Hearst Greek Theatre

The Historic Greek. William Randolph Hearst, the prominent San Francisco newspaper magnate and philanthropist, funded the building of the Greek Theater, which gave a new prominence to drama on the UC Berkeley campus. Built in 1903 in the Ben Weed amphitheater, itself the scene of outdoor productions since 1894, the Greek Theater rapidly took its place among the leading stages dedicated to the new art-theatre movement in the United States. The Greek Theater opened with a production by students of Aristophanes' The Birds on September 24, 1903, under the direction of James T. Allen.

Shows at the Greek. With its classical Greek outdoor seating, the Greek, as it’s known to locals, has always been a popular venue among a variety of performers and celebrities. From Sarah Bernhardt to Bob Marley, from Mickey Rooney to the Dalai Lama, the Greek Theatre has been the site of historic performances as well as the annual Big Game Bonfire Rally, held before Cal football’s Big Game against rival Stanford University. Graduation ceremonies are also held in the Greek.

The Greek’s Centennial. To celebrate its centennial- the theater opened on Sept. 24, 1903, with a festival that lasted several days-in 2003, the Greek Theatre hosted a Greek play. Cal Performances presented the American premiere of Euripides’ Medea by the National Theatre of Greece. Performed in the original Greek with English supertitles, the performances were the only ones the actors will offered in the United States, making it a once in a lifetime experience for many theater-goers.