The room is a barely dressed wound. Kate Boyd's set for the New Conservatory Theater Centre's sharp-toothed production of "Late Company" instantly establishes director Evren Odcikin's tone for the evening.

Oh, the things people say! "I am lost in a hall of mirrors. It's a maze in here, and no one ever gets out."

The versatility of solo theater as a form, and the diversity of the Bay Area artists who explore it, are being showcased between tonight and Feb. 10 in the second annual Solo Performance Festival produced by PlayGround.

Fox will air a new, live production of the classic musical "Rent" on Sun., Jan. 27.

Jordan Tannahill was 23 when he wrote "Late Company," the emotionally explosive drama now in a regional premiere production at the New Conservatory Theatre Center.

Broadway superstar Audra McDonald and Sirius XM radio host Seth Rudetsky will appear together at the Herbst Theatre on Jan. 20 for a lively evening of conversation and song.

"Paradise Square," the ambitious, long-aborning musical, is now in its latest stage of gestation at Berkeley Rep.

Uplifting. Optimistic. Inspiring. You've likely heard these characterizations of "Come From Away," the hit Broadway musical now making its San Francisco debut at the Golden Gate Theatre.

SF Sketchfest, the nationally recognized comedy festival born and bred in San Francisco, brings more than 700 shows to stages around town for 18 days beginning Jan. 10.

A threesome of historical musicals, two shows apiece by two buzzy playwrights, and a festival of one-handers. Here are a few of the forthcoming shows we're most intrigued by as a new year of theater blasts off. 3-2-1!

Paula Poundstone brings her quirky, self-deprecating sense of humor to the Sydney Goldstein Theater (formerly the Nourse) in San Francisco for her annual New Year's Eve show.

This year's African-American Shakespeare Company's seasonal production of "Cinderella" will be directed by Broadway veteran Mark Allan Davis, an openly gay actor, playwright, dancer, lyricist and choreographer.

"The past few weeks, I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by social media," admits Ben Levi Ross, entirely aware of the irony in his situation.

The closing scene of "Dear Evan Hansen" brings us to a clearing. The characters assemble before a bright blue scrim of open sky.