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Shelton Theater

4.1 (129 reviews)
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Shelton Theater Performing Arts Photos

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Cheaper Than Therapy entrance
Annabelle R.

I was pleasantly surprised by this theater, which hosts Secret Improv Society (comedic improvisation) and Cheaper Than Therapy (stand up comedy) regularly, as well as a few other events it looks like. I was initially confused about where to go for  our particular show (Secret Improv Society) as we were given very little instructions when we entered. There are small signs, but also multiple levels and multiple doors in this venue, and the signs are easy to miss. They had two bars serving drinks on a Saturday night, a nice selection of delicious specialty cocktails on the menu (I especially liked When Life Gives You Lemons, with the starburst- infused vodka). The lower level, where the auditoriums are, has an awesome lounge space as the waiting area, with a lot of character, quirky decor and seating, cool art, and even a piano. And of course the bar in the middle, with friendly bar staff (even if they're not the fastest). Doors to the auditoriums open around the same time, near showtime, and it's open seating. Facing the bar, the door to the right (Main Stage) is the entrance to Cheaper Than Therapy, the door to the left (Cabaret Stage) is the entrance to Secret Improv Society. I only attended the latter, but it was an amazing show, with great audience participation. There was even a kid (possibly a tween) who went on stage for one of the bits, so I guess they don't have an age limit here. The performers for the show were very entertaining, and the staff at this venue were overall helpful if you have any questions. The auditoriums are small and simple, not meant to hold large crowds, but just perfect for a fun intimate event.

the main bathroom

Dirty, run down, neglected interiors with absolutely disgusting bathrooms (with no trash cans, only giant recycling cans...so unsanitary for ladies), rude box office staff, and bartenders who don't ID *anyone*. Scary upstairs with unmarked bathrooms that they ask you not to lock behind you (how unsafe and scary for women). Bad vibes only from the space and staff.

Annie Warbucks
Michael T.

This was my fist time at this theater and I had a good time. My wife coworker was preforming in the play so that made it extra special. I saw Annie Warbucks and I thought they put on a really good play. One of the lead actors (I don't remember her name unfortunately) was amazing! The venue itself is a small privately owned theater. It's not modern in any way but its a cute little theater. They has a small concession stand with snacks and drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). The bathrooms were clean. All the employees were friendly and helpful. I would come back.

Noemi M.

Amazing spot!!! Great little theater very intimate loved the Adams family, comfy seats they also have a vending area with candy, candy bars, freshly made popcorn and cans of variety of sodas and drinks. It's on the second floor the stairs are high however they have an elevator. Two bathrooms on the first floor very clean and there is a beautiful bar on the first floor also. We had a blasted great night.

Porsche C.

I never knew this place existed!! The Shelton Theater is a non-profit organization and has been a part of the San Francisco theater scene since 1993. The theater is an extension of the Shelton Studios which has been creating, supporting, and nurturing artists in the Bay Area since 1961. I came to watch the Fou Fou HA! Whoa-Man! A Musical on November 20th, 2015 from 8-930.I bought tickets from Groupon FOR $22.50 which was much cheaper than buying them from http://www.eventbrite.com where tickets were $35.00. SEATING: Stage left has 74 seats and stage right has 60 seats. The stage is very close up and intimate but fills up VERY quickly so get there early if you want good seating. PARKING: The Sutter/Stockton garage is close and reasonable. Street parking is free after 6pm. Pay close attention to all signs on the street. I was able to find parking near Union Square. BARS: There are two full bars located on eat of the floors. They have a list of drinks on the wall as well as pricing that makes it really convenient. ABOUT THE SHOW: Fou Fou Ha is an ensemble of animated performers who thrill audiences with over the top shows filled with Circus antics, jaw-dropping dance numbers to high-energy music and audience interactive playfulness. They are a family of enticing, colorful, sexy performers, each owning a unique character and color that celebrates individuality and unabashed human expression. The musical "Whoa-Man" is a satirical look at the lives of four women and the tortures in trying to find "perfection" in a modern world. A story only clowns could tell. Whoa-Man enters the lives of 4 women living in present day, each one searching for love via online dating mishaps and grappling with sexuality, power, body image and self-worth. The show, filled with sexy dance numbers and live singing, will riff off of current pop-culture frameworks such as 50-Shades of Grey and Lean-In and take a clown's perspective on the unrealistic expectations that we set on women. This show definitely left me wanting more. I laughed and sang at Fou Fou Ha's "Whoa-Man: A Musical" the whole 1hr and half of the show. The cast includes Jasper Patterson of the New Eccentrics, Bobby Barnaby of SF Boylesque, Allegra Misonznick-Davidson, Amelia Van Brunt, Courtney Cavagnero, Janelle La Riza, Lucas Reshi and Dyon Lain. Conceived, choreographed and directed by Maya Lane, with original acts and costume design by the cast.

Great show I loved it
Nicki S.

The show was great I can't really complain. I bought a groupon but in reality with or without a Groupon I would buy the actual ticket . I love comedy magic it's so funny and keeps me going . Through the whole show it kept me laughing. Also the most scary thing is when we first arrived the magician gave us all a card with a number and a black side we wrote a question.... The question could be totally random.... So I wrote my question on the card .... Someone in the audience held all the questions in a sealed envelope the whole time .... At the end of the show the magician pulled certain numbers ..... my number was called .... He knew my exact question.... It was so scary but cool at the same time!! If I'll ever back in San Francisco or in a city they're preforming I'm THERE Bar inside Small but up close and personal

Cindy C.

Tiny little theatre tucked away in San Francisco. It has a nostalgic speak easy feel which I absolutely enjoyed! You walk down this small hall way, down some very steep stairs, and arrive at this little bar greeted by a suave gentlemen bartender. He was also the one checking us in. The theatre itself was small, but cozy. You got a great view of the stage no matter where you sat. My manager starred in Extreme Measures. It was such a raunchy and hilarious play!

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6 years ago

We rent out this theater for work trainings. Matt Shelton is so accommodating and easy to work with.

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Ask the Community - Shelton Theater

Review Highlights - Shelton Theater

My husband and I came here for 4 days and decided to spend our Saturday night at the theater watching Cheaper than Therapy.

Mentioned in 9 reviews

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San Francisco Playhouse - Seat E109 view - M. BUTTERFLY by David Henry Hwang

San Francisco Playhouse

4.4(349 reviews)
0.1 miUnion Square

Such a great venue for a small, local theatre!…read more There is no bad seat in here. It's intimate and fun. Their shows have no business being that good. Bathrooms are clean and service is wonderful. I love the space--it's located upstairs in a hotel near Union Square. Support local theatre! Audience skews older. I think they need to market to younger people on social media more.

I discovered this charming little theatre by accident when I saw that "M. Butterfly" (Madame…read moreButterfly) was playing here for a whole week during a very convenient time. I had always wanted to see this classic story on stage so I jumped at the opportunity. It is a small theatre so chances of a sold out show is high; definitely purchase tickets early. It is a small theatre hidden within the Kensington hotel on the second floor. There is a small bar area on the main floor of the theatre. Bathrooms were nice and clean. The front row of the balcony are the best seats and offers a perfect view of the stage; you can see everything as well as have a clear view of the actors' faces and the emotions. I think any row beyond the accessible seats you might have some obstruction from heads and may need to lean forward a little to see what's happening. I'd love to see more shows here. M. Butterfly had an excellent cast. The play was moving and enhanced so much history, culture, politics, romance, drama, gender, and sexuality.

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San Francisco Playhouse - Stage and playbill

Stage and playbill

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The Speakeasy - Lounge

The Speakeasy

4.4(336 reviews)
0.6 miNorth Beach/Telegraph Hill, Russian Hill
$$$

Hidden two floors below China Live Restaurant on Broadway Street is an entertainment space called…read moreThe Speakeasy (also the Palace Theater). I went to see a show " Italiani Veri "  last night. Fabulous cabaret-type show with performer Arianna. She's a true (veri) Italian from Milan who sang, danced and explained Italian culture as part of the entertainment. She has an amazing voice! She could have been a finalist at the San Remo Music Festival - the most famous singing festival in Italy. She fessed up saying she had been an Italian Mouseketeer! The venue has a bar/lounge to enjoy cocktails then a few steps down further is the theater. You need to be mobile since there are a lot of steps. Seating is first come-first serve. I have to admit that seating is quite tight. You are shoulder to shoulder with your neighbors. Get cozy folks. They typically have magic shows here! If you want to see a historic night club, this would be the venue to come to and enjoy a show. Italiani Veri show was a real treat! Highly recommend it!

My hubby and I had an amazing time!…read more We attended the 8P show for: We Call It Jazz, A Journey to The Heart of New Orleans. I bought our tickets through FEVER and got the rail seating. Very good view From entering to sitting down, we were well taken care of I had bought two tickets online but when checking in, it only showed one- I pulled up my ticket and the usher at the front quickly apologized and got us situated I really appreciate the quickness Everyone was super friendly We stopped by the bar before the show started and got some drinks Music was spectacular One of the best live shows I've got to experienced Definitely made me want to check out their other events 10/10 phenomenal!

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The Speakeasy
The Speakeasy
The Speakeasy - The Speakeasy {5/4/2025}

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Secret Improv Society

Secret Improv Society

4.5(216 reviews)
0.0 miUnion Square
$
Full bar
Large group friendly

My wife and I decided to go for a new comedy experience by checking out an improv show at Secret…read moreImprov Society, and we're sure glad that we did. Let's get into it... Ambiance - After getting your tickets from the ticket booth, you go down a sharp flight of stairs which dumps you out into a bar area with two large doors on both sides of the room. The room on the right-hand side is where they have stand-up comedy (Cheaper than Therapy), and the left hand side is where the Improv show takes place. You wait in the bar area until the doors open. Once you enter, there are a handful of rows of chairs (barstool style with backs) and it's general admission. It's a pretty cozy area, maybe fitting around 50 people or so if I had to guess. Before the show, one of the improv team members came around offering Oreos to guests. We did not partake, but if you like Oreos you're in for a treat. The show itself was great. There were four improv comedians and they took a bunch of crowd suggestions and tailor-made a show based around our suggestions. The show itself is about an hour and a half, but didn't feel like it was that long at all. When it ended, I was shocked that an hour and a half had passed already. Time truly does fly when you're having a great time! I would definitely return again as we had a blast and really enjoyed the quick wit the improv team had to offer. I would highly recommend checking them out!

Incredibly fun and very inexpensive. Beware, outside a sign just says "better than therapy" which…read moreis a comedy club in an adjacent room at the same address. Also it was good that we got there a bit early in time to get drinks (a nice large selection). Small to moderate intimate theater with very talented keyboard player who "improvised the music" with each skit all night long. "Actors" were very personable and talented--so much fun--we will reco to all SF friends and family

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Secret Improv Society - Some of the Secret Improv Cast with our new T Shirts

Some of the Secret Improv Cast with our new T Shirts

Secret Improv Society - We offer improv classes to all levels

We offer improv classes to all levels

Secret Improv Society - Stage during show

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Stage during show

Palace of Fine Arts Theatre - Inside the theatre

Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

4.1(79 reviews)
2.4 miMarina/Cow Hollow

Went to the Palace of Fine Arts Theater for the first time last week for a comedy show. We got…read morethere an hour before the show began to walk around the area (so beautiful) & because we had issues with our tickets and needed to go to will-call. Turns out that everyone had to stand in this will-call line to get physical tickets even though they were purchased online. Seemed odd, however, show up early to avoid the line and enjoy the scenic vibe around before the show. There's free parking (after 4P I believe) super close to the theater-- literally steps. We had to lock up our phones in a pouch for this specific event but it's so beautiful indoors as well. They had a bar area that many people enjoyed. Bathrooms are a bit crammed but nothing new to venues. It's a more intimate venue. It reminds me of a large college class room. Each seat seems like a great view, even last row. We found our seats easily, space between seats are more spacious than other places, no cup holders sucks but you can put your drink under the seat if needed. Audio and lighting was good & I look forward to checking out future events here.

Loved the cozy, intimate nature of this venue and comfortable seatings…read more We visited for the Demetri Martin Quick Draw Tour, and it was a perfect size for a standup comedy show. Demetri was able to engage with the audience in ways that aren't typically possible in a larger venue (like the Masonic). Note that the venue can be hard to find, especially if the event was advertised as being at the "Palace of Fine Arts." The Theater is around the corner, and there are very limited signs. Like many reviewers, we spent time wandering around trying to find the entrance. It is on the west side of the venue, not near the famous dome. If you're driving/Ubering, be sure to enter the destination as the Theater, and not just the Palace of Fine Arts, as the entrance are on opposite sides of the property. There is very limited food and drink offered, and you're not allowed to bring any food into the auditorium (covered drinks are allowed). This was a bit of an inconvenience for a show running 7-9pm right during dinner time. We were hoping for at least some popcorn for during the show. Bathrooms are small and awkwardly laid out, leading to long lines, confusing, and tight spaces. This is made worse by the fact that each row is ~50 seats across with the only aisles on the ends - this makes it very hard for anyone not seated on the very ends to leave during the show to go to the restroom. As a result, there was a massive rush to the restroom after the show and a 20 minute wait for the men's restroom (I shudder to think how long the women's line was.

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Palace of Fine Arts Theatre - Corinne Bailey Rae 7/14/2022

Corinne Bailey Rae 7/14/2022

Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
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Inside the theatre

Shelton Theater - theater - Updated May 2026

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