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About Doug Hughes

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So far Doug Hughes has created 143 blog entries.

Behind the Curtain with Selina Hsu

By |2025-10-04T11:00:59-07:00October 4th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Behind The Scenes, Meet The Cast, Video Link|

We sat down with Selina Hsu, who is part of "the nuns ensemble" in SBMT's production of The Sound of Music. In this short interview, she tells us there are no puppets in the stage version of this iconic musical—but "The Lonely Goatherd" still makes an appearance, with "Uncle Max" playing an expanded role. She also reveals why she auditioned for the show.  Watch the video (runtime 2:43), or read the transcript below.   My name is Selina and I'm a part of the Nuns Ensemble. What does the Nuns Ensemble do in the show? The Nuns set the scene [...]

Behind the Curtain with Janet Miller

By |2025-09-29T10:25:53-07:00September 29th, 2025|Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Meet The Cast, Video Link|

We sat down with Janet Miller, who plays Baroness Elberfeld and one of the nuns in SBMT's production of The Sound of Music. In this interview, she tells us how the stage musical differs from the Julie Andrews movie, how history repeating itself brings renewed relevance to the story, and what brought her back to the stage for the first time since before the pandemic. Watch the four minute video, or read the transcript below. My name is Janet Miller and I'm a nun and I am the Baroness Elberfeld in this production. Is this show any different than the [...]

Behind the Curtain with Maura Goetzke

By |2025-09-24T14:32:07-07:00September 24th, 2025|Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Meet The Cast, Video Link|

We sat down with Maura Goetzke, who plays the Louisa in SBMT's production of The Sound of Music. In this interview, she radiates excitement as she describes all the fun she's having. She tells us why she auditioned, what she's learning in rehearsal from choreographer Francesca Cipponeri and vocal director Rachel Michelberg, what it's like being part of a double cast of children, how she got started in theatre—and what she aspires to, and offers advice for anyone else who shares the dream of being a performer. Watch the five minute video, or read the transcript below.  Hi, my name [...]

Fresh Faces, Fleeting Seating

By |2025-09-22T13:40:27-07:00September 22nd, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

By Doug Hughes, Director of Marketing One of the joys of community theatre is discovering new talent, and South Bay Musical Theatre’s current production of The Sound of Music demonstrates that in abundance. Of the 40 cast members bringing this beloved story to life, an impressive 30 are making their SBMT debut. That includes our Captain von Trapp, played by Brad Satterwhite, who has graced stages all over the Bay Area and recently wrapped up a powerful run in A Few Good Men at Woodminster. All 13 of the young actors who play the von Trapp children (across two alternating [...]

Behind the Curtain with Mohamed Ismail

By |2025-09-19T11:30:24-07:00September 19th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Meet The Cast|

We sat down with Mohamed Ismail, who plays the role of Max Detweiler in our upcoming production of The Sound of Music, to talk about the expanded role Max has in the stage play (with two songs that are not sung in the movie), where we've seen him most recently, how he got started, and how he and his real-life wife Jessica Whittemore are looking forward to playing opposite one another in this outing. He tells us why he doesn't look like his headshot, introduces us to the large cast, and makes an urgent plea to each of us to [...]

Announcing our spring show for 2026

By |2025-09-15T09:15:10-07:00September 15th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Announcements, Blog-erviews!|

by Doug Hughes, Director of Marketing On a sweltering summer day in New York City, music spills from the corner bodega, laughter echoes from the fire escapes, and every block seems to hold a story. That’s the world of In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning love letter to his neighborhood. Long before Hamilton took the world by storm, Miranda introduced audiences to a vibrant community full of dreams, traditions, and tough choices. This spring, South Bay Musical Theatre invites you to step into that neighborhood and feel the heartbeat of Washington Heights right here in Saratoga. Set over the [...]

Concert auditions now open

By |2025-09-10T14:40:12-07:00September 10th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Auditions|

South Bay Musical Theatre announces two audition opportunities! Let It Show: A Broadway Holiday Celebration A cabaret evening of songs for the season! Created and Directed by Walter M. Mayes and Bob Sunshine Performances: December 20 & 21, 2025 and On the 20th Century: In Concert Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music by Cy Coleman Based on a play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur and also a play by Bruce Milholland Directed by Lee Ann Payne Music Direction by D. Asa Stern Vocal Direction by Anita Hsuing Carey Performances: April 18 & 19, 2026 Video auditions for [...]

Behind the Curtain with Lauren D’Ambrosio

By |2025-09-08T16:28:40-07:00September 8th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Behind The Scenes, Meet The Cast|

We sat down with Lauren D’Ambrosio, who plays the lead character in our upcoming production of The Sound of Music, to talk about her character, the show's current relevance six decades after its debut, and how the stage musical is significantly different from the Oscar-winning film adaptation. We learn about Lauren's start as a musician before she ever started acting—and she names a couple of shows where you may have last seen her. She describes her favorite songs in the show and encourages you to come see it from Sept. 27 - Oct. 18, 2025. Tickets are available at SouthBayMT.com [...]

Little Women audition sign-ups

By |2025-09-02T11:45:25-07:00September 2nd, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Announcements, Auditions|

Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director of South Bay Musical Theatre announces auditions for LITTLE WOMEN, performing January 24 - February 14, 2026. Music by Jason Howland Lyrics by Mindy Dickstein Book by Allan Knee Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott Director & Choreographer: Janie Scott Music Director: Amanda Ku Initial auditions will be held Saturday, September 27 from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 28 from 6:00 - 10:00  p.m. Please schedule a vocal audition slot here. AUDITION INFORMATION Please prepare 32 bars of a song in the style of the show with sheet music in the correct [...]

Season’s Pleadings: Selling Season 63

By |2025-08-02T13:26:04-07:00July 31st, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

by Doug Hughes, Marketing Director As Marketing Director for South Bay Musical Theatre, my job is to sell you on our upcoming season. That usually means hyping the shows, teasing the titles, and dazzling you with reasons to subscribe. Easy, right? Well—this year, there’s a twist. I can only talk about two of the three shows. The third one? It’s fabulous. It’s Tony-winning. It’s a total crowd-pleaser. And it’s top secret until mid-September (when the rights house lets us talk about it). So, what’s a marketer to do? I decided to flip the script. Instead of pitching shows, I’m pitching [...]

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