Bay Area Children's Theatre

About Bay Area Children's Theatre

Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) was founded in 2004 as Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences to enrich children’s lives, inspire imagination, and open the curtain on lifelong enjoyment of theatre. We encourage children to explore literature, language, and the arts by producing stage adaptations of great children’s books. We also create new work that brings literature to life on stage.

Our performances feature professional adult performers working with artistic teams who understand how to make theatre compelling and accessible for young audiences. We offer main stage productions in Berkeley and San Ramon, and we take these productions on tour to Bay Area schools and libraries to reach children who might not otherwise experience live theatre. We also mount productions specially designed for pre-kindergartners featuring stories that these munchkin audience members enjoy reading with their parents.

Our active and growing Youth Education Program complements our theatrical offerings by giving children and teens performance opportunities in theatre arts, enabling them to learn the art and craft of theatre as participants as well as observers. Our classes, workshops and summer camps, taught by artist-educators, emphasize teamwork, skill-building, striving for one’s highest potential, and having fun!

Our board, leaders, dedicated staff, and the wonderful artists with whom we work all believe in the power of live theatre to build community, spark creativity, and introduce the larger world in which we live. By reaching out to children and their families, we hope to inspire the curiosity and empathy that new generations will need to create a better future.

Our Mission

To inspire young audiences with imaginative productions, introduce children of all backgrounds to the excitement of live theatre, and create an engaging, entertaining, and educational environment in which children and their families can explore and enjoy the arts.

How We Carry Out Our Mission

• Bring high quality, professional theatre to children and their families, with artists who create vibrant worlds that are intriguing to young audiences
• Encourage young people to explore literature, language, and the arts by producing stage adaptations of great children’s books
• Engage pre-kindergartners in the world of theatre with productions specially designed for them
• Develop and perform exciting new work for the stage
• Reach out to children who might not otherwise experience live theatre with free tickets and touring productions at local schools, libraries and community centers
• Create touring productions for young audiences nationwide
• Introduce children to the joy of performance with classes, workshops, and summer camp theatre programs