The 10 Best Plays and Musicals to See This Summer in the Bay Area

Be sure to check out our full 2026 Summer Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more in the Bay Area.

After a year of particular rockiness, Bay Area theatre continues to experience ups and downs. While some companies have closed, such as 3Below in San Jose, others are reinventing old spaces into new beginnings, like San Francisco’s Ray of Light and their fresh, intimate performance space, the Barbary Stage.

This summer’s theater in our region offers new ideas, but also some nostalgia. Lisa Vroman played Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera when it ran in San Francisco for more than five years in the 1990s; when the revitalized production returns to the city May 29–June 21, Vroman will take on the role of choreographer Madame Giry.

And if an angry vocal instructor with bad skin who lives in the damp catacombs of an opera house isn’t your vibe, never fear — here are 11 other fantastic plays and musicals running all over the Bay Area this summer.

‘La Cage aux Folles’

Theatre Rhinoceros, San Francisco
May 16–June 7

Jean-Michel’s dad Georges is the master of ceremonies at a Saint-Tropez drag nightclub. Anne’s dad is head of the Tradition, Family and Morality Party that’s trying to close drag clubs. How will these two get along now that their kids are in love? A bevy of lies ensue to try and assuage Anne’s family, yet by the end, everyone needs each other and drag artists win the day. The intimate performance space in the historic Castro District is a perfect spot for this joyous musical, written by dynamic duo Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein. Longtime executive artistic director John Fisher and development director/company manager Crystal Liu share directing duties.

‘The Lunchbox’

Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley
May 17–June 28, 2026

Bay Area audiences can certainly get used to seeing the uber-talented Kuhoo Verma, who’s spent time at both Berkeley Rep and ACT San Francisco in recent years. She completed an Off-Broadway run in Heathers this past April; she now stars in this newly adapted musical. Based on Ritesh Batra’s popular 2013 film, The Lunchbox is set in Mumbai, where a young wife and an older widower close to retirement begin a correspondence through a wrong lunch delivery. Notes hold deeper truths, and a romance begins to blossom. Batra serves as co-lyricist with sibling music group The Lazours (We Live in Cairo), while Hadestown director Rachel Chavkin handles the directing.

‘The House of Bernarda Alba’

Oakland Theater Project, Oakland
May 22–June 7, 2026

Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca remains one of the most thrilling artists of the 20th century. A sly critic of the brutal General Francisco Franco, Lorca was ultimately killed by firing squad in 1936 at age 38. In a new adaptation of Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba by Chay Yew, Matriarch Bernarda demands that her five daughters mourn the loss of their father for eight years. Yet as time goes on, the sisters begin to self-destruct, mostly driven by a single love interest among multiple sisters, a man the audience never sees. Lisa Ramirez, a terrific actor and co-artistic director of the company, takes on the title role, directed by Michael Socrates Moran.

‘Continuity’

Ashby Stage, Berkeley
May 23–June 21, 2026

Emilie Whelan directs this fast-paced comedy about life on a Hollywood set. As art imitates life, Maria is on edge as she keeps the production together amidst wild chaos. Egos, secrets and too much truth for comfort inform the story, a classic example of art imitating life. Shotgun Players are coming off a terrific production of another Pulitzer winning playwright, Edward Albee, and his risk-taking play The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, continuing a daring streak of staging stories with penetrating questions and complicated answers.

‘’night, Mother’

Altarena Playhouse, Alameda
May 29–June 28, 2026

The winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Marsha Norman’s story focuses on mother Thelma (Billie J. Simmons) and her daughter Jessie (Kelly Rinehart), who declares she is about to take her own life. Thelma’s battle for Jessie to reconsider becomes a bond, based on old secrets and long-standing harm. The small Altarena Playhouse in Alameda, featuring a three-quarter stage and just north of 100 seats, is an ideal venue for these types of personal stories. Actor, director and podcaster ShawnJ West directs.

‘We Will Rock You’

San Jose Stage
June 3–28, 2026

There’s never a bad time to dive into the hits of legendary rock band Queen, which boasted one of rock music’s greatest frontmen, Freddie Mercury. In this jukebox musical, two misfits, Galileo and Scaramouche, join a group of bohemians tasked with finding the buried sacred instruments that will allow them to save rock and roll. Featuring some of Queen’s biggest hits, such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions,” and “Somebody to Love,” the show is an opportunity to rock out to live Queen covers and dance in the aisles.

‘Arab Spring’

Potrero Stage, San Francisco
June 19–July 12, 2026

Golden Thread Productions and SFBATCO, two of the Bay Area’s most consequential creators of new work, join forces for this promising co-production. In Arab Spring, two siblings (played by Salim Razawi and Arti Ishak) return to the suburbs to bury their deadbeat dad, and themes of family and religion come to the forefront. Written by Golden Thread resident playwright Denmo Ibrahim and directed by Crowded Fire co-executive director Nailah Unole didanas’ea Harper-Malveaux, the play promises to be explosive and timely. It’s also the first full production under new artistic director Nabra Nelson, who took over from Sahar Assaf in December.

‘As You Like It’

Marin Shakespeare Co.
June 19–July 19, 2026

If it’s summer in the Bay Area and one does not go see Shakespeare outdoors, is it really summertime? Transitioning from T-shirt to jacket to blanket throughout a summer night is a rite of passage in these parts, and very few places are better suited for it than Marin. This year, exceptional theater maker Evren Odcikin is premiering his adaptation of As You Like It, with one of Shakespeare’s most beloved characters, the brilliant light Rosalind. Banished from the court, Rosalind disguises herself as the boy Ganymede and darts to the forest of Arden, where she encounters her love interest Orlando. It’s a classic pastoral comedy of music and romance.

‘The Employee Dharma Handbook’

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Mountain View
July 8–Aug. 2, 2026

In this prominent world premiere, Bay Area playwright Geetha Reddy explores dharma as a concept of morals and responsibilities in the workplace, as HR executive Val wrestles with suspicions of sexism among a group of lead engineers preparing a rocket launch. Reddy’s exploration of identity, culture and nepotism is directed by Snehal Desai, a former artistic director at Los Angeles’ East West Players currently serving as Artistic Director at the Center Theatre Group.

‘Hairspray’

SF Playhouse
July 10–Sept. 12, 2026

Sometimes you just want to go to the theater and dance in your seat. While Hairspray is loaded with great hits in the spirit of 1960s R&B groups, it also doubles as a slick commentary on racism and societal acceptance. The story is told through the lens of plus-sized Tracy Turnblad and her mission to bring marginalized people into the spotlight through a television dance show. As good as the 2007 film was, starring John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron and a fresh-faced Nikki Blonsky, hearing the numbers live is a whole ‘nother vibe. Artistic director Bill English handles directing duties.

‘Pear Slices’

The Pear Theatre
July 19–Aug. 3, 2026

New works are the heartbeat of the American theater, and terrific incubators abound in the Bay Area, including the popular Pear Slices festival at the Pear Theatre. Over the course of the festival’s 24 years, more than 100 new works have been brought to audiences, with the 2025 production offering eight brand new stories. At this year’s 24th annual iteration of the series, the plays are nicely varied, with a mix of comic and poignant works. Tonya Mara and Joey Dippel tag-team the direction.