Bella Union Theater Company came together in July of 2000 under the name Goat Island, through the leadership of actor/director Daria Hepps, who has been active in the Bay Area performing arts community since 1993. The Company's first collaborative project, Arthur Schnitzler's play La Ronde, united this group of previously unaffiliated artists, actors, and administrators. We now work together to create something that none of us could create on our own. Our productions are specific to our performance venue, our means, our environment, the community we serve and represent, the given circumstances of the play, and the unique blend of talents represented by the founding members.

We had chosen the name Goat Island as a connection to local San Francisco history (it is the old name for Yerba Buena Island, through which the Bay Bridge passes). We were a bit surprised to find a group based in Chicago, Goat Island Performance Group, had been using the same name for over ten years. To avoid confusion for our audience and theirs, we've changed our name to Bella Union. Bella Union was the name of one of the first theaters in San Francisco, and a reflection of the spirit that has pulled us together.

Bella Union's founding members feel a responsibility to create an environment that will consistently stimulate the creativity and support the goals and activities of each individual of the group.