The Bay Area’s April lineup of accessible performances

Your monthly guide to inclusive performances in San Francisco, Berkeley, and beyond.

The Bay Area’s April lineup of accessible performances
The Monsters at Berkeley Repertory Theatre | Photo by Kevin Berne

March brings us an especially eclectic calendar of accessible events. Something quite unique is Drum Tao, which merges centuries-old music traditions with surprising choreography. Cal Performances will offer an audio-described performance of Drum Tao on March 22 as they expand the types of art that can be shared with the visually impaired.

Opera San Jose presents a double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. While supertitles are a mainstay in opera, this company will offer them in Spanish as well as English, proving that accessibility takes many forms.

There’s so much more waiting for you this month—take a look, reserve your seat, and settle in for something memorable.


Anything Goes

Audio Described: April 12 at 2 p.m.

Luxury liner the S. S. American is sailing from New York to England with a madcap group of passengers, bringing witty repartee, exceptional songs, and brilliant dance numbers.

Altarena Playhouse
altarena.org


MJ: The Musical

Audio Described: April 4 at 1 p.m.

MJ goes beyond Michael Jackson’s singular moves and signature sound, offering a rare glimpse at the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

ATG San Francisco
us.atgtickets.com


Hadestown

ASL Interpreted: April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Audio Described: April 26 at 1 p.m.

Intertwining two mythic tales, that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone, Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.

ATG San Francisco
us.atgtickets.com


The Monsters

Closed Captioned: Evenings Apr 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8; and every matinee through Apr 30
Audio Described: May 2 at 2 p.m.

Raw and riveting, The Monsters delivers an emotional knockout and wrestles with the demons we must face to reconnect, rebuild, and forgive.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre
berkeleyrep.org


Beetlejuice

Closed Captioned: April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
ASL Interpreted: April 4 at 2 p.m.
Open Captioned: April 5 at 6:30 p.m.

It’s showtime! Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.

Broadway San Jose
broadwaysanjose.com


Les Misérables

Closed Captioned: April 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.

Broadway San Jose
broadwaysanjose.com


A ballet dancer in a blue dress is in a spotlight as she leaps with one leg extended against a black background.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform at Cal Performances | Photo by Andrew Eccles

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Audio Described: April 11 at 2 p.m.

With brand-new commissions from next-generation creators and beloved works by Ailey dancers past and present, this revered institution continues to embody the values and vision of its founder through performances of exceptional power, beauty, and grace.

Cal Performances
calperformances.org


The Joffrey Ballet: Midsummer Nights Dream

Audio Described: April 19 at 3 p.m.

Straying far from Shakespeare’s familiar path, the peerless Joffrey Ballet returns to Berkeley with Alexander Ekman’s daring and exuberant Midsummer Night’s Dream, a mind-bending trip to a surreal realm of unearthly delights. 

Cal Performances
calperformances.org


La Traviata

English supertitles: Available at all performances (April 19 to May 3)

The scandalous love affair between the courtesan Violetta Valery and the young gentleman Alfredo Germont threatens to tear the fabric of the Parisian social order apart.

Opera San Jose
operasj.org


Teenage girls as members of a basketball team embrace together while the one in the middle holds a ball.
FLEX at San Francisco Playhouse | Photo by Jessica Palopoli

FLEX

Haptic Tour: April 19 at 12:30 p.m.
Audio Described: April 19 at 2 p.m.

In a forgotten town in rural Arkansas, a high school girls basketball team fights its way toward an impossible dream: a state championship.

San Francisco Playhouse
sfplayhouse.org


The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?

ASL Interpreted: April 2 at 7 p.m.
Audio Described: April 12 at 2 p.m.

Edward Albee’s Tony Award-winning tragedy edges the line of morality while exploring the limits of love and what is considered taboo in a modern society.

Shotgun Players
shotgunplayers.org


Come From Away

Audio Described: April 26 at 2 p.m.
ASL Interpreted: April 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Open Captioned: May 3 at 2 p.m.

On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever. This New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. 

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
theatreworks.org