About Crowded Fire
A vital home for fierce, new plays
Crowded Fire Theater (CFT) is a critically acclaimed company for new play production on the West Coast. Known for developing and producing poetic, bold, relevant works by up-and-coming playwrights, CFT contributes to the creation of a contemporary canon that reflects the diverse world in which we live. Read more about our commitments to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our organization.
Operating with a shared leadership model, CFT produces one to three mainstage shows each season, and actively supports the creation of high-quality contemporary theater through commissions, in-house workshops, a playwright-in-residence, and an annual free public reading series.
Our Shared Leadership Team works in deep collaboration with an ensemble of Resident Artists comprising top Bay Area actors, designers, directors, and dramaturgs. This group, with its multiplicity of interests and ideas, as well as the dedication and talent of its members, represents one of the company’s most significant strengths.
In our 25-year history, CFT has cultivated rich, long-term relationships with our Bay Area audiences, serving as a true regional home for fierce, new plays.
“Being good at sharing isn’t always glamorous enough to make headlines, but for years Crowded Fire Theater has low-key excelled at it.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“one of the most reliable local stops for high-quality new work by diverse voices… The company has been instrumental in introducing the Bay Area to new writers who push the boundaries of what theatre can be.” – American Theatre Magazine
“One of San Francisco’s most enterprising small companies… commissioning new plays and presenting wonderfully odd and oddly wonderful shows that are unlike anything anywhere else.” – San Francisco Examiner
“a feisty company specializing in difficult, subversive works by emerging playwrights” – San Francisco Weekly
“one of San Francisco’s most uncompromising small theaters” – San Jose Mercury News
“daring, idiosyncratic, and ambitious…” —The Guardian
