Whether you’re looking for holiday entertainment or thought-provoking experiences, Bay Area theaters have a plethora from which to choose. In the thought-provoking category, Oakland Theater Project offers an intimate look at fascism in a beautifully staged “Cabaret,” running through Dec. 14 at Oakland’s FLAX art & design.

Relying on Joe Masteroff’s words; John Kander and Fred Ebb’s music and lyrics; and the actors’ significant talents, Director/Choreographer Erika Chong Shuch fashions an intense journey to 1930s Berlin as Hitler rises to power and the Kit Kat Klub offers a hedonistic diversion.

Sarah Phykitt’s minimal yet effective staging, highlighted by Stephanie Anne Johnson’s haunting lighting, features a two-person band (Joshua Pollock on electric guitar, Werd Pace as DJ) on the higher level with actors performing on a lower diagonal catwalk and in the audience.

Sharon Shao’s gorgeous voice and childlike vulnerability fashion a naive sensuality for cabaret singer Sally Bowles with James Mercer II delivering a finely honed performance as the writer Clifford Bradshaw. Beth Wilmurt creates a compelling Fraulein Schneider well-matched to Joshua Pollock’s Herr Schultz. They deliver a heart-achingly sweet version of “It Couldn’t Please Me More” with Pollock on guitar and Wilmurt on ukulele.

Shuch also pairs Wilmurt and Pollock with Shao and Mercer making a typical duet even more meaningful as the Nazis’ power increases. Deanalis Arocho Resto (Emcee) and Ije Success (Fraulein Kost) give powerful performances with Megan Trout displaying her considerable talents and dexterity as the vape-smoking Ernst Ludwig.

The multitalented ensemble infuses the production with energy as they cavort with each other and the audience wearing Ashley Renee’s inventive costumes. While the entire run is sold out, an extension may be in the works. FLAX art & design is at 1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland. Go online to oaklandtheaterproject.org for more information.

Also in Oakland: Eric Avery, an interdisciplinary artist and cultural organizer, uses the California Reparations Report to help attendees envision and practice repair and healing for themselves and their communities.

Like improv, attendees are presented a series of questions and how they respond determines the direction of the performance. Entitled “The Play[y/n] for Reparation$,” the show marks the first public events of Avery’s four-month residency in the newly renovated Omni Commons at 4799 Shattuck Ave. in Oakland.

Lafayette: Kimberly Ridgeway and Richard Perez have fashioned a feel-good family-friendly treat for the holidays. Running through Dec. 20 in Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre at 3535 School St., “Snowbound: A Holiday Tale” takes audiences back 33 years to a historic blizzard.

The storm leaves a high school group traveling to a national academic competition stranded. They take refuge in an abandoned house and form a tight bond as vulnerabilities behind their outward façades are revealed. Ridgeway, who also directs, has two teen casts alternating performances and five adults.

At the preview I attended, the Green Cast (Stella Ciarlantini, Luca Biondi-Jensen, Roselle Asunkal, Benjamin Gafni and Lia Camper) all gave solid performances. Beth Carroll as the academic coach and Matthew Gardner as the bus driver created a lovely rapport with the teens and each other with Dominic Antonich (the only “teen” who is actually a 20-something) bringing a nice energy and believability to his role as Jesus.

Bruce Kaplan as a Santa Claus-like figure arrives at the end of the show to help the stranded group. For tickets, call 925-283-1557or visit townhalltheatre.com online.

Berkeley: The Marsh Berkeley, at 2120 Allston Way, offers “A Very Scrumpy Holiday Carol” from Dec. 17 through Dec. 20. The new variety cabaret/political satire features Joyful Raven and the notorious King Scrump. Perched on his gilded throne, Scrump endures the ghosts of his past and a rotating lineup of entertainers showing him the consequences of his rule. For tickets, visit themarsh.org online.

Alameda: For a delightful evening sure to get you in the holiday spirit, try Alameda’s renowned Tap Dancing Christmas Trees. These beloved “trees” have branched out as far as Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, but they always find time to perform for local audiences too.

The show includes a 30-minute documentary, 10-minute tap performance and time to socialize with the “trees.” This year, the dancing trees will perform at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 14 in Alameda’s Altarena Playhouse at 1409 High St. Go to altarena.org online for more details.

‘Celtic Christmas’: Berkeley gets into the spirit with Tomáseen Foley’s “A Celtic Christmas,” starting at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 in The Freight (formerly Freight & Salvage). “A Celtic Christmas” springs from the infinitely rich treasury of Ireland’s cultural heritage: a recreation of a 1940s night before Christmas in the West of Ireland, before the advent of cars, television and the telephone in the region.

The family-friendly evening includes Irish musicians, dancers (including the award-winning dancing of Bella Rogers and Dan McCirmick) and native Irish storyteller Tomáseen Foley. The Freight is at 2020 Addison St. in Berkeley. For tickets or more details, call 831-566-2081 or visit bit.ly/48yJKQp online.

Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.