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About Magic Theatre

Magic Theatre is one of the most prominent theatres in the nation solely dedicated to the development and production of new plays. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Loretta Greco, the mission of Magic Theatre is to give voice to playwrights, both emerging and established, and to develop and promote the work of theatre artists. Magic Theatre engages audiences in intimate, professional productions that speak to contemporary issues with originality and wit, a sense of urgency and adventure. For 43 years, Magic has contributed to the inventiveness and relevance of the national canon while passionately ensuring the future vibrancy of the American theatre.

Founded by John Lion in 1967 at the Steppenwolf Bar in Berkeley, the theatre’s name derives from the novel Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, in which the central character is invited to attend an:

Anarchist Evening at the Magic Theatre
For Madmen Only
Price of Admission Your Mind.

Magic has played a central part in the national new plays movement for most of the last four decades. Magic established itself as an important center for the creation and performance of new American plays early in its history with the 1969 production of two new plays by Michael McClure. Magic’s artistic relationship with McClure spanned 11 years. Sam Shepard was playwright in residence from 1975 to 1983; Buried Child (Pulitzer Prize, 1979), True West, and Fool For Love were all written and premiered at Magic. The groundbreaking work that Shepard created while at the Magic changed the face of American theatre as we know it.  Magic also was the first American theatre to establish the position of dramaturg when, in 1977, Martin Esslin, internationally renowned scholar and critic, joined the company.

Magic Theatre’s history includes premieres of over 200 new works.  The roster of writers whose works have premiered at the Magic reads like a Who’s Who of the American theatre, including Sam Shepard (playwright in residence 1975-83), David Mamet, Michael McClure, Nilo Cruz, Rebecca Gilman, Charles Mee, Anne Bogart, Neena Beber, John Robin Baitz, Edna O’Brien, Joseph Chaikin, Claire Chafee, John O’Keefe, Maria Irene Fornes, Michelle Carter, and Jose Rivera.

Magic Theatre plays and playwrights have won four Pulitzer Prizes for Drama (Sam Shepard, David Mamet, Paula Vogel, Nilo Cruz) and ten Obie Awards. Other awards include the Kennedy Center Award, PEN-West Awards for Drama, numerous Bay Area Critics Circle Awards, the Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award, and the NAACP Image Award.

Operating in San Francisco’s historic Fort Mason Center, Magic Theatre is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization supported by ticket revenue, grants from local and national agencies, as well as hundreds of individual and corporate donors.