The Empty Space Theatre

Such a wonderful intimate experience! This is a rather small theater that is seriously ran. I recently caught Cabaret and it was an excellent show, very entertaining. The actors were great… the snack bar was reasonably priced and everyone involved was friendly. The only need I see is a need for more shows :)

If you’re looking for a piss-​poor menagerie of terrible «actors» and even worse «entertainment», you’ve come to the right place. Come one, come all! Witness this endlessly repetitive exercise in futility, in which your hard-​earned money is pathetically begged out of your hands, only to be ushered into a room full of awkwardly crass «actors» that look like they work at The ‘Vu’s Love boutique on the side. Non-​sequitur trashy humour and startlingly poor «acting» consistently graces the walls of this potentially decent venue, only to continue to uphold the Bakersfield standard. Kudos.

Fabulous little spot that puts on very entertaining shows!
Cabaret was absolutely spectacular!
Not a whole lot of space, but the intimacy really adds to the experience.
Definitely a fun night out!

A must-​enjoy place! Recently, Quality of life made my hubby and I shed tears.

I’ve mostly watched their children’s productions when my kids or their friends perform after a workshop session. Cute little theater… very intimate & interactive theater experience. There aren’t any bad seat in the house! Most shows are free and ask for a donation to come watch. Also watched V-​Day here. This theater totally support a lot of good cause. I have yet to come see their Rocky Horror Picture Show when they have them again! Heard it’s so much fun! They also host art shows supporting local artists. Definitely a great place to go if you are looking for some night of entertainment!

Plays and art !! Just watched (wait until dark) what a great show…
1. It’s donation based (free) SO DON’T BE CHEAP EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS
2. the artist are good at what they do
3. It’s clean small but plenty of seating (you can make reservations)
4. They have a snack bar
5. The bathrooms are clean women and men share (they have the soft toilet paper)
6. Friendly staff and you can meet the actors after the show.

The Empty Space is my favorite live theater in Bakersfield. It’s small; it’s intimate; it’s daring; it’s vibrant. I can’t find enough adjectives to encompass all the ways it is ahead of its time.
They do classic plays from Greek or Shakespearean eras; they do edgy, independent productions; they do musicals. They’ve done Bent and Rocky Horror Show; they’ve done Twelfth Night and Avenue Q. They are constantly evolving, bringing in new talent and directors, while our favorites appear several times a year as well. They have been huge supporters of Eve Ensler’s Vday, helping to raise thousands of dollars for the Alliance Against Family Violence. Most shows are free with a suggested donation of $ 15, although they sometimes have special charity nights where it’s a flat $ 20 at the door. The have Square now so they can take credit & debit cards.
Late night productions tend toward raw & bawdy stuff, often extemporaneous comedies where the actors are basically making it up as they go. It can be hilarious, but it’s not for youngsters or über-​conservative types. If you don’t mind sex jokes, dildo jokes, hairy armpit jokes, late night is the way to go. For $ 5, it’s a steal!
Stop by the gallery as you enter and you’ll see works by local artists or photographers, sometimes sculptures, too. The concessions are simple, candy, popcorn, sometimes baked goods, sodas, water, sometimes beer & wine.
One nice thing about the Space is if you are strapped for cash and want to see a play, they will often trade tickets for volunteers at the concession stand for the night. This is maybe 30 minutes of easy work, and you get to see a great show. You do need to call ahead to make these arrangements; if they already have volunteers, you’ll have to choose another night, or go ahead and donate.

A great place to take a date. With new art in the gallery every month and new art on the stage every weekend, this place truly is a treasure.

The Empty Space Theater is everything local theater should be. The space is intimate, the performance was donation based (yes, «free,» but you should pitch in a couple bucks), and it featured great local talent in a hilarious show.
I was really nervous and excited to check out this venue for the showing of «Avenue Q.» This was also my boyfriend’s first theater experience, so I wanted it to be a good one. When we parked, we really didn’t know what to expect.
After we made our donation, we walked into the performance space. I literally mean, walked INTO the performance space. The black box style theater was so small, we had to walk across the «stage» to grab our seats. The seating is set on the perimeter of a rectangular room in 3 tiers: ground floor, middle, and top.
The show was fantastic. «Avenue Q» is light-​hearted, comedic, and nostalgic. The actors and actresses did a great job interpreting the script and bringing this wonderful musical to life. Kudos!

I love this theatre! I have been seeing shows at The Empty Space since it opened. So for ten years I have been a fan! Their shows are quality, the stage is intimate, the gallery in the lobby always has beautiful artwork and being donate based makes it even better!

I had just left pizzaville U.S.A., and I was walking back to my car when out of no where a snake came slithering right towards me. A FUCKING SNAKE! I backed away, not really knowing what to do, but the snake kept moving towards me. This snake was not huge, but bigger than any I had ever seen, which is not many, for I don’t live near any place snakes would be. Which is why this was a bit shocking to me.
Then as I was backing away a man came out the building I was next to (The Empty Space Theatre), he had broad shoulders and once he saw what I was backing up from he yelled «Get behind me!!» And I did. The man stretched out his arms and yelled with a deep voice, «Or not to be!!». The snake then slithered away. The man’s name was Bob, and when I asked him where he learned how to handle snakes, he said he never did… he was acting.
My jaw dropped to the floor. I had heard of acting before, but I had never seen it up close. He invited me in, they had snacks in the lobby, and I watched a play about a sad man. The acting was great, and the snacks were great, and the best part, you guessed it, no snakes.
5 STARS!

Love the Empty Space! Great theatre, art shows, Rock Fu, Comedy, summer young actors workshop and inexpensive 1 night theatre rental… Not to mention opportunities for local writers to stage their work and develop their voice.
We saw the first shows ever staged at the Empty Space. It has been wonderful to see it grow into a theatre that so consistently gives back to the community.

Intimate and full of creativity. The Empty Space is everything a theatre should be.

After looking through some old reviews, I stumbled across one of my first which was for this place. It is extremely outdated, and I would like to say that I still love the Empty Space but for different reasons.
I love the shows at this theatre. And I don’t mean I always love the productions (some are amazing and some miss the boat), but I nearly always love the plays that are chosen. It has its niche in Bakersfield theatre and it lives up to it consistently. The shows are somewhat edgy and full of heart. The actors at the Empty Space live and breathe theatre and their commitment to their 2^nd home is endearing and enriches the shows they produce.
It’s also cheap. With the economy as it is, most people are not willing to spend more to see a play than a movie. This is also a reflection of the the culture of Bakersfield, but it is the state of things, no matter the reason. The Empty Space has continued to offer up their primetime shows (8PM) for free (hoping for donations, obviously). While they do charge for their latenight shows (11PM), it’s only $ 5.
This is the greatest deal in town, and in this town, you do not necessarily get what you pay for. I’ve spent over $ 30 to see some pretty rough shows. At least if I don’t care for an Empty Space show, it hasn’t been a great investment.
And typically, when I’ve seen a show I really enjoy at the Empty Space, I feel like donating much more than a standard show ticket because I believe in their cause.

I, like Sam, might be slightly biased because I served as a member of The Board of Directors at The Empty Space Theatre… and basically lived there for a good portion of time. BUT, I have taken a large break away from working at the Theatre and am enjoying being a patron and occasional actor (or director).
The Empty Space is the only nonprofit, non government funded Theatre in North America. I am so impressed that the Theatre is still open after 7 years (which may not seem very long for a Theatre but when the only thing keeping it’s doors open are the donations from the patrons and the fund raising by the seemingly tireless B.O.D., it’s nothing short of a miracle)!
I think the Empty Space is Bakersfield’s best kept secret. In any given season you can see cutting edge dramas, Shakespeare classics, over the top comedies, original pieces and an occasional musical. The variety is something that no other Theatre in Bakersfield has. For the most part I am incredibly impressed by the talent on stage and the direction and ideas of the directors.
I really wish more people would attend the Bakersfield Improvisational Theatre (B.I.T.) shows, every Saturday at The Space. It’s a great family friendly, audience involved event that too many people constantly miss out on.
Its not perfect: Yes, it is hot in there during the summer time and I have been in that small Theatre when it was 85 degrees… But most of the time they don’t put on 3 hour shows during the summer so you don’t have to worry about spending too much time in the heat.
Not all of the shows are good (and of course Theatre is all based on opinion so there wont be 100% agreement all the time). I guarantee though, that most of the time they are putting on standing ovation worthy shows.
The Gallery is hit or miss and seems to have gone from all types of art to just photographs (albeit, gorgeous pictures!). I miss the sculptures and paintings that seemed to add to the quirkiness of the small, funky, black box Theatre.
If you have never gone, give it a chance! With the donation only door there really is no excuse not to try it out.
And kudos to the constantly growing Board of Directors for the energy, devotion and love!

Okay, I’m a little biased because I used to be on the artistic board at The Empty Space… but they consistently put on some of the best theatre in Bakersfield. And even if it’s not the best theatre, TES dares to produce works that no other local theatres will touch. It’s an intimate little blackbox with an attached art gallery, and it was my second home for a good two years.
Once considered the «edgy» theatre in town, TES has inspired other theatres to begin offering more thought-​provoking and avant-​garde material — and any Bakersfield artist will tell you how important that is. The theatre has branched out to include Shakespeare classics, professional puppet shows, late-​night sketch comedy, family-​friendly works, black comedies, experimental new plays, traditional musicals, unconventional musicals, music festivals, poetry, film and documentary screenings, gallery exhibits, stand-​up comedy, karaōke nights, improvisational theatre, fairs, fundraisers, and more. Though the «TES community» has gone through dozens of transformations, the artists are generally good people who try to make do with a very small budget, rough space, and few resources.
The theatre has its faults, of course, but I know firsthand how hard it is to run the place, so I have to extend kudos to everyone involved. I’ve also had some of my best show experiences at this place, and now that I’m no longer there, I understand how many truly fantastic opportunities I had and how unique the theatre really is… even living in SF, there are few theatres quite like TES.