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BATS IMPROV

Landmark Building B, San Francisco, CA 94123
San Francisco, CA 94123



Review: HAMNET at American Conservatory Theatre


by Steve Murray - April 29, 2026

Maggie O’Farrell’s fictionalized account of Agnes Hathaway was a solid hit when released in 2020, winning literary awards for its unique perspective on the little-known woman maligned by scholars....

Review: COME FROM AWAY at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley


by Kelly Rogers Flynt - April 21, 2026

weary soul. With a steady beat that blends with your pulse, this music sticks in your mind and body. Devoid of elaborate set pieces or high tech features, the show soars because the story matters. And you will come away remembering all that is good and noble and possible in community....

Review: THE SONGS + STORIES OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ at Chan National Queer Arts Center


by Steve Murray - April 20, 2026

Composer, lyricist, and pianist extraordinaire Stephen Schwartz presented an evening of conversation and song- a celebration of his continuing support and collaboration with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus....

Review: ANYTHING GOES at Altarena Playhouse


by Kelly Rogers Flynt - April 12, 2026

Energetic dances, soaring songs, and clever comedy make a winning combination in ANYTHING GOES at Altarena Playhouse. With classic songs by Cole Porter and witty dialogue from P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, ANYTHING GOES has entertained audiences since 1934. The fun and humor still resonate as a new...

Review: LOST IN YONKERS at Center Rep


by Kelly Rogers Flynt - April 05, 2026

Center Rep presents Neil Simon’s classic tale of family and obligations, LOST IN YONKERS. In a world of sound bites, TikTok, and AI images, this show reminds us that when it comes to family, things haven’t really changed that much. With humor and heart, the show demonstrates that even in the mid...

Review: THE MONSTERS at Berkeley Rep


by Steve Murray - April 03, 2026

Berkely Rep’s co-production with La Jolla Playhouse of Ngozi Anywanu’s The Monsters is a joyous, heartwarming story of the bond between sister and brother that will want to make you hug your sibling. Both emotionally devastating and rewarding, The Monsters is brilliantly written, superbly acted ...

Review: FLEX at SF Playhouse


by Steve Murray - April 02, 2026

For Starra Jones, a baller from rural Plainnole, Arkansas, fulfilling her mother’s dream of basketball glory is her prime motivation. Playing a style of ‘dirty’ ball, her braggadocio will lead her to a foul play in Candrice Jones’ Flex, making its West Coast premiere at SF Playhouse....

Review: BEETLEJUICE Tour Is a Living Nightmare (in a Good Way!) at Broadway San Jose


by Linda Hodges - April 01, 2026

It's easy to see why Beetlejuice, the screen-to-stage adaptation of Tim Burton's beloved 1998 cult-classic film, earned eight 2019 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. It is to die for. ...

Review: OUR CLASS at Z Space


by Steve Murray - March 30, 2026

There are many types of great theatre- light, cheerful, romantic, uplifting, silly, classic. Z Spaces’ co-production of Tadeusz Slobodzianek’s Our Class is unflinchingly dark, emotionally devastating and a tough watch – but it is great theatre, a timely cautionary tale of evil startingly conce...

Review: ASSASSINS at Oakland Theatre Project


by Steve Murray - March 23, 2026

I admit I’ve never seen Stephen Sondhiem’s Assassins, nor ever heard the score or read the synopsis. A flop in 1990, the 2004 revival won five Tony awards, and it’s been in theatre rotations since, often causing controversy for its raw language and unsavory content. A play from the perspective...

Past Shows

Theatresports (TM)
Theatresports (TM)
Jul 7 – Aug 25, 2023

Who will be the summer champions when your favorite teams square off in improvised competitions? BATS Improv brings back the world-renowned sensation Theatresports TM Fridays...

Improvised Fantasy Island
Improvised Fantasy Island
Jul 1 – Jul 29, 2023

Improv Magic Awaits at Fantasy Island! Join the guests at this tropical island resort where their every dream comes true, but never in the way...

The AI Experiment: An Unscripted Adventure
The AI Experiment: An Unscripted Adventure
May 6 – May 27, 2023

The AI Experiment is an exciting three-way collaboration! It starts with the BATS players getting a variety of story suggestions from the audience, including genre...

The Gather
The Gather
Mar 3 – Mar 31, 2023

The Gather brings storytellers and improvisers together on the BATS stage! Every Friday in March, two invited storytellers, from local organizations including The Moth and...

Spontaneous Broadway
Spontaneous Broadway
Mar 4 – Mar 25, 2023

Thank you for your long history of backing new musical theatre! We've got another project for your consideration -- in fact, we have too many...

Guilty Pleasures: Improvised Soaps
Guilty Pleasures: Improvised Soaps
Feb 4 – Feb 25, 2023

Long lost twins? Business empires crushed? Love affairs revealed? Find out in Guilty Pleasures: Improvised Soaps! Every Saturday in February we’ll feature a different genre...

Love Makes the World Go Round
Love Makes the World Go Round
Feb 3 – Feb 24, 2023

A show for those in love, looking for love, or trying to avoid the whole thing at all costs.Love makes the world go round and...

Celebrate New Year’s with BATS Improv
Celebrate New Year’s with BATS Improv
Dec 31

BRING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH BATS IMPROV!Come join us for a New Year's-inspired show! We’ll do short scenes based on your New Year’s suggestions...

BATS Improv Presents: Theatresports™
BATS Improv Presents: Theatresports™
Dec 2 – Dec 30, 2022

Who will be the holiday champions when your favorite teams square off in improvised competitions? BATS Improv brings back the world-renowned sensation THEATRESPORTS for four...

BATS Improv Presents: The Good, The Bad & The Jolly
BATS Improv Presents: The Good, The Bad & The Jolly
Dec 3 – Dec 17, 2022

A collection of musical vignettes exploring and celebrating all things holiday! Whether you love the holidays or hate them, revel in the winter cheer or...

Family Drama
Family Drama
Nov 12 – Nov 26, 2022

Family Drama is a fully improvised three act stage play set at a family holiday gathering. The performers create the characters, relationships and home where...

The Harold
The Harold
Nov 11 – Nov 25, 2022

THE HAROLD begins with a single audience suggestion. From that point on anything can happen — it’s unstructured and unpredictable! The improvisers search for improv...

The Improvised Twilight Zone
The Improvised Twilight Zone
Oct 15 – Oct 29, 2022

Enter a dimension of both shadow and substance. It’s the middle ground between science and superstition, between the pit of your fears and the summit...

Things that Go Blank in the Night
Things that Go "Blank" in the Night
Oct 14 – Oct 28, 2022

Things That Go "Bump"? "Ah-choo"? "Surprise"? "Moo"? You tell us! Things That Go “blank” in the Night is an improvised homage to horror anthology movies...

3 FOR ALL
3 FOR ALL
Oct 21 – Oct 22, 2022

THEY’RE BACK! 3 FOR ALL Returns as Special Guests of BATS Improv!RAFE CHASE, STEPHEN KEARIN & TIM ORR - San Francisco's internationally critically acclaimed improv...

Two Musicals, Tonight!
Two Musicals, Tonight!
Apr 16 – Apr 30, 2022

Two Musicals, Tonight! is improv at its most magical when the BATS Company players spontaneously create two completely improvised musicals, one in each half, based...

The Cypher Scenes
The Cypher Scenes
Apr 15 – Apr 29, 2022

It is back again! Improvised poets and freestyle rappers join BATS Improv onstage for The Cypher Scenes at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture....

SuperScene
SuperScene
Dec 18

Super Scene Five genres in one nightSuper Scene is a fast-paced, rip-roaring theatre competition featuring five directors creating five unique, completely improvised stories, each with...

Bitten By BATS Improv Festival
Bitten By BATS Improv Festival
Feb 2

Bitten By BATS Improv Festival honors the myriad ways in which BATS Improv has helped create, shape, and enrich the San Francisco Bay Area improv...

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