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Note: Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) permanently closed in May 2023 after 19 years, citing financial strain from the pandemic. The content below is preserved for reference. See the Planning section for current alternatives.
Overview
Bay Area Children's Theatre was the Bay Area's flagship professional children's theater company, producing original works designed specifically for ages 2–12 across venues in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Ramon. Founded in 2004, BACT ran for 19 years and reached over a million kids, winning 15 Theatre Bay Area Awards for shows built around picture books — think A Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas and Good Night, Gorilla brought to life by working actors on a real stage. Their Wiggleworms series was designed specifically for babies and toddlers, keeping shows under 75 minutes and letting kids be kids in the audience.
How to Do It
BACT's main home was the Berkeley Theater at 2055 Center St., Berkeley — a short walk from Downtown Berkeley BART. They also performed at venues across the Bay, so the location varied by show. The format was straightforward: buy tickets in advance (shows sold out), arrive a few minutes early, let kids get settled before the lights went down. The Berkeley venue had stroller parking in the lobby and was built for families who'd never done theater before.
Tips & Tricks
Tickets ran $30–35 per person; family memberships paid for themselves in two or three shows and unlocked priority booking for popular runs. The Wiggleworms toddler shows were kept intentionally short and featured interactive moments where kids were expected to respond out loud — no hushing required. Shows based on familiar books (A Year with Frog and Toad, Elephant and Piggie) landed best with 3–6 year olds who already knew the source material. BACT's Writers Room also produced original immersive shows where the audience became part of the story, which worked especially well for 4–7 year olds who could handle a little controlled chaos.
Planning
BACT is no longer operating. Current alternatives for professional or high-quality children's theater in the Bay Area include Berkeley Playhouse (berkeleytheatrecompany.org), which offers both performances and classes for kids K–7; Berkeley Rep's education programs and annual family shows; Children's Fairyland theater in Oakland (ages 8–10, audition-based); and the Children's Theatre Association of San Francisco (ctasf.org). For the closest match to BACT's original mission — short, production-quality shows built for the under-6 crowd — check Berkeley Playhouse's family series and sign up for their mailing list, as popular shows do sell out. Most shows run $15–35 per person depending on venue and production scale.
