Twenty Nine Reason to See Live Theater
the time is passing either way, go outside and be in public
Gathering is good for you. Cooperating and participating is good for you. Being in gathering spaces will make you more confident and will also help remind you that the world as a kinder place than it seems on the internet and on the news.
Long-form content instead of short-form content. Check out your screen time and compare to the time it would take to come out and see some live theater.
San Francisco theater is dying, according to the news and only the news
I don’t drink and if you also don’t drink this might be a good way to go out and be social / on the town without substance use
This is some of the most affordable live entertainment in town. I’ve done all the research for you.
Take a chance! It might be amazing, it might be bad. We’ll have something to talk about either way.
You are actionable supporting the people and communities you live in and around instead of only subscribing to media created by large corporations by people you will rarely directly impact or interact with in your life. In other words, you know exactly where your money is going.
theater, live performance, free public art & cultural event itinerary
The extraordinary is happening here and now, right outside your door, all you must do is look. These menus are purposely comprised of theater and live performance events as well as showcases of other storytelling mediums like visual art, immersive installations and film. You will also find community gatherings and cultural events. I believe that being a lifelong student, patron and participant within theater means that you must constantly expand your definition of what it means to create and experience art. Theater can be so many things. For now, let it be a mirror and a prompter of conversation between you and I.
Also, part of what I’ve loved about my academic experiences over the years is getting to have itineraries presented to me group theater going, museum visits, historical context about neighborhoods, etc. These have been some of the educational experiences I’ve remembered most vividly. So, I’m now manufacturing that for myself and would love for you to come along.
All photos, videos and copy on this webpage are credited to other people
Ticketed Events / Experiences, Free Public Art & Cultural Events
Moderately priced professional performances by local legends, traveling acts and artistic teams in residence at historical Bay Area theater spaces. Note special “teen nights” and all content warnings.
The itinerary for March, April & May 2026
March 2026
Overview
Paranormal Activity at American Conservatory Theater, Toni Rembe
Feb 19-___
$29 ticket purchased, side orchestra
★★★★★Saint Joseph’s Art Society
All My Sons by Arthur Miller at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater
Running Feb 20 - Mar 29, 8pm - Tickets Approx. $25-$69
a classic re-told, Puerto Rican family, “The American Dream”The Chinese New Year Parade in China Town, San Francisco
Sat, Mar 7 Approx. 5:15pm / 8:00pm - Free to Attend
world-famous public cultural event, traditional dance, community gatheringRuby Day & The Knights at Club Fugazi
Mon, Mar 16 7:30pmOur Class - limited run at Z Space, Steindler Stage
Limited Run Mar 27 - April 5 - Tickets Approx. $30
physical theater, challenging and relevant, traveling company (BAM, etc.)The Seagull by Anton Chekov (Pro-Shot), The National Theater
Free to Watch
April 2026
Overview
San Francisco International Film Festival, Castro Theater
||: GIRLS :||: CHANCE :||: MUSIC :||, American Conservatory Theater at The Strand Theater
Mercurial by One Found Sound at Heron Arts
Fri, April 11 - Tickets Approx. $30 General Admission
orchestra, collaborative community, stirringFree Saturdays at The Legion of Honor
SF NeoFuturists, The Infinite Wrench
Free Admission if you come early and volunteer as check-in person.
May 2026
Overview
San Francisco International Arts Festival:
The Unfinished Work of Camille Claudel by People’s Circus Theater
circus, dance, art historyContinuity by Bess Wohl at Shotgun Players
new play, meta, climate change
This is my field guide to what I’m excited about right now in the Bay Area. It centers accessible live theater and free arts and culture events. I’m keeping a promise to myself to lean all the way into this beautiful city and its arts scene. I share this as a public journal from the perspective of an arts educator. I want to set an example to students and peers alike that there is accessible and exciting theater right outside their door, waiting for them. I’m a San Francisco resident.
Learn more below.
MARCH 2026
TICKETED / RUSH
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
A.C.T., Toni Rembe
Feb 19-Extended
Ticket purchased for $25.00 USD
Paranormal Activity
Ticket Purchase: Side Orchestra seat for $25.00 USD + taxes and fees / Mason-O’Farrell Garage parking ($15 with audience parking validation), $44 evening. Could have reduced cost by utilizing transit options instead.
Tickets & Info
About
ALL MY SONS
Berkley Rep, Roda Theater
Feb 20-Mar 29
Ticket purchased for $30.00 USD
Berkeley Rep
Roda Theatre
College Ave, Downtown Berkeley
February 20 - March 29 2026
8:00pm
Tickets & Info
Orchestra, Approx. $25-$69
Consider bridge tolls, transit & parking costs
By Arthur Miller
Directed by David Mendizábal
Special Event for Bay Area High School Students
Teen Night: Join Berkeley Rep’s Teen Council on Feb 20 to see the show, meet other theatre-loving teens, and engage with theatre professionals during special pre-show programming. All Bay Area high schoolers welcome.
Tam Students, Please Note:
Dani O’Dea | Fight Director and Intimacy Consultant
About
The American Dream comes at a price. But who truly pays for it? Arthur Miller’s searing indictment of moral compromise erupts with new urgency in this groundbreaking production. When a father makes a fateful decision to preserve his family’s hard-won success, the aftershocks ripple far beyond his home and community. Featuring Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner Jimmy Smits and acclaimed actress — and real-life partner — Wanda De Jesús, Berkeley Rep’s Associate Artistic Director David Mendizábal (Mexodus) brings a bold new perspective to this American classic through a lens of race, ethnicity, and class — maintaining the original text while sharpening its themes of justice and inequity. This powerful revival reveals a tragedy where the pursuit of prosperity collides with the reality of who America was built to serve.
OUR CLASS
Z Space
Mar 27-April 5
Ticket purchased for
Z Space
Mission District, San Francisco
March 27 - April 5 2026
Tickets & Info
^ Access & Download Free: Discussion Questions, Education Materials & Resources created by Dr. Rachel Merrill Moss, Dramaturg
Written by Tadeusz Słobodzianek
Adapted by Norman Allen
Directed by Igor Golyak
About
Following its New York premiere at BAM, and subsequent Off-Broadway and Boston runs, the critically acclaimed OUR CLASS comes to Z Space's Steindler Stage in San Francisco!
Ten classmates — five Jewish and five Catholic Poles — who grow up as friends and neighbors, then find themselves pitted against each other in the face of entrenched antisemitism, with life and death consequences. Inspired by real life events surrounding a 1941 pogrom in a small Polish village, this shocking, timely story follows their lives from childhood through eight decades in a new contemporary production of Tadeusz Słobodzianek’s masterpiece, from Ukrainian-born Jewish director Igor Golyak.
“I'm so happy to finally be working with Igor Golyak and on such an important play as OUR CLASS. Especially now. I saw the performance in New York and was quite moved by it. I want to speak loudly about what happens to people when they are overwhelmed by hatred and war. It will be a wonderful experience to collaborate on this play.”
Content Warning
OUR CLASS contains material for adult audiences and mature themes. The production includes acts of violence, sexual assault and antisemitic language, as well as use of theatrical smoke and haze, and simulated gun shots. Recommended for ages 16+.
PUBLIC & FREE ACCESS
CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE
Sat, Mar 7 approx. 5:15pm
Free to Attend
Lunar New Year Parade
China Town, San Francisco
Saturday, March 7 2026
Approx. 5:15pm-8:00pm
Free to Attend
Route: Starts at 2nd and Market St, wraps around Union Square, and finishes at Kearny St & Columbus Ave.
About
The parade is one of the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside of Asia and often features a stunning 200+ foot Golden Dragon, which requires over 180 people to carry.
THE SEAGULL
The National Theater (Pro-Shot)
Free to Watch - YouTube
Field Notes: I’m currently directing The Seagull in an educational setting and was curious about this hyper-minimalist production. Chekhov said “realism - life as it is.” and this design team said “you’ve got it.”
april 2026
MERCURIAL
One Found Sound, Heron Arts
by One Found Sound
at Heron Arts
Tenderloin, San Francisco
Friday, April 11th 2026
8:00pm
Tickets & Info
General Admission Approx. $30
About
Program
CARLOS SIMON - Fate Now Conquers
JOSEPH HAYDN - Symphony No. 59 in A major, "Fire"
AIDAN DE GUZMAN - When Cherry Blossoms Burned (2025 Emerging Composer Award Winner)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
Join One Found Sound for Mercurial, an evening of music for the curious and capricious, featuring a work from our 2025 Emerging Composer Award winner.
This concert includes an item drive benefiting La Voz Latina, an organization providing vital community services to those in the Tenderloin neighborhood. Guests are kindly encouraged to bring personal hygiene items for collection at this concert, such as oral care products, shampoo/conditioner, soap, body wash, feminine hygiene products, etc. Thank you for contributing to this item drive!
||:GIRLS:||:CHANCE:||:MUSIC:||
American Conservatory Theater, The Strand Theater
American Conservatory Theater
San Francisco International Film Festival
SFFILM returns to the Castro Theatre starting with its San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest-running film festival in the Americas! From Jonathan Demme’s STOP MAKING SENSE celebrating its World Premiere—and 15th anniversary—with the Talking Heads and dancing in the aisles to Sandra Oh honoring the career of Michelle Yeoh with conversation and dancing on stage, SFFILM events at the Castro are for movie-lovers by movie-lovers.
THE LEGION OF HONOR
Free Saturdays
SF NEO-FUTURISTS
The Infinite Wrench
Ticket purchased for $13.00 USD
About
See the show the SF Chronicle calls one of "22 San Francisco things everyone must do!” 50 weekends a year, the critically-acclaimed San Francisco Neo-Futurists present The Infinite Wrench, an attempt to perform 30 bite-sized plays in a frantic race against the clock, in an order determined by you, the audience. Each week, the ensemble offers up new plays ranging from the personal, to the political, to the profoundly WTF, all truthful and inspired by the lived experiences of the performers. With The Infinite Wrench, the SF Neo-Futurists promise to break the fourth wall and maybe your heart but never your wallet. We hear it’s a great first date, too.
may 2026
SAINT JOSEPH’S ART SOCIETY
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL, MISSION DISTRICT
THE 29TH SAN FRANCISCO SILENT FILM FESTIVAL, CASTRO THEATER
THE UNFINISHED WORK OF CAMILLE CLAUDEL
People’s Circus Theater, Mission Dance Theater
About
Camille Claudel was an Impressionist sculptor in France at the turn of the century. She defied expectations of women at the time by creating dynamic pieces that shocked the art establishment. Single-handedly, Camille manipulated marble into artworks that tenderly exposed the full range of her subjects’ humanity. She was a visionary, but Claudel’s genius came at a price.
People’s Circus Theatre blends circus, dance, and physical theatre to tell Camille’s story. In this stunning homage, Claudel’s art is brought to life through movement. The Unfinished Work of Camille Claudel is a passionate revelation of art in the face of adversity.
CONTINUITY
Shotgun Players
Shotgun Players
Berkeley
Tickets & Info
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Emilie Whelan
About
The time for science is over. It’s time for action.
Set on a Hollywood film shoot where the chaotic soundstage mimics the real-world climate crisis their big-budget movie addresses, the director, Maria, tries to keep her set – and herself – together in this sharp-witted, fast-paced comedy. Egos clash, secrets spill, and hard truths force the crew to look inward and ask, can we fix our climate catastrophe with movie magic?
Projections for June, July & August …
June
Daisy Grenade at Brick n’ Mortar
San Francisco Pride
Frameline Film Festival, Castro Theater
July
Ballet22 at Cowell Theater Fort Mason