Page 28 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

CA.PERFORMING ARTS
ACADEMY AWARD
nominee David
Strathairn in
Underneath the Lintel
at San Francisco’s ACT
Theatre, right; exterior
of Berkeley Repertory
Theatre, below.
A terrific recent addition to the Bay Area
theater scene is WE Players, led by
visionary artistic director Ava Roy. In col-
laboration with the National Park Service,
WE Players have performed Hamlet on
Alcatraz, The Odyssey on Angel Island and
Macbeth at Fort Point. Check their website
(see sidebar) for upcoming shows.
Half a dozen California regional play-
houses have won Tony Awards—the
highest distinction in American theater.
The Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 30 min-
utes by car or BART from San Francisco,
continues a tradition of inspired experi-
mentation, with works by playwrights
such as Mary Zimmerman and Harold
Pinter, and solo shows by artists including
Rita Moreno, Mike Daisey, Anna Devere
Smith and many others.
And while you’re in the East Bay, don’t
overlook “Cal Shakes”—the California
Shakespeare Company—with its gorgeous
open-air venue in the Orinda hills.
Other terrific theaters include the South
Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, the San Jose
Repertory and the Sacramento Theater Com-
pany. Finally, the state hosts no less than five
Fringe Festivals—google “Fringe Festival Cal-
ifornia” to find up-to-date listings.
SEBASTIANI THEATRE, Sonoma, above.
Group, with three stages: The Mark Taper
Forum, Kirk Douglas and Ahmanson the-
aters. Here you’ll find everything from
top-notch musicals (including Porgy & Bess
in 2014) to cutting-edge solo performance.
San Francisco might be called Cali-
fornia’s theater capital. Home of the
legendary American Conservatory Theater
(ACT, which premiered Angels in America),
the city offers live performance for every
taste. The Eureka, Z Space, Aurora and
Shotgun Players are just a few of the city’s
native companies—not to mention the
politically charged San Francisco Mime
Troupe, now in its 56th rabble-rousing year.
For superb solo performance, The Marsh (“A
breeding ground for new performance”) has
built a solid reputation with its four small
theaters in both San Francisco and Berkeley.
Symphonies, Opera & Ballet
In the late 19th century, the pride of every
major city was its opera house. Opera still
maintains a huge following across Cali-
fornia, with no less than 29 companies
across the state—five in the LA area alone.
The San Francisco Opera and Los Angeles
Opera are two of the largest in the United
States, with global reputations for set pro-
duction and excellence—but kudos as well
to the renowned Long Beach Opera, now in
its fourth decade.
26 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
FROM THE TOP: KEVIN BERNE; CHESHIRE ISAACS; CATHY STANCIL PHOTOGRAPHY. OPPOSITE: BAY TAPER