Our Organization

The Bay Area Children's Theatre (BACT) was founded by five arts educators in 2004 as Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences. Their dream was to enrich children’s lives, inspire imagination, and open the curtain on lifelong enjoyment of theatre.

Today, BACT, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, serves 43,000 people throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. We are producing six plays this season, including three world premiers, in Berkeley, Oakland, Mill Valley, San Francisco and San Ramon. We take selected shows on tour to schools in underserved communities, and our thriving Youth Education Program (YEP) serves students in Piedmont, Alameda, Oakland, Orinda, and San Ramon.

We believe passionately in the power of theatre to build community, spark creativity, and introduce children to the larger world in which we live. To bring children and their families consistently high-quality work, we rely on gifts from foundations and friends who share our passion for introducing children to live theatre and understand that BACT, like other arts organizations, needs more resources than tickets sales alone can provide.