Theatre gallery
Alcazar Theatre
The Fillmore Auditorium, made famous by Bill Graham
This is a list of theatres and live performance venues in San Francisco, California . [1] [2] For more information on theater in San Francisco, see Culture of San Francisco - Theater.
| Name | Address | Neighborhood | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcazar Theatre | 650 Geary Street | Tenderloin | 511 | |
| Bayfront Theatre | Fort Mason Center | home of BATS Improv | ||
| Bayview Opera House | 4705 Third Street | Bayview | 300 | [3] |
| Beverly Hills Playhouse of San Francisco | 414 Mason Street | Union Square | theater and acting school | |
| Bill Graham Civic Auditorium | 99 Grove Street | Civic Center | 7000 | |
| Bimbo's 365 Club | 1025 Columbus Ave. | North Beach | music venue | |
| Bindlestiff Studio | 185 6th Street | South of Market | 80 | Filipino American performing arts center [4] |
| Bottom of the Hill | 1233 17th Street | Potrero Hill | music venue [5] | |
| Brava Theatre Center | 2781 24th Street | Mission District | 360 | dedicated to the expression of women, people of color, youth, LGBTQ and others [6] |
| Brick and Mortar Music Hall | 1710 Mission Street | Mission District | music venue [7] | |
| Cartwright Hotel on Union Square | Pacific Heights Room, 524 Sutter Street | Union Square | 80 | |
| Castro Theatre | 429 Castro Street | Castro District | 1400 | primarily a movie house, but also used for live special events [8] [9] |
| Chancellor Hotel Theatre | 433 Powell Street | Union Square | hosts the San Francisco Magic Parlor | |
| The Chapel | 777 Valencia Street | Mission District | music venue [10] | |
| Club Fugazi | 678 Green Street | North Beach | 400 | formerly hosted Beach Blanket Babylon [11] [12] |
| Cobb's Comedy Club | 915 Columbus Ave. | North Beach | [13] | |
| CounterPulse | 80 Turk Street | Tenderloin | previously at 1310 Mission Street [14] [15] | |
| Cowell Theatre | Fort Mason Center | 437 | venue for the New Pickle Circus [16] | |
| Creativity Theater | Children's Creativity Museum, 221 4th Street | South of Market | 200 | formerly Zeum Theater, located in Yerba Buena Gardens |
| Custom Made Theatre | 414 Mason Street | Union Square | 99 | intimate setting for modern plays and musicals, previously at 533 Sutter Street |
| Curran Theatre | 445 Geary Street | Tenderloin | ||
| Dance Mission Theater | 3316-24th Street | Mission District | ||
| Diego Rivera Theatre | City College of San Francisco, 50 Frida Kahlo Way | Sunnyside | home of the mural Pan American Unity by Diego Rivera [17] | |
| Feinstein's at the Nikko | 222 Mason Street | Union Square | music venue and nighclub | |
| Fillmore Auditorium | 1805 Geary Blvd. | Fillmore District | 1,315 | music venue with standing room |
| Gateway Theatre | 215 Jackson Street | Embarcadero | venue for the 42nd Street Moon, and frequent venue for Theatre Rhinoceros; [18] formerly the Eureka Theatre | |
| Geary Theater | 415 Geary Street | Tenderloin | venue for the American Conservatory Theater | |
| Golden Gate Theatre | 1 Taylor Street | Tenderloin | built in 1922, and once housed vaudeville acts; owned by SHN | |
| Gough Street Playhouse | 1620 Gough Street | Cathedral Hill | 50 | venue for the Custom Made Theatre Co. [19] |
| Grace Cathedral | 1100 California Street | Nob Hill | hosts concerts and events | |
| Grand Theatre | Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, 2665 Mission Street | Mission District | former movie theater, now used for live performances | |
| Great American Music Hall | 859 O'Farrell Street | Little Saigon | ||
| Great Star Theater | 636 Jackson Street | Chinatown | music and event venue; previously 55 Taylor Street, and 923 Market Street | |
| Herbst Theatre | San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness | Civic Center | 928 | |
| The Independent | 628 Divisadero Street | music venue in the Harding Theater building | ||
| Intersection for the Arts | 1446 Market Street | Civic Center | established in 1965, the oldest alternative non-profit art space in the city | |
| Lorraine Hansberry Theatre | 762 Fulton Street | Western Addition | African-American theatre | |
| Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall | San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, 201 Van Ness Street | Civic Center | venue of the San Francisco Symphony | |
| Joe Goode Annex | Project Artaud, 401 Alabama Street | Mission District | [20] | |
| Marines Memorial Theater | 609 Sutter Street | Lower Nob Hill | ||
| Marrakech Magic Theatre | 419 O'Farrell Street | Tenderloin | featuring the magic of Peter Morrison | |
| The Marsh | 1062 Valencia Street | Mission District | specializes in developing new performances | |
| Theatre at MCCLA | Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts | Mission District | 150 | [21] |
| New Conservatory Theatre Center | 25 Van Ness Ave. | Civic Center | ||
| NOHSpace | Project Artaud, 2840 Mariposa Street | Mission District | venue of Theatre of Yugen [22] [23] | |
| SF Masonic Auditorium | 1111 California Street | Nob Hill | 3,481 | formerly known as Grand Masonic Auditorium and Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium |
| Nourse Theater | 275 Hayes Street | Civic Center | 1,693 | venue of City Arts and Lectures [24] |
| Oasis | 298 11th Street | South of Market | drag theater and cabaret [25] | |
| ODC Theater | 351 Shotwell Street | Mission District | dance performances | |
| Orpheum Theatre | 1192 Market Street | Tenderloin | 2,197 | built in 1926 and owned by SHN |
| Palace of Fine Arts Theatre | Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon Street | Marina District | originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, has since been rebuilt, renovated and seismically retrofitted [26] | |
| Peña Pachamama | 1630 Powell Street | North Beach | Bolivian restaurant and Latin dance shows | |
| Phoenix Theatre | 414 Mason Street | Union Square | two stages: the 6th Floor Theatre, and The Annex [27] | |
| Presidio Theatre | 99 Moraga Avenue | Presidio | [28] | |
| Punch Line | 444 Battery Street | Financial District | comedy club | |
| Regency Center | 1290 Sutter Street | Lower Nob Hill | 1,423 | music venue with four stages; the main stage is the Regency Ballroom |
| Safehouse Arts | 145 Eddy Street | Tenderloin | formerly known as SAFEhouseARTS [29] | |
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music | 50 Oak Street | Civic Center | includes three performance halls (Concert Hall, Recital Hall, and Osher Salon) | |
| San Francisco Jazz Center | 201 Franklin Street | Hayes Valley | ||
| San Francisco Playhouse | 450 Post Street | Union Square | 199 | traveling theater company that performs political musicals [30] |
| South of Market Cultural Center | 934 Brannan Street | South of Market | managed by SOMArts [31] | |
| Strand Theater | American Conservatory Theater, 1127 Market Street | Civic Center | [32] | |
| Theatre du Lycée Français de San Francisco (TLF) | Lycee Francais de San Francisco, 1201 Ortega Street | Sunset District | 325 | [33] |
| Venetian Room | Fairmont San Francisco | Nob Hill | venue for cabaret performances, [34] and where Tony Bennett first sang, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" [35] | |
| Victoria Theatre | 2961-16th Street | Mission District | plays, live concerts, film festivals, musicals, and other kinds of events | |
| Walt Disney Family Museum Theater | Presidio Main Post | Presidio | ||
| The Warfield | 982 Market Street | Civic Center | large music venue | |
| War Memorial Opera House | San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, 301 Van Ness Street | Civic Center | venue of the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet | |
| Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | 701 Mission Street | includes the Novelius/YBCA Theatre or Blue Shield of California Theater | ||
| Z Space | Project Artaud, 450 Florida Stree | Mission District | home of the theatre company of the same name, with a main stage, and the smaller Z Below theater [36] |
The Castro Theatre is a historic movie palace in the Castro District of San Francisco, California. The venue became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, it was built in 1922 with a California Churrigueresque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window surmounted by a scrolling pediment framing a niche—to the basilica of Mission Dolores nearby. Its designer, Timothy L. Pflueger, also designed Oakland's Paramount Theater and other movie theaters in California during that period. The theater has more than 1,400 seats.
Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain founded in 1974 in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films. Landmark consists of 34 theatres with 176 screens in 24 markets. It is known for both its historic and newer, more modern theatres. Helmed by its President, Kevin Holloway, Landmark Theatres is part of Cohen Media Group.
Emporium Centre San Francisco is a shopping mall located in San Francisco, California, United States. Best known by its former name, San Francisco Centre, it is anchored by Bloomingdale's. It connects directly to the Powell Street station via an underground entrance on the concourse floor.
The Mexican Museum is a museum created to exhibit the aesthetic expression of the Latino, Chicano, Mexican, and Mexican-American people, located in San Francisco, California, United States. As of 2022, their exhibition space was permanently closed at Fort Mason Center; and they are still in the process of moving to a new space at 706 Mission Street in Yerba Buena Gardens.
Ray of Light Theatre is a musical theatre company in San Francisco, California. It performs in the Victoria Theatre in the Mission District.
The Orpheum Theatre, originally the Pantages Theatre, is located at 1192 Market Street at Hyde, Grove and 8th Streets in the Civic Center district of San Francisco, California. The theatre first opened in 1926 as one of the many designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca for theater-circuit owner Alexander Pantages. The interior features a vaulted ceiling, while the facade is a Plateresque Revival. The Orpheum seats 2,197 patrons. In 1998, after a previous renovation in the 1970s, a $20 million renovation was completed to make the Orpheum more suitable for Broadway shows. The theatre is a locally designated San Francisco landmark as determined by the San Francisco Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board.
The Magic Theatre is a theatre company founded in 1967, presently based at the historic Fort Mason Center on San Francisco's northern waterfront. The Magic Theatre is well known and respected for its singular focus on the development and production of new plays. Sean San José is the Artistic Director.
The Golden Gate Theatre is a performance venue located at 1 Taylor Street at the corner of Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco, California, United States. It opened in 1922 as a vaudeville house and later was a major movie theater. In the 1960s it boasted a Cinerama screen, but by the early 1970s it had declined and was showing blaxploitation films. It was restored and reopened as a performing arts venue in 1979.
The history of art in the San Francisco Bay Area includes major contributions to contemporary art, including Abstract Expressionism. The area is known for its cross-disciplinary artists like Bruce Conner, Bruce Nauman, and Peter Voulkos as well as a large number of non-profit alternative art spaces. San Francisco Bay Area Visual Arts has undergone many permutations paralleling innovation and hybridity in literature and theater.
The Harding Theater is a historic movie theater located at 616 Divisadero Street in San Francisco, California, completed in 1926. In 2017, the Emporium Arcade Bar opened in the space.
The Marsh Theater is an American theater company that specializes in developing new performance, founded in 1989. It has two venue locations, at 1062 Valencia Street in the Mission District of San Francisco, California; and 2120 Allston Way in Berkeley, California.
FoolsFURY Theater is an ensemble theater company based in San Francisco.
San Francisco Playhouse is a non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, founded in 2003 by Bill English and Susi Damilano. The theater stages nine plays yearly, including Broadway plays, musicals, and world and regional premieres.
Historic bars and saloons in San Francisco were some of the earliest businesses during the formation of the city. Many of the first businesses to spring up in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush era (1848–1855) supported the influx of new men, including bars and saloons, breweries, horse racing tracks, and others forms of entertainment.
Dance Mission Theater is a nonprofit performance venue and dance school located in the Mission District of San Francisco, California.
The Sydney Goldstein Theater, formerly the Nourse Theater and Nourse Auditorium, is a 1,687-seat venue located at 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, California. It is host to the City Arts & Lectures series as well as podcast tapings and conversations with notable writers and cultural figures.
The San Francisco Independent Film Festival, known as San FranciscoIndieFest, is an annual film festival, held in January or February, that recognizes contemporary independent film. It is run by SF IndieFest, a non-profit organization, and based at the Roxie Theater in the Mission District.
Minnesota Street Project (MSP), is a dual for-profit/foundation model art space founded in 2016 in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco, California; and features 13 art galleries, an event space, and a restaurant.
The Hotel Utah is a historic mixed-use building known as a saloon bar, live music venue, and residential hotel, built in 1908 and located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is known for its diverse open mic nights, which have historically attracted some people who have later become famous. It is also known as The Utah Inn, The Hotel Utah Saloon, and simply The Utah.
Root Division is an American arts nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002. It is located in San Francisco, California. They provide a gallery space for exhibition opportunities to emerging and mid-career artists. It also provides art classes, artist residencies, and art studio space.
Next December, CounterPULSE's lease at 1310 Mission Street will expire, leaving the 22-year-old experimental performing arts venue without a home. The worst case, and most likely scenario, subjects them to eviction or a dramatic (and unaffordable) rent increase—CP is located around the corner from the new Twitterplex, so one can only imagine how landlords would jack the cost. Fortunately, thanks to a progressive, charitable act, they will move into the landmark historical building at 80 Turk (that full-of-TL-flavor block between Taylor and Mason). The building dates back to 1922 and has gone through many incarnations over the decades, first as a gambling hall, then as the Buccaneer Tavern in the 1930s, the Gayety Theater (shown in B&W here) in the 1960s, and then the Dollhouse Theater porn palace until the early 90s when it fell into disrepair (and was likely used for illegal raves, as evidenced by international DJ tags on the basement walls).