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Student Matinees

Request Student Matinee Tickets for Spring 2025 Semester

We are still accepting applications for tickets to upcoming Student Matinees. Space is limited—request your tickets today!

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 tickets to all SFUSD schools and Title 1 schools outside of San Francisco. If your school doesn’t qualify, low-cost tickets are available ($15 for most shows, $20 for A Whynot Christmas Carol). For every 10 tickets purchased, you will receive 1 complimentary ticket.  

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

Shakespeare is going on tour! A.C.T. and Play On Shakespeare are excited to continue our partnership using theater as a tool for social dialogue and change in our local community, by our local community. In 2025, the A.C.T. OUT Tour will perform an abbreviated translation of Shakespeare’s political thriller Julius Caesar. We're already finalizing the 2025 tour stops, but click on the link at the top of this page to receive information about future A.C.T. OUT Tours. And don't worry about missing the show this year. We're offering three Student Matinee performances of Julius Caesar on-site in our Rueff theater that you can request at the same link.

“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

Spring 2025 Semester Student Matinees

The deadline for first-priority requests for performances during the Spring 2025 semester is Monday, January 27, 2025.

Julius Caesar

Presenting a modern verse translation of Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR

Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 11 AM
Thursday, March 13, 2025, 11 AM
Friday, March 28, 2025, 11 AM

The Rueff at the Strand Theater

Recommended Grades 7-12

A no-frills, bare-bones, honest, and modern performance of Shakespeare's classic tale; performed by an extraordinary cast of local actors. The play explores how a group of citizens respond when they feel their democracy is in jeopardy...and whether their choice is ultimately the right one.

NOBODY LOVES YOU

Friday, March 14, 2025, 11 AM

Toni Rembe Theater

Recommended Grades 9-12

The game of love is on! In this madcap musical comedy with an uproarious book, witty lyrics, and a winsome pop score, “Nobody Loves You” is a wildly popular reality dating show where eager contestants compete for love—and social media stardom. When every kiss comes at the end of a selfie stick, can two people really connect?

Shakespeare’s THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

Thursday, April 24, 2025, 11 AM

Toni Rembe Theater

Recommended Grades 6-12

Shakespeare’s quintessential comedy, this farcical tale of separated families and mistaken identities delights audiences young and old. Antipholus and his servant, Dromio, travel in search of a long-lost family member, only to get mixed up in a madcap race against the clock, love-at-first-double-take, run-ins with local law enforcement, and double trouble—times two. This modern verse adaptation, presented by the New York–based Acting Company, maintains all we love about Shakespeare’s language even as it updates the jokes and wordplay, breathing new life into the double (and triple) entendres.

TWO TRAINS RUNNING

Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 2 PM

Toni Rembe Theater

Recommended Grades 10-12

From August Wilson, author of The Piano Lesson and Fences, comes the story of Memphis Lee, a diner owner in a historically black neighborhood in Pittsburgh at the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, who must decide if he should allow the government to take over his building or sell the property to a ruthless businessman. Full of vivid characters, joy, hope, love, and perseverance, this Tony-nominated play celebrates the spirit, laughter, heart, and resilience of the people who make our country great even when faced with overwhelming odds. This play contains racially charged language and situations, and is recommended for mature high-school students.
 
Please note: This performance is not a dedicated student matinee, but we are offering our deeply discounted prices ($15) for school groups and free tickets for those that qualify.

Request Student Matinee Tickets for Spring 2025 Semester

Summer 2025 Student Matinees

If you know any summer camps or year-round schools that should see this show, please let us know! Education@act-sf.org 

Co-Founders

Friday, June 27, 2025, 11 AM

Strand Theater

Witness the launch of the next great hip-hop musical, born in the heart of the Bay! An underrated young Oakland coder hacks her way into the most competitive startup accelerator in San Francisco. Determined to save her house as an influx of wealth threatens to push her community out, she forms an unlikely partnership with a prep-school dropout. Created by three extraordinary Bay Area voices, the show features a score that draws from the Bay’s rich hip-hop traditions, as well as soul, gospel, funk, jazz, R&B, and more. Co-Founders is a sharply funny, deeply felt, exuberant celebration of the Bay and the dreamers, hustlers, and innovators that make it magical.

“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 performances are available for school groups. 

Questions? Contact smat@act-sf.org.