Theatre Bay Area Prints Special 50th Anniversary Edition of Callboard Magazine
Limited edition commemorative magazine printed to honor half a century of service to Bay Area theatre.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (9 October 2026) — Theatre Bay Area (TBA), celebrating 50 years as one of the nation’s largest and longest-running theatre service organizations, will publish a special 50th anniversary edition of Callboard magazine this November to commemorate the occasion. This first physical printing of Callboard in over a decade celebrates Bay Area theatre in 2026 and over the past 50 years, honoring the last half century of work and the Bay Area theatre community that TBA serves. The 48-page full color magazine features articles and images by current Bay Area theatremakers, as well as a comprehensive directory of TBA’s 200+ member companies. This commemorative magazine blends past and present by celebrating the legacy the theatre community inherits and the one that theatremakers can build together. Full details about the magazine can be found at www.theatrebayarea.org/callboard-magazine
In keeping with their tagline as an organization “by and for theatremakers,” Theatre Bay Area hired writers and artists from around the Bay Area to fill the 50th anniversary edition. Contributors to this special printing of Callboard include regionally and nationally published theatre reporter and regular contributor to KQED David John Chávez, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s Associate Artistic Director Jeffrey Lo, and local multidisciplinary theatremaker and designer Carlos-Antonio Aceves.
For decades, beginning in the early 1980s, Theatre Bay Area produced the much-beloved Callboard (later known as Theatre Bay Area Magazine) for theatremakers across the region. The original publication featured casting notices, helpful articles, career advice, and more. For many Bay Area theatremakers Callboard was a central node for their next gig or professional connection. Theatre Bay Area finally moved the magazine online in 2014 and later sunset the journalism aspect of the organization. However, the supportive casting resources and professional development continue to be a part of Theatre Bay Area’s work as a service organization. In celebration of this 50th anniversary milestone, Theatre Bay Area created this new publication of Callboard as an homage to the past 50 years.
“Callboard has always held a special place in the Bay Area theatre community.” says TBA Programs Officer, Melissa Hillman. “Before the internet moved everything online, it was THE place to read about auditions, world premieres, and important news about the Bay Area theatre community. One of the most common things I hear from our members is, ‘When are you bringing the magazine back?’ While we can’t bring back a monthly magazine, we are so proud to bring you this commemorative 50th anniversary edition of Callboard. The articles are new, but that unique community vibe that everyone loved about the old Callboard is still there.”
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the highest concentration of regional theatre companies in the United States, and for 50 years Theatre Bay Area has worked to nourish our creative community and expand access to the arts for all. The 50th anniversary Callboard magazine is a love letter to Bay Area theatre. This special anniversary edition is more than a snapshot in time, or a historical account of the last 50 years. Callboard honors local theatremakers and their roots and sets the stage for what comes next.
INFO: Callboard magazine can be purchased at www.theatrebayarea.org/callboard-magazine
ABOUT THEATRE BAY AREA Founded in 1976, Theatre Bay Area (TBA) is the largest theatre service organization of its kind, representing theatre companies and individual artists across the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 200 member companies and more than 3,000 individual artists, TBA offers advertising resources, network connections, and professional development that steward engagement with local theatre arts and the artists who make them. TBA’s mission is to unite, strengthen, promote, and advance the theatre community in the San Francisco Bay Area, working on behalf of its conviction that the performing arts are an essential public good, critical to a healthy and truly democratic society, and invaluable as a source of personal enrichment and growth. Committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, TBA plays a vital role in the cultural synergy of the region’s theatres, connecting emerging local actors to productions through its annual General Auditions and amplifying the reach of smaller organizations to wider audiences.