TheatreFIRST

A memorable experience, reasonably priced, with easier parking by far compared to the downtown area. This is real theater with some high quality acting, albeit some a bit rough around the edges. The seats are old fashioned - like in a mid-20 the Century cinema, but are manageable. One of Berkeley's jewels.

My husband and I just saw SeaFarer last night and thought it was awesome! We don't go to the theater very often, but the excellent acting and intimacy of the theater will definitely bring us back! Thanks for a great show!

Nice intimate black box theater in the Fox. The Grapes of Wrath was fantastic. Beautifully directed. An old story made new. Actors brought it with their acting, physical and music talent. Wow, am I watching theatre in New York? No, downtown Oakland!!!!!

I concur with Eliz D's review of Stones in His Pockets. Not only was the show thoroughly entertaining, but it was also quite affordable, especially if you subscribe to the 3 show season. The venue is great, BART is around the corner and the neighborhood is springing to life. TheatreFirst is a great time out and worth supporting.

I saw Anton In Show Business last Friday: I did not know the play, I was familiar with Chekhov's 3 Sisters, but I went with a male friend who knew neither: we both enjoyed the show tremendously. It is superb writing -and so clever-, the acting was fabulous (kudos the entire cast: what a job!) and the premise absolutely relevant to our world. The "blackbox" theater inside the FOX is functional, and it is easy to eat well in the area (we had no problem with parking on the street either). The ticket price is almost too low for this quality of work; frankly, I have not seen anything as good as that at Berkeley Rep in ages. I also saw their Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead last year, and it was equally engrossing.

Oleanna, one of David Mamet's most disturbing plays is artfully staged by Theatre First in the Historic Berkeley Club. Director /actor/artistic director: Michael Strom (John) is verbally cudgeled by Josie Alvarez (Carol), a spokesperson for her 'group'. In a few choice words, the lives of the professor and student are irreversibly changed forever. Never has language been more powerful. Nowhere is power more potent. See this show! Bring your favorite teacher. Be prepared to be provoked.

THIS IS A SMALL THEATER COMPANY THAT IS DEFINITELY WORTH FOLLOWING. Good choice of scripts, able directing, very good acting and affordable season subscriptions ($75 for 3 plays). They have a three year lease on the little theater in the newly renovated Fox Theater building in downtown Oakland with convenient parking and public transit. In their opening production two actors play 10+ characters in the contemporary Irish Play "Stones in His Pocket" and Artistic director Michel Storm picked two performers who met the challenge of a minimal set and requiring the audience to keep up with their multiple character changes as the play progresses. Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead (Tom Stoppard) opens in January and I hope they will continue with their high standards.

I saw Drawer Boy the other night and the acting was superb. It's a great small space, without a bad seat in the house. There's easy access on BART and either street parking or a lot across the street had parking for $5. Plus, there are lots of fantastic places to eat close by - Flora, Ozumo, Pican, Luka's Tap Room, to name just a few. It's in the same building as the Fox Theatre and The Den. Highly recommended! They're adding play readings on some Monday evenings - I'm looking forward to that too.

Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead wrestles with chance, existentialism, and the meaning of death, using Shakespeare's Hamlet as the base. Stoppard's use of language is on par with George Bernard Shaw. We saw the performance last night - it was at least as good, if not better, than the one we saw a few years ago at Cal Shakes. They are playing through Feb 14. Highly Recommended.

Saw "Grapes of Wrath". Fantastic play, actors etal.