A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe Theater

What you need to know

ACT’s main theater opened in 1910 as the Columbia Theater. It was renamed the Geary Theater later, then renamed again as the Toni Rembe Theater in 2021 after a major donor. The building was badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, closed for six years of restoration, and reopened in 1996. It seats about 1,000.

What to Expect

The Toni Rembe is where ACT stages its larger productions: classic plays, musicals, and established contemporary work, with full sets, costumes, and a professional cast. The interior is from the early-20th-century ornate style, with detailed plasterwork and a balcony.

Sightlines are good from most seats. Orchestra center is the closest view. The mezzanine gives a wider angle on the full stage. The upper balcony is steep and farther from the action.

Visiting

415 Geary Street, Union Square. Shows typically run Tuesday through Sunday. Evening curtain is usually 7:30 or 8pm. Tickets range from $25 to $110 depending on seat and production. Under-35 pricing and rush tickets are available for most shows.

The theater is in Union Square’s restaurant and hotel district, with dozens of options within a few blocks. The lobby is small, so getting a drink at a nearby bar before the show is often easier than the intermission bar inside.

Getting There

Powell BART and Muni Metro is three blocks south on Market Street. The 38 Geary bus runs past the front door. Union Square Garage and Sutter-Stockton Garage are both within two blocks.

ACT’s newer and smaller-scale work is staged at the Strand Theater on Market Street.