It’s time to get back out there and enjoy the communal experience of the arts in person. There is plenty in the pipeline from our readers’ local favorites in both the visual and performing arts. Check our weekly listings online in the Bay Area Reporter, make your way to the venues our community loves and dive into our impressive local talent pool.

Best Theatre Company: American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.)

Runners up: New Conservatory Theatre Company (NCTC), Left Coast Theatre

As this newspaper’s theatre critic, I commend our readers for submitting the names of their longtime favorites, only one of which, New Conservatory Theatre Center, has been able to mount even a single full season of shows in the past two years. Please help our local companies get back on their feet and up to full strength. The current productions at A.C.T. and NCTC (“Passengers” and “Aunt Jack”) are both upbeat entertainments that will make you happy to be back in the seats.

Left Coast, meanwhile, recently lost its longtime home with the closure of the Exit Theatre and is seeking $5000 in donations to help fund productions in the year ahead (www.lctc-sf.org).