About The UC Theatre
A historic 1917 movie house reborn as an independent nonprofit music venue, and a training ground for the next generation of music industry leaders.
Our mission is to renovate, operate, and maintain the historic UC Theatre to advance music, culture, and education by presenting a diverse range of performances, including music, film, and spoken-word events, that deliver an uplifting experience dedicated to the enrichment of the human spirit.
A venue and a pathway
The UC Theatre was founded in 2012 by Berkeley Music Group (BMG) as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and welcomed its first show in 2016. We operate The UC Theatre as a community-minded, multi-tiered, 1,400-capacity independent live music venue with culturally diverse music programming featuring Emerging, Local, National, and International Touring Artists, as well as a tuition-free, paid workforce-development program that creates equitable access to creative-sector careers for young people who are often excluded from traditional pathways.
We’re sustained by a blend of earned income (tickets and ancillary revenue sales) and contributed support from generous donors and local, city, and state grants.
From jazz to metal, indie rock to world music
The Emerging, Local, National, and International Touring Artists we present on our stage range from jazz to metal/punk, from indie rock to world music, including artists such as:
Green Day · Tinariwen · Run The Jewels · Natalia Lafourcade · CloZee · Ani DiFranco · Marisa Monte · Gojira · Yaeji · Fantastic Negrito · The California Honeydrops · Steel Pulse · Kehlani · Mulatu Astatke · Kolohe Kai · Ty Dolla Sign · SOB X RBE · Taj Mahal · Juanes · Yussef Dayes · Ebo Taylor · Arthur Verocai · Gogol Bordello · DMX · Rise Against · Ezra Collective · Béla Fleck & The Flecktones · Lord Huron · Ravi Coltrane · Chappell Roan · The Story So Far · Pantheon Rococo · Zeca Pagodinho · Thee Sacred Souls · Osees · High on Fire · Wave to Earth · Gracie Abrams · Mom Jeans · Teddy Swims · TV Girl · G-Eazy · Sabrina Carpenter · Social Distortion · Lukas Graham · The Linda Lindas and many more.
Training the next generation
The UC Theatre’s Concert Career Pathways workforce development program (CCP) is a comprehensive workforce development training program designed to remove barriers to entry and provide participants from marginalized communities with industry-relevant training, work-based learning experiences, and career placement support in the live music, performing arts, and nonprofit sectors. CCP is a nine-month, hands-on, work-based training program for young people ages 17 to 25, centered on experiential learning that cultivates critical thinking, creativity, and essential career skills needed to thrive in today’s job market.
The only comprehensive live music workforce development program of its kind on the West Coast, our nationally recognized CCP program has launched young adults into meaningful careers, creating economic mobility and inclusion. In collaboration with over 60 local nonprofits, venues, and employers in Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and San Francisco, The UC Theatre weaves a regional network of opportunity, mentorship, training, and job placement.
Explore CCP
From training to job placement, we collaborate with industry professionals who not only teach, train, and mentor participants in the hands-on, work-based, nuanced skills needed for a successful career, but also actively participate in our Professional Partner Network to drive job placement. In many cases, our program helps CCP graduates get a foot in the door in ways a college degree alone could not.
Although we are physically located in Berkeley, the majority of the young people and leaders shaped through CCP over the last decade live in Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco. Our cohorts have consistently drawn heavily from Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, and we’ve quietly built support systems like meal access and travel stipends to ensure participation isn’t limited by income.
Equity-driven workforce access & retention strategies: Our workforce development program removes systemic employment barriers by offering paid internship training, a management training program, transportation stipends, mentorship, and holistic wraparound support tailored for marginalized populations, including youth of color, LGBTQ people, women, non-binary individuals, and those facing economic hardship from underserved households. Graduates from the CCP program are, on average, 50% women, 11% non-binary, 75% BIPOC, 37% LGBTQ+, 10% persons with disabilities, and 54% living below the poverty line.
Our Management Training Program, available to select CCP graduates, builds on our principles of experiential learning, strategic thinking, and professional networking. The program supports, mentors, and equips emerging Bay Area leaders who are poised for career-level compensation to reimagine the music industry — and beyond — through intergenerational and multicultural leadership, inclusion, and equity.
The modern music industry faces deep inequities — from cultural barriers to systemic underrepresentation of BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ professionals. As national political trends increasingly challenge economic and cultural justice efforts, it is more essential than ever to support community spaces that promote connection and creativity among diverse populations, and independent educational programs that emphasize hard-skills, hands-on learning for marginalized youth.
The UC Theatre ecosystem
Expanding access & opportunity for music, community, artists, and career development. As The UC Theatre celebrates its 10th Anniversary, we’re launching Reaching for the Stars — our cornerstone campaign — to grow earned and contributed revenues, expand workforce development programs, and amplify cultural, educational, and civic impact for the community, artists, and the next generation of music and nonprofit leaders, by advancing initiatives built on what makes The UC Theatre special as an arts nonprofit.
Music Programming Strategy
Equitable access to diverse music programming & emerging artist development
CCP Workforce Development Program Expansion
Removing barriers of entry to music industry & creative economy job opportunities
Capacity Building & Leadership Development
Inclusive management & leadership training and capacity building
Capital Infrastructure Upgrades
State-of-the-art music venue infrastructure upgrade & capital improvements
Partnering in the Reaching for the Stars Campaign ensures long-term sustainability, inclusivity, and equitable access for artists, audiences, and emerging professionals in the Bay Area. By supporting this effort, partners join us in building a thriving, diverse, and resilient music ecosystem for the Bay Area and beyond. Remove barriers, expand access, elevate voices, and sustain the power of live music and community.