• The members of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre performing, all of them grouped together with their arms out to catch the member that jumped off the ladder.
  • The members of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre performing, all of them grouped together with their arms out to catch the member that jumped off the ladder.

Theater at Cal Performances

Our 2025–26 season features three strong theatrical multi-medium events: Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch, where shadow puppetry meets actors in silhouette meets immersive sound design meets live music inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth; the Cal Performances debut of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre as they bring Gathering, exploring themes of love, loss, trauma, and dislocation; and Opera Parallèle’s La Belle et la Bête, which blurs the distinctions between film and live opera.

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2025–26 Theater Events Calendar

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Theater, Illuminations: "Exile & Sanctuary"

Manual Cinema

The 4th Witch
Inspired by Macbeth
A Cal Performances Co-commission
Bay Area Premiere

Nov 22, 2025, 8pm
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Theater

Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre

Gathering

Feb 27–Mar 1, 2026
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Theater

Opera Parallèle

La Belle et la Bête
Nicole Paiement, artistic director and conductor
Brian Staufenbiel, director and scenic designer

Mar 13–14, 2026
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2025–26 Season Calendar

Theater Videos and More

A drawing depicting a little girl attached to a string held by a hand as she stands on a bright red road in the midst of a black and white forest.
Apr 15, 2025 | 25-26 Season Feature
Illuminations Performances Explore “Exile & Sanctuary”
The lead actors of Opera Parallele's La Belle et La Bête perform onstage, with La Bête in the background, gazing at Belle as she sits in a chair, wearing a somber expression.
Apr 15, 2025 | 25-26 Season Feature
Stories Reimagined: Six Performances Explore Traditional Tales with a Creative Twist!
Aug 1, 2024 | How It's Made
Fun Facts About Our 5 Most Popular Performances