Community Programs
A.C.T. believes in access to theater and quality arts education for all members of our community. We serve our San Francisco neighbors - and beyond - with several key programs:
- Bold Access provides community organizations with discounted and complimentary tickets to our productions, as well as private events and engagement opportunities uniquely suited to each group.
Bold Access also ensures that Bay Area schools with large populations of socioeconomically disadvantaged students - including all San Francisco public schools - have access to our performances free of charge, including in-depth study guides and play-specific pre- and post-show workshops.
- Community Partnerships, including a longtime partnership with Larkin Street Youth Services, a non-profit empowering young people to move beyond homelessness. These talented young people take classes with our teaching artists and perform on our stages multiple times a year.
Community Partners have also been a part of past productions, including:- Presenting their work on the mainstage as part of a special guest appearance in The Wizard of Oz (2023). This production also featured student artwork as a part of the scenic design and throughout the Toni Rembe Theater lobby.
- Local hip-hop collective Bay Area Theater Cypher was featured in 2022’s production of Freestyle Love Supreme.
- The world premiere of A Whynot Christmas Carol will feature an exciting new lineup of community partners and guest performers.
- The A.C.T. OUT Tour produces a 90-minute performance of a classic play translated and adapted for a student audience, featuring local actors and accompanied by pre-show workshops. This production begins with student matinees and public performances at the Rueff Theater, then a 2-week tour to Bay Area schools and community centers - especially valuable for those schools for whom a field trip is financially and logistically challenging.
- Playtime workshops explore the artistic process of each of our Mainstage productions. Led by a member of the creative team or a local theater artist, these workshops guide audience members through a creative process related to the production they're about to see. Hands on, participatory, and open to all ages, these workshops demystify the artistic process and deepen understanding of the artform.
- Civic engagement activates the Strand Theater's unique geographic positionality in Civic Center, across from City Hall, on Market Street where the parades and protests pass by. When possible, we open the doors of the Strand for the public to use our restrooms, drink water, and take a load off. We like to say "this is your theater, San Francisco!" and it feels especially true when parade-goers can step inside, rest and regroup, and learn more about A.C.T. in conversation with friendly staff members. For San Francisco's world-famous Pride parade, we take it to a new level, opening the bar, hosting a photobooth, filling the lobby with music and drag performances, and celebrating the queer diversity of the city we love.
Click through the images below to see examples of our Community Programs in action!
In this documentary-style video, the Bay Area Theatre Cypher crew talks about what it was like to be onstage with the Freestyle Love Supreme crew at the Toni Rembe Theater.
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