American Conservatory Theater

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American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a prestigious theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both contemporary and classical theater productions and a wide range of classes. Offering both master's degrees and workshops for actors, it was founded in Pittsburgh in 1965 by theater professional William Ball. In response to an open invitation from city officials, Ball relocated the company to San Francisco in 1967.

Well known in theater circles around the world, A.C.T. continues to thrive as a theater company and drama school. Among its many notable alumni are Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Winona Ryder, Benjamin Bratt, Nicolas Cage, Carlos Bernard, Amy Irving, Rene Auberjonois, Peter Donat, Richard Dysart, Michael Learned, Wynn Harmon, Marsha Mason, Kitty Winn, and Danny Glover.

ACT's home in San Francisco is the Geary Theater. Since 1992, the Artistic Director of American Conservatory Theater has been Carey Perloff.

ACT's Young Conservatory is a highly regarded theater training program for youth through the ages of 19.

ACT's production of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, starring Marc Singer, is available on video.

The first person entitled sound designer in regional theatre was given to Dan Dugan at A.C.T. in the late 1960s. The term Sound Design was introduced to the film world when Francis Ford Coppola directed (and for which his father, Carmine Coppola, arranged the music and Charlie Richmond was the Sound Designer) a production of Private Lives at A.C.T., while the final cut of the film The Godfather was being edited in 1972.

During Ball's tenure, A.C.T. spelled the last word of their name and the Geary and Marines' Memorial venues' names "Theatre".