NEW CONSERVATORY (New Conservatory Theatre Center)

New Conservatory Theatre Center (commonly known as New Conservatory or NCTC) is a San Francisco–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company and conservatory founded in 1981. NCTC produces a year-round mainstage season focused on queer and allied stories, operates a conservatory of classes for youth and adults, and runs the long-established YouthAware touring educational-theatre program.

NCTC combines arts education, new-play development, and community-centered mainstage work: primary program areas include Mainstage, Youth Conservatory, YouthAware (touring educational theatre), Family Matinees, and New Voices/New Work. In recent years the organization has remained active with in-house productions and educational offerings while completing an artistic leadership transition (founding Artistic Director Ed Decker announced stepping into Artistic Director Emeritus and Ben Villegas Randle becoming Artistic Director in January 2026).

The organization maintains an active downtown San Francisco facility (25 Van Ness Avenue) and a public-facing donor and ticketing presence online; it files annual IRS Form 990 returns and continues to operate as a donor-facing charity supporting theatre education and queer-centered performing arts.