American Conservatory Theater
San Francisco, CA415 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
415-834-3200
American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a professional theater company in San Francisco, California, United States. It was founded in 1965 by William Ball and is currently under the artistic direction of Carey Perloff and the executive direction of Ellen Richard. A.C.T. is one of the leading theater companies in the American West and is the largest theater company in the Bay Area.
A.C.T. was founded in 1965 by William Ball, who was then the artistic director of the San Francisco Opera. A.C.T.'s first production was The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers, which opened in 1966. Since then, A.C.T. has produced a wide variety of plays, musicals, and operas, including works by Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Brecht, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, Tony Kushner, and Sarah Ruhl. In addition to its mainstage productions, A.C.T. also offers a wide range of education and outreach programs, including the Young Conservatory, which offers training in acting, singing, and dancing for young people ages 8-18.
A.C.T. is headquartered in the historic Geary Theater, which it has occupied since 1979. The Geary Theater is a two-theater complex that also houses the A.C.T. Costume Shop and the A.C.T. Scene Shop. In addition to the Geary Theater, A.C.T. also performs at the Strand Theater, which it renovated and reopened in 2007.
A.C.T. has a long history of commitment to new and emerging playwrights and has premiered many new works, including Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice, and Octavio Solis' Lydia. A.C.T. has also been instrumental in the development of many Bay Area-based playwrights, including Lauren Gunderson, Amy Freed, and Nancy Walsh.
A.C.T.'s commitment to diversity is reflected in its programming and in its staffing. A.C.T. was one of the first theater companies in the country to hire an African American artistic director ( Carey Perloff) and one of the first to produce a play by an African American playwright (August Wilson's Fences). A.C.T. is also a leader in Bay Area theater in its inclusion of actors with disabilities in its productions.
A.C.T. has received many awards and honors, including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater, the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Best Theater Company, and the San Francisco Examiner Readers Choice Award for Best Theater.
Quick Facts
Enrollment: 30
Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Main Website: https://www.act-sf.org/
Financial Aid: https://www.act-sf.org/home/conservatory/mfa_program/mfa_financial_aid.html