A.C.T.'s award-winning conservatory presents a wide array of productions each year, featuring some of the brightest and most creative performers in the country. From showcasing the talents of students training in the nationally renowned Master of Fine Arts Program, to unveiling the prodigious skills of young actors (ages 8–19) studying in the Young Conservatory, these productions are a place where students put their skills into practice, engage with enthusiastic audiences, and create some of the most dynamic work you'll see onstage.

Upcoming M.F.A. Program and YC Shows

A.C.T.'s Master of Fine Arts Program presents

Love and a Bottle

October 5–8, 2016

Written by Declan Hughes
Adapted from the original play by George Farquhar
Directed by Nancy Benjamin

George Farquhar, the Irish playwright who would make his name with The Beaux’ Stratagem, cut his teeth with this racy Restoration comedy, one of the first plays produced in the new United States (in 1783 at the Baltimore Theatre). The story is set in eighteenth-century London, where playwright Lyrick struggles to write a story, until he conjures up the fictional libertine Roebuck. But no sooner is the play taking shape than Lyrick’s characters, including the bed-hopping hero and a coterie of powerful women, seize control of his narrative. Restoration comedies often featured women as subordinates, so this sexy story of strong women turning the tables on the men offers a fresh (and surprising!) perspective.

Performances take place in The Rueff at A.C.T.’s Strand Theater, 1127 Market Street, San Francisco.

A.C.T.'s Master of Fine Arts Program presents

The Taming of the Shrew

October 20–22, 2016

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Stephen Buescher

Shakespeare’s classic comedy of love and deception has enjoyed a polarizing reputation. Some critics have viewed its story of tough love (Petruchio putting Kate through a grueling romantic bootcamp) as misogynistic. But its feisty heroine also offers a key to different perspectives. At a time when discussions on gender top political agendas nationwide, The Taming of the Shrew (the first Shakespeare play that will be staged at the new Strand Theater) is packed with timely and provocative questions. How do contemporary attitudes to feminism compare to the story presented in the play? What really happens beyond the “happily ever after” in a relationship? And what societal expectations do young women face today?

Performances take place at A.C.T.’s Strand Theater, 1127 Market Street, San Francisco.