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Student Matinees

We will be accepting requests for
next season’s shows in late summer 2026. 

A.C.T.’s Student Matinee program—one of the oldest in the United States—brings the highest-quality theatrical productions to your students. At A.C.T., students can experience theatrical storytelling that engages the spirit of the San Francisco Bay Area, activates stories that resonate, promotes a diversity of voices and points of view, and empowers theater makers and audiences to celebrate liveness. From epic dramatic spectacles in our 1,000-seat theater to up-close performances in our more intimate venues, we’re committed to bringing you rich, thrilling productions that will engage your students and spark conversation in the classroom.   

We offer free Student Matinee tickets to all SFUSD schools and Title I schools. If your school doesn’t qualify, low-cost tickets are available at just $15 each. 

All confirmed Student Matinee orders include the following options, at no additional cost:

“Aside from being completely overtaken by how amazing the show was, I loved that my students were engaged. It was nice to see other schools in the building and a lot of familiar faces. The staff were patient and kind. A warm welcome and a great experience.”

Oakland School of the Arts, 2023

“I loved having the workshop before the show with a guest, and I loved the high energy of the show from beginning to end that really captivated my students the entire time."

Lincoln High School, 2023

Fall 2026 Semester Student Matinees

We’ll begin accepting requests for tickets in late summer 2026. 

Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest

Friday, October 2, 2026, 11:00 AM

Toni Rembe Theater

Theater legend Emma Rice (A.C.T.’s Brief Encounter, Berkeley Rep’s The Wild Bride) returns to the Bay Area with her inventive take on the Alfred Hitchcock 1959 classic North by Northwest. This thrilling tale of mistaken identity sees us fleeing from a cornfield in the middle of nowhere to the sheer face of Mount Rushmore as Rice transforms this iconic film into a riotously funny, high-speed theatrical ride.

John Proctor Is the Villain

Friday, November 20, 2026, 11:00 AM

Toni Rembe Theater

In a one-stoplight town in Georgia, in a high school AP English class, five young women begin questioning the stories and the heroes they’ve been taught to believe in, against a soundtrack of pop music and fury. As their class dissects a canonical work of literature, the parallels between the play and their own lives become uncomfortably real, and they begin to re-examine whom we deem heroic, whom we call a villain, and who gets burned in the process. Centering young voices, this Broadway sensation and new cult classic ignites the kind of conversation that lingers long after the final bell.

Spring 2026 Semester Student Matinees

We’ll begin accepting requests for tickets in late summer 2026. 

William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida

Wednesday, March 10, 2027, 11:00 AM
Thursday, March 11, 2017, 11:00 AM

The Rueff at the Strand Theater

A never-ending Middle East war that no one wants. Military leaders more interested in macho posturing than diplomatic solutions. Women caught in the middle and treated like property. None of this sounds familiar, right? In Shakespeare's cynical tragicomedy, he takes us into the nitty-gritty daily grind of an unpopular war, explores how gender roles are performed in wartime, and questions the concepts of heroism and loyalty in an age where morals are deeply malleable.

THE BAD NEWS BEARS: A MUSICAL

Friday, March 12, 2027, 11:00 AM

Toni Rembe Theater

World Premiere

This team still sucks—but now they sing! Based on the beloved 1976 Paramount Pictures film, this new musical follows a washed-up baseball player who takes a job coaching a ragtag team of Little League misfits, including his ex-stepdaughter. Through practice, persistence, and some good luck, they just might find victory in surprising places. Remember: they're not losers. They're athletically challenged adolescents with developing coordination readiness.

Iraq, but Funny

Friday, May 21, 2017, 11:00 AM

Strand Theater

This hilariously chaotic new play follows five generations of Assyrian women attempting to reclaim their story as it’s being narrated by some British guy (said British guy being played with sharp-elbowed satire by playwright Atra Asdou). Marching through time and space, this journey from the Ottoman Empire to modern-day USA portrays a gritty reality that’s playfully witty and filled with history, family, and dysfunction—it’s the zaniest history of the Middle East you ever did see!

“When you say "this is your theater" you really mean it! From really well-trained ushers and production staff to making sure our students are taken care of and welcomed every step of the way.”

AccessSFUSD: The Arc, 2023

“The Student Matinee supported my curriculum... They all found inspiration in the show.”

El Cerrito High School, 2023

Can't make it to a student matinee? Discounted tickets to all regular public performances are available for school groups. Contact groups@act-sf.org for more information and prices.