A country should always learn from their past, but what if there is something to learn from the history of a country and ocean away? Z Space presents their production of A Lesson From Aloes by Athol Fugard, which examines an era of racial tension and oppressive government in South Africa that is unfortunately familiar to issues we are facing today.

When you combine the infectious beats of The Go-Go’s with the prose romance The Arcadia, you get an interesting mix of pop punk Renaissance flair. Head Over Heels opened Wednesday at The Curran, bringing the beat to San Francisco before heading to Broadway later this summer. The team that brought you unique musicals like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening, and Avenue Q redefines the musical comedy with this funky Elizabethan story.

From gospel music to sweet potato pie, Marcus Gardley’s play Dance of the Holy Ghosts follows the life of Oscar Clifton through rose-colored glasses. However, the ghosts of his past and present tell the audience a much different story than the life Oscar remembers. 

Playwright Julia Cho challenges a pressing issue in our country right now, gun violence, in her new play Office Hour at Berkeley Repertory Theater. Cho’s approach to this topic is one that adds new layers to the conversation, which is fresh in all of our minds.

Straight from the San Francisco Fringe Festival, Weightless is an innovative new musical playing in one of San Francisco’s newest and most innovative theaters spaces, Z Space.  A performance combining indie-rock music, technology, and mythology; Weightless redefines what the modern musical can do by reexamining stories from the past.

When soldiers returned home from World War II, many protected their families and loved ones from what they experienced on the battlefield. However, in Anne Yumi Kobori’s new play Seeds, these secrets haunt these soldiers, as they attempt to readapt to life after the war.

Shaw is not an easy playwright to decipher, and Aurora Theatre Company was able to make a thoughtful interpretation that entertained while teaching the audience, through societal concepts of another era.

While traditionally seen in a bigger production, this version of Streetcar benefited from the smaller playing space. The focus shifts on the characters and their many complicated relationships, garnering the attention from the audience. Director Emilie Whelan did an excellent job making William’s writing really shine in this classic story of passion and betrayal.