News

20 Years Ago: A Letter to the Editor. Now: The Getting Played Symposium.

October 18, 2024

By Kathleen Antonia Tarr This year is the 10th anniversary of the Getting Played Symposium on Equity in the Entertainment Industry and Awards which I founded in response to what I observed as rampant discrimination in casting, direction, and production. 2015 was also the year I delivered the General Session at the Annual Meeting of the State Bar…

Nataki Garrett, a Black woman in a blue dress, gestures at a podium, with the TBAConnect graphic projected in the background.

Transcript: The Threat of An Inclusive American Theatre

August 7, 2024

If you were at our October 2023 conference, you almost certainly remember Nataki Garrett’s outstanding keynote address. In anticipation of the Annual Conference 2024: Roots Intertwined, we are pleased to share the transcript below. The Threat of An Inclusive American Theatre By Nataki Garrett Thank you so much, Meredith, and good afternoon, everyone! It feels…

Announcing Spring 2024 CA$H Theatre Grantees

June 11, 2024

We are proud to announce the following recipients of the Spring 2024 CA$H Theatre Grants. Learn more about CA$H Theatre. CA$H Performs CA$H Performs is a $5,000 grant that supports fully produced performances of theatre projects that are open to the public. Ramon Abad Duck Soup is an immersive theatre experience for children and families at Bindlestiff…

Announcing 2024 Rella Lossy Awardee

June 7, 2024

We are proud to announce the recipient of the 2024-25 Rella Lossy Award. The Rella Lossy Award honors the memory of Rella Lossy, a lifelong champion of the American theatre and playwriting, by honoring the best new full-length script of a play by an emerging playwright that will premiere in Alameda County, Contra Costa County,…

Advocacy Alert: Tell Your Representatives To Oppose The 58% Cut To CA Arts Spending

May 16, 2024

Governor Newsom’s revision of the 24-25 California Budget proposes an unacceptable 58% cut to funding for local arts programs. His proposal would: Economic impacts are not isolated: Arts & Culture production drives 8% of California’s economy, producing over $290 billion in direct impact and supporting 847,688 jobs; it also drives 7.3% of state tax revenues.…

American Conservatory Theater and Theatre Bay Area Partnership Opens New Doors for Melissa Yandell Smith Library

March 4, 2024

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) and Theatre Bay Area have forged a new partnership for artists all around the Bay Area to access A.C.T.’s Melissa Yandell Smith Library collection. The Melissa Yandell Smith Library contains nearly 15,000 titles including play scripts, books, videos, language and music recordings, music scores, and theater periodicals. The collection has been…

Announcing CA$H Theatre Fall 2023 Grantees

December 15, 2023

We are proud to announce the following recipients of the Fall 2023 CA$H Theatre grants. Learn more about CA$H Theatre. CA$H Performs CA$H Performs is a $5,000 grant that supports fully produced performances of theatre projects that are open to the public. Aureen Almario Bulong, meaning whisper in Tagalog, is an evening-length, multidisciplinary shadow puppet performance…

Rolanda D. Bell, a Black woman with red curls, smiles in the spotlight, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Introducing the 2023 RHE Foundation Artistic Fellow

October 31, 2023

Theatre Bay Area and the RHE Charitable Foundation announce Rolanda D. Bell the 2023 RHE Foundation Artistic Fellow. Bell was introduced as the awardee on Saturday, October 28, 2023, at Theatre Bay Area’s TBAConnect: A Fall Conference for Creatives. Bell, a stage and screen actor based on Oakland, CA, garnered acclaim recently for her powerful…

Kimberly Ridgeway, a Black woman with her hair in braids, speaks into a microphone.

Introducing the 2023-24 Arts Leadership Residency

October 31, 2023

Photo by Cheshire Isaacs Kimberly will be working with Central Works co-Artistic Directors Jan Zvaifler and Gary Graves on producing their 2024 season and developing their 2025 season. All Central Works seasons are developed collaboratively, and Central Works plans to fully involve Kimberly in all aspects of leadership work. Kimberly Ridgeway is a Director, Actor,…

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Grants & Awards

TBA’s grant program supports a diverse community of theatremakers from across the Bay Area — learn about upcoming funding opportunities and meet recent grant awardees.

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