Travel Guide to California

Theater (A.C.T., which premiered Cole Porter's High Society in 1997), the city offers live performance for every taste. The Eureka Theatre (which premiered Angels in America), the Magic Theatre (which estab- lished playwright Sam Shepard), Z Space and Aurora are just a few of the city's native companies—not to mention the politically charged San Francisco Mime Troupe, now in its 58 th rabble-rousing year. For superb solo performance, check out both Intersec- tion for the Arts and The Marsh ("A breeding ground for new performance"), which has built an enviable reputation with its four intimate theaters in two loca- tions, San Francisco and Berkeley. A terrific recent addition to the Bay Area theater scene is We Players, led by visionary artistic director Ava Roy. In col- laboration with the National Park Service, We Players have performed Ondine at the Sutro Baths, The Odyssey on Angel Island and Macbeth at Fort Point. Check their website (see sidebar) for upcoming site- specific shows. Half a dozen California regional play- houses have won Tony Awards—the highest distinction in American theater. These include the Berkeley Repertory The- atre, 30 minutes by car or a short BART ride from San Francisco. They continue a tradi- tion of inspired experimentation, with a roster that has included works by artists such as Mary Zimmerman and Green Day, and solo shows by Rita Moreno, Anna Devere Smith and many others. And while you're in the East Bay, don't overlook "Cal Shakes"—the California Shakespeare Company—with its gorgeous open-air venue in the Orinda hills. Other excellent theaters include the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, San Jose Repertory and the Sacramento Theater Company. Finally, the state hosts no less than five cutting-edge Fringe Festivals— search online for "Fringe Festival California" to find up-to-date listings. Symphonies, Opera & Ballet Designed by visionary architect Frank Owen Gehry, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA was designed to be one of the most acoustically perfect performance spaces on earth. It's also one of the planet's most striking buildings, inside and out— as well as the home of the renowned and innovative Los Angeles Philharmonic. Cal- ifornia's other preeminent orchestra is of course the San Francisco Symphony, under the legendary musical direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, at home in the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. There was a time, not too long ago, when the pride of every major city in the world was its opera house. Opera still maintains a huge following in California, with nearly thirty companies across the state—five in the LA area alone. The San Francisco Opera and Los Angeles Opera are two of the largest in North America, with global reputations for set production and excellence. Kudos as well to the renowned Long Beach Opera, now in its fourth decade. But California's two most prominent cities don't have a monopoly on great music. San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara all support superb orchestras. Ballet in the Golden State has an equally impressive pedigree. The San Francisco Ballet, founded in 1933, was the first pro- fessional ballet company in the United States. The California Ballet Company in San Diego has attained a stellar interna- tional reputation, and remains the largest professional ballet company in Southern California. Celebrating its 10 th season in 2016, the Los Angeles Ballet is a newcomer to the scene, while the reinvigorated Oak- land Ballet recently marked its golden 50 th anniversary. Jazz & Blues Here's a quick sampler of the state's best jazz and blues clubs. Oakland, a rising star in many arenas, is a hotbed of jazz with clubs like Yoshi's in Jack London Square, Geoffrey's Inner Circle and Birdland leading the pack. Across the Bay in San Francisco, don't miss the SF Jazz Center, 44 2 0 1 6 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A MATT MARRIOTT/DISCOVER LA . OPPOSITE: PLAYING FOR CHANGE FOUNDATION/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICR PERFORMING ARTS

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