Hillbarn Theatre

About the Theatre

Since 1941, the historic Hillbarn Theatre has served the San Francisco Bay Area by embracing this founding ideal: To create theatre with the community, for the community. We fulfill our mission by striving to do the following: Bring artists and audience together as part of our intimate Hillbarn family to experience engaging and inspiring theatrical productions. Select program themes that entertain, explore the joys and sorrows of our common human experience, and celebrate our diversity. Enhance and enliven the arts and entertainment culture of our community. Offer amateur performers and technicians a venue and direction by trained professionals to achieve personal and artistic growth. Through the Conservatory at Hillbarn Theatre, provide enriching and lasting educational opportunities for young and aspiring artists.

FeaturedGutenberg! The Musical!

Oct 8 – Nov 1, 2026

Thursday Preview Performance @ 8pm, Fridays @ 8pm, Saturdays @ 2pm and 8pm, Sundays @ 8pm

School of Rock

Nov 19 – Dec 20, 2026

Hillbarn Theatre presents the holiday season production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock. Based on the beloved film, the musical follows aspiring rock star Dewey Finn as he inspires a group of prep-school students to form a rock band. With lyrics by Glenn Slater and a...

The Legend of Robin Hood

Jan 21 – Feb 14, 2027

Hillbarn Theatre proudly presents the world premiere of The Legend of Robin Hood , a thrilling new adaptation by Bay Area playwright and actor Max Tachis. This fresh retelling breathes new life into the timeless story of the legendary outlaw who steals from the rich to help the...

Good Night, Oscar

Mar 4 – Mar 28, 2027

Set during a single unforgettable night of live television in 1958, Good Night, Oscar shines a spotlight on the brilliant and complicated entertainer Oscar Levant. Written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Doug Wright, the play centers on Levant's legendary appearance on The...

Hello, Dolly!

Apr 15 – May 9, 2027

Bursting with unforgettable songs and irresistible charm, Hello, Dolly! brings Hillbarn Theatre’s Season 86 to a dazzling close. This beloved Broadway classic follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi, a matchmaker with a gift for bringing people—and entire...

Review: AFRICAN STEW at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre

by Steve Murray · September 13, 2026

What did our critic think of AFRICAN STEW at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre?…

Review: CRUSHING at A.C.T. Strand

by Steve Murray · September 11, 2026

Stories of romantic love are delivered by a variety of interdisciplinary artists in the second Bay Area incarnation of Crushing, and it’s a winner for the art of spoken word. The featured writers span genders, ages and viewpoints and you never know what’s coming next.…

Review: THE COOK at Berkeley Rep

by Steve Murray · September 10, 2026

A love of food sustains houseworker Gladys over a forty-year arc that coincides with the social, economic and political changes wrought by the Cuban revolution of 1959 in Eduardo Machado’s The Cook, opening Berkeley Rep’s 59th season.  In Tanya Orellana’s superbly appointed and functional kit…

Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Gets a Spectacular New Life at Broadway San Jose

by Linda Hodges · September 9, 2026

Review of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Broadway San Jose, where dazzling stagecraft, spectacular choreography and standout performances make the new touring production a theatrical feast.…

Review: VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE at Masquers Playhouse

by Kelly Rogers Flynt · September 5, 2026

VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE is a delightful romp with equal measures of nostalgia and hope for the future. With rapid-fire dialogue and pitch-perfect timing, the cast bring the script by Christopher Durang to life. …

Review: THE WHITE CHIP at Marin Theatre

by Steve Murray · September 3, 2026

 Marin Theatre opens its 60th season with a bang – a sobering dark comedy from director, writer and former California Shakespeare Theatre Associate Artistic Director Sean Daniels. Chronicling the dark ride of self-delusion into alcoholism, Daniels’ semiautobiographical story is beautifully exec…

Review: THE WHITE CHIP at Marin Theatre

by Steve Murray · September 2, 2026

Marin Theatre opens its 60th season with a bang – a sobering dark comedy from director, writer and former California Shakespeare Theatre Associate Artistic Director Sean Daniels. Chronicling the dark ride of self-delusion into alcoholism, Daniels’ semiautobiographical story is beautifully execut…

Review: RUMORS at Woodminster Summer Musicals

by Kelly Rogers Flynt · August 31, 2026

RUMORS at Woodminster Summer Musicals is full of laughs and gaffs, and is a jolly good time. Set in a posh New York townhouse, RUMORS is Neil Simon’s only full length farce. From half truths to utter nonsense and mistaken identities to outright charades, this production will ensnare you in a strea…

Review: PICKLEBALL at Hillbarn Theatre

by AJ Jaffari · August 24, 2026

Pickleball at Hillbarn Theatre, written by Jeff Daniels, takes one of the country’s fastest-growing sports and serves it up as an unabashedly silly comedy filled with eccentric players, romantic entanglements, and plenty of physical humor. …

Review: FALLEN ANGELS at Altarena Playhouse

by Kelly Rogers Flynt · August 22, 2026

Altarena Playhouse brings Noël Coward’s FALLEN ANGELS to life with wit and charm. When the sardonic writing of a genius playwright meets the witty interpretation of a theater, it produces a night full of laughs and insights. …

FeaturedPickleball

Aug 20 – Sep 13, 2026

From award-winning playwright and beloved actor Jeff Daniels—known to millions for his acclaimed television roles in The Newsroom and Dumb and Dumber —comes a witty new comedy about pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in America. When a group of fiercely competitive neighbors...

San Francisco / Bay Area Premiere

FeaturedThe Play That Goes Wrong

Apr 23 – May 17, 2026

Welcome to the Cornley Drama Society’s opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor —a classic whodunit where, unfortunately, everything that can go wrong does . Misplaced props, collapsing sets, forgotten lines, and hilariously clumsy actors turn this murder mystery into a...

FeaturedSongs for a New World

Mar 5 – Mar 22, 2026

Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World is a thrilling, contemporary song cycle that captures the electric moment just before everything changes. In a series of bold, intimate stories, we meet characters standing at life’s crossroads, hearts pounding, futures unwritten. From...

FeaturedWhat the Constitution Means to Me

Jan 22 – Feb 8, 2026

In the 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist , What the Constitution Means to Me , Heidi Schreck takes a fresh, funny, and deeply personal look at the U.S. Constitution and the ways it has shaped—and sometimes challenged—our lives. Inspired by her teenage years as a debate champion, she...

FeaturedCinderella

Dec 4 – Dec 28, 2025

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella “A dazzling delight for all ages” - Entertainment Weekly Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella brings a fresh, modern twist to the classic fairytale while keeping all the romance and enchantment audiences love. This Tony Award-winning adaptation...

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Dec 4 – Dec 28, 2025

Hillbarn Theatre presents Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, a Tony Award-winning adaptation of the classic fairytale. Running from December 4 to December 28, this family-friendly musical features a lush score including beloved songs like “Ten Minutes Ago” and “In My Own Little...

85th Anniversary Celebration Concert

Nov 14 – Nov 15, 2025

Hillbarn Theatre celebrates 85 years of theatrical excellence with two special concerts on November 14 and 15, 2025. This event highlights both the legacy of the theatre and emerging talent, featuring performers like Sarah Jebian, Randy O’Hara, Caitlin Beanan, and more...

FeaturedMurder for Two

Oct 9 – Nov 2, 2025

Murder for Two is a madcap musical comedy that blends murder mystery with vaudevillian flair. When a celebrated author is found dead at his own birthday party, an eager but inexperienced detective is called to crack the case. The suspects? A zany lineup of eccentric...

FeaturedPlaza Suite

Aug 21 – Sep 14, 2025

Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite is a witty and heartfelt comedy in three acts, each set in the same luxurious hotel suite, where three different couples face life’s unexpected twists. A long-married couple attempts to rekindle their romance but finds themselves at odds with time and...

FeaturedWriting Fragments Home

Apr 17 – May 4, 2025

A comedy about art, family, and culture – Writing Fragments Home follows the story of a young Filipino artist who must come face to face with his past, his family and his heritage in order to overcome writer’s block and discover his voice. Stuck sleeping on the couch, Jay must...