The Bay Area’s May lineup of accessible and inclusive performances
As spring deepens and the Bay Area hums with possibility, performances across the region are opening up through ASL, audio description, and captioned options—making sure everyone can feel the magic of live performance.
May arrives with golden light and fresh momentum, and the Bay Area’s vibrant stages are opening their doors wide. Across the region, arts organizations are creating welcoming spaces with ASL interpretation, audio description, and captioned options. Whether it’s the bold sweep of opera, the spark of a new play, or the joy of a musical, these performances make sure everyone has a seat—and a way in. This spring, let the arts move you, in every sense.
Here There Are Blueberries
- Closed Captioned: available at all matinees on your phone (May 1–8)
- Audio Described: May 10 at 2 p.m.
In 2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
berkeleyrep.org
Mamma Mia!
- ASL Interpreted: May 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago.
BroadwaySF
broadwaysf.com
Parade
- Audio Described: May 25 at 1 p.m.
- Closed Captioned: Available through GalaPro at all performances (May 20 – June 8)
Leo and Lucille Frank are a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.
BroadwaySF
broadwaysf.com
Mark Morris Dance Group
- Haptic Tour: May 11 at 2:15 p.m.
- Audio Described: May 11 at 3 p.m.
Pepperland is back! Mark Morris Dance Group presents its joyous romp through the Beatles’ beloved, groundbreaking concept album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Bursting with energy and buoyant creativity, neon costumes, and spectacular ensemble numbers, the playful and often poignant production features a score of inspired Beatles arrangements plus originals by longtime Morris collaborator Ethan Iverson.
Cal Performances
calperformances.org
Jersey Boys
- Audio Described: May 3 at 2 p.m.
With phenomenal music, memorable characters, and great storytelling, Jersey Boys follows the fascinating evolution of four blue-collar kids who became one of the greatest successes in pop-music history.
Palo Alto Players
paplayers.org
Bohème Out of the Box
- Closed Captioned: available at all performances on your phone (May 1 – June 29)
These free, live performances of an abridged version of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, featuring powerful emotions and soaring arias, will travel to outdoor locations throughout the Bay Area this spring. The very first opera to be presented by San Francisco Opera 102 years ago, Puccini’s popular work of love and loss among a group of bohemian artists will be performed in an intimate one-hour version on a converted shipping-container-turned-mobile opera stage.
San Francisco Opera
sfopera.com
Yellow Face
- ASL Interpreted: May 28 at 8 p.m.
This sharp-witted, semi-autobiographical comedy follows playwright DHH as he accidentally casts a white actor in an Asian role. Inspired by the real-life controversy over the casting of Broadway’s Miss Saigon, and blending satire with faux-documentary flair, Yellow Face unpacks identity, hypocrisy, and the complexity of representation in America—with hilarious and poignant results.
Shotgun Players
shotgunplayers.org
