Crowded Fire Theater Company

A vital home for fierce, new plays

Crowded Fire Theater (CFT) is a critically acclaimed company for new play production on the West Coast. Known for presenting works by the hottest up-and-coming playwrights, CFT contributes to the creation of a contemporary canon that reflects the diverse world in which we live. A company in residence at the intimate 99-seat Potrero Stage in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, we develop and produce poetic, bold, relevant live theater.

In addition to three mainstage shows each season, we offer a robust new play development program through The Matchbox: Commissioning and Development Program. The Matchbox actively supports the creation of high quality contemporary theater through commissions, in-house workshops, and an annual free public reading series. We cultivate long-term relationships with playwrights, producing much of the work we commission and develop.

CFT is composed of an ensemble of Resident Artists made up of top Bay Area actors, designers, and dramaturgs. This ensemble, with its multiplicity of interests and ideas, as well as the dedication and talent of its members, represents one of the company’s most significant strengths.

• “one of the most reliable local stops for high-quality new work by diverse voices… The company has been instrumental in introducing the Bay Area to new writers who push the boundaries of what theatre can be.” – American Theatre Magazine

• “One of San Francisco’s most enterprising small companies… commissioning new plays and presenting wonderfully odd and oddly wonderful shows that are unlike anything anywhere else.” – Chad Jones, San Francisco Examiner

• “a feisty company specializing in difficult, subversive works by emerging playwrights” —San Francisco Weekly

• “the always surprising company Crowded Fire” — SF Chronicle

• “one of San Francisco’s most uncompromising small theaters” –San Jose Mercury News

• “daring, idiosyncratic, and ambitious…” —The Guardian