Glad it has come in handy for you. 🙂
Thank you for this list. This has got to be the most comprehensive list I’ve found to date.
You’re very welcome. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Thanks for compiling this list! I’ve been searching for some way to find listings for a while. My friends and I have been trying to get into Broadway/theatre, and we’ve been looking for a showing we could attend.
By the way, any thoughts on what would make one theatre group stand out over another? e.g. would there be any significant difference in perhaps an SHNSF showing over a more local group? We’re all students so our budgets are a bit limited, and I’m curious as to how much we would miss out (if any) by choosing a smaller performance.
Hi Jeffrey, you ask a really great question. For me, I tend to look at theatre companies like restaurants. You have big ones that serve great food, but you also have these little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are sometimes pretty good, and other times they are incredible. I have seen some of the most amazing theatre in my life at some amazingly small theatres. Honestly, I love all forms of theatre, whether it is a 50-seat makeshift space or the Curran Theatre. But to answer your question, in my view, the biggest difference between something like an SHN or a local group is budgets. More money means higher production values, from acting to costumes to chandeliers crashing onto the stage. And as great as it is to see great performers come through here with a touring show, there is a multitude of local and professional talent at most theatres in the Bay Area, which is awesome.
It’s a hard question to answer, but here’s where you have a really great advantage – most companies really cater to students. I believe that is very smart and important, because the next generation of theatre goers has to be cultivated. Whether we are talking about student rush tickets, or programs with heavy discounts (As an example, Berkeley Rep, one of the best regional theatres in the country, offers most shows half-price for people under 30), companies really want younger audiences. So even if you are on a limited budget, you have the chance to really try all of it and figure out your own personal taste. We are in an amazing region for theatre, and personally, as a theatre advocate, I am inspired to hear that you and your friends are really getting into it. I hope I answered your question a little bit. Thanks for reading!
Faultline Theater has a new show opening this week: In Quest. Based on past history, it should be excellent.
Many local theater companies are great. Try them whenever you see or hear news of future performances. I do both – little theater & SF’s big venues. On your browser, put “San Francisco theater’. You will be amazed at the plays you will find. Over 26 years, I have found that Local Little Theater performances are very comparable to major ‘Best of Broadway’ plays. [i.e. New material is more frequent at little theater, too. Try it. You’ll like it.
Very well said Jann, thank you for sharing!
I wish I had found this site years earlier!!! Thrilled to have found this! Please keep it going! 🙂
PS. do you have a mailing list I can subscribe to for weekly updates?
Hi Mike, thanks for reading! If you’d like to subscribe and get notifications when new material is published, you can do that on the home page. Thanks again!
http://www.pacificaspindriftplayers.org,http://coastalrep.com/shows-and-tickets/,http://www.pintellocomedy.com, are three little theatres that I enjoy.
[…] https://bayareaplays.com/bay-area-theatre-guide-2/ […]
The Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble of Brentwood, California
Great site! Suggested additions:
* California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) in the East Bay
* Black Repertory Group in the East Bay
* Bay Area Children’s Theater in San Francisco
* Children’s Musical Theater (CMT) in the South Bay
* Kat Robichaud’s Misfit Cabaret in San Francisco
* San Francisco Shakespeare Festival in San Francisco
* The Marrakech Magic Theater in San Francisco
* OASIS in San Francisco
* Phoenix Theatre in San Francisco
* PianoFight in San Francisco
* Third Street Playhouse in San Francisco
Great list! Any suggested email list for hearing about new things coming up?
A gorgeous backdrop of rolling hills and adventurous programming has helped make California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda one of the top outdoor theater companies in the Bay Area.
Thanks for sharing this useful information….!!!