17 Best Performing Arts in The Bay Area, California

One of the region's most highly respected and innovative repertory theaters, Berkeley Rep performs the work of classic and contemporary playwrights. Well-known pieces mix with world premieres and edgier fare. The theater's complex, which includes the 400-seat Peet's Theatre and the 600-seat Roda Theatre, is in the heart of downtown Berkeley's arts district, near BART's Downtown Berkeley station.

What started as a music education program in 1977, offering classes with the Bay Area's best jazz players, has become the area's top concert venue for the freshest sounds in jazz from around the world. Two 100-seat performance venues across the street from each other, Hardymon Hall ( 2087 Addison St.) and Rendon Hall ( 2040 Addison St.), offer intimate viewing of some of the world's most influential musicians. Classes and workshops continue to serve as the foundation of the conservatory, with regular, affordably priced concerts each week for the public.

A cinematic treasure since 1925, University Avenue’s grande dame is a time-traveling spectacle not to be missed—an oasis of Hollywood Golden Age glamour in the center of this relentlessly future-minded region. Everything here is majestic: the grand marquee, the bi-level interior, the intricate interior architecture and chandeliers, and the crisp screen and audio quality often showing black-and-white films still in mint condition. Films are often shown as a themed double-feature, perhaps Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers or 1929 silent films. Arguably the highlight for any night is when the Mighty Wurlitzer organ player strikes a tune during the intermission between films.

A vibrant cultural hub in the region, the restored cinema and vaudeville house in Mill Valley is known for fostering exceptional arts and education. The darling playhouse seats upward of 260 and features live theater, comedy, and concerts. Two smaller street-side halls, the Tivoli and Crescendo, feature Tuesday night comedy shows, along with improvisation workshops, jazz performances, and new art exhibits every month.

This ultraquirky venue presents plays, musical acts, and comedy shows, along with visual and related arts. Top events include the Throckmorton Theatre Mountainfilm Festival (TTMF), the Sunday Sessions pro showcase, and a weekly show with satirist Mort Sahl. Stunning murals cover the theater's ceiling, and the foyer has on old-fashioned popcorn maker.

Known for critically acclaimed productions like David Mamet's American Buffalo and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and frequently launching world premieres of new plays, the Aurora is at the heart of Berkeley storytelling and community engagement. The theater's Alafi Auditorium seats 150 on three sides of the stage for premium viewing, and the smaller Harry's UpStage offers a more intimate experience for 49. Beyond the stage, the company has a monthly online broadcast with members of the community and its artists.

Fresh interpretations of classical works are a focus of this prominent orchestra, but commissioned new music and traditional pieces are also performed. BSO plays a handful of concerts each year, in Zellerbach Hall and other locations.

Stanford’s stunning main performing arts center is a wonder of distinct curves, sharp modern design, and top-notch acoustics; it's pleasing both to eyes and ears. Concerts are split between various Stanford orchestras, symphonies, and other groups, and musicians visiting from outside the university. 

Based out of U.C. Berkeley, this autumn and spring series runs from September/October through May/June. It features a varied bill of internationally acclaimed artists ranging from classical soloists to the latest jazz, world-music, theater, and dance ensembles.

The festival takes place in mid-September in Old Mill Park, with live music, a kids' stage, and artisans selling crafts, jewelry, and art.

The well-regarded 11-day festival, held annually in early October, shows everything from features and documentaries to experimental works and draws crowds of more than 60,000. Films are shown at various locations around town.

Every May and June, locals tote overstuffed picnic baskets to the Mountain Theater to see the Mountain Play, an annual theater tradition that began in 1913. Past productions have included popular musicals like West Side Story, The Music Man, and My Fair Lady. A free shuttle runs from Manzanita Parking Lot at the junction of Highway 101 and Highway 1, just beyond the Mill Valley/Stinson Beach exit off Highway 101 and from Tamalpais High School.

A glorious art-deco specimen, the Paramount operates as a venue for performances of all kinds, from silent films with orchestras playing the soundtrack, to the Oakland Ballet and Oakland Symphony. Docent-led tours ($5), offered the first and third Saturday of the month, are fun and informative.

This annual juried fine-arts show, held over Labor Day weekend, features more than 270 artists and attracts more than 30,000 people to the Sausalito waterfront. Blue & Gold Fleet ferries from San Francisco dock at the pier adjacent to the festival.

One of Berkeley's oldest theaters opened its doors in 1917 as a first-run movie house with seating for 1,466 filmgoers. For years it served as a famous venue for foreign and domestic classics, closing in 2001. The theater's programming is now run by the nonprofit Berkeley Music Group, dedicated to bringing local, national, and international talent to Berkeley's arts district. Limited outdoor drinks and dining are available at the street bar, Out Front at the UC.

Bay Area theater legend Robert Kelley founded this company in 1970, and today it continues to be one of the most thrilling performing arts destinations in the region. Performances are split between the intimate Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto and the grander, newer Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. The fare is never overly edgy yet is always full of innovative touches. The cast and set designs are consistently top-tier.

Tuscany meets Northern California at this nonprofit arts center and 166-acre park, where a beautiful villa stands proudly amidst a forest of redwood trees. It’s a special place for a lawn picnic in the sunshine, and holds concerts in its hillside amphitheater.