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About Doug Hughes

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So far Doug Hughes has created 128 blog entries.

Spotlight on: Costumer Michael Johnson

By |2019-08-27T20:20:28-07:00August 27th, 2019|2018-19 Season|

Our "Art of Theatre" video series continues with a look at the elaborate costumes for A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder. Lead costume designer Michael Johnson, last seen as Pap Finn in Big River, tells us about the 120 costume pieces for the 15 actors in this fast-paced show filled with challenging quick changes. Watch the video interview by clicking on the embedded YouTube link, or simply read the transcript below. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A8Dqq344sw INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT My name is Michael Johnson. We are now in charge of approximately 120 costume pieces that we need to either create or purchase. A [...]

Spotlight on: Executive Director Sara K. Dean

By |2019-08-20T19:40:27-07:00August 20th, 2019|2019-2020 Season, Behind The Scenes, Video Link|

Executive Director Sara K. Dean takes a turn in the interview hot seat, fielding five questions about the relevance of A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, the challenge of mounting such a complex show, the artistic vision behind it, how it fits into the overall 2019-2020 season, and the new and familiar faces who will be bringing it to life come September 28. Get your tickets now at this link or by calling 408-266-4734. This is the fourth video in a series of behind the scenes looks at "The Art of Theatre" as practiced here at South Bay Musical Theatre. [...]

Spotlight On: Gentleman’s Guide director, Walter M. Mayes

By |2019-07-29T22:57:57-07:00July 29th, 2019|2019-2020 Season, Behind The Scenes, Video Link|

The director of A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Walter M. Mayes, sat down with us for an interview describing the show's creative evolution since winning the 2014 "Best Musical" Tony on Broadway and how South Bay Musical Theatre is giving it an Edwardian rather than Victorian look. Watch the video in two parts below, or read the transcript. https://youtu.be/uSwF2ajHq7o How do you describe this musical to your friends and family? A man finds out that he is eighth in line for a title in England in the 1910s and accidentally stumbles into a plot where he figures out how [...]

Spotlight On: Set Designer Heather Kenyon

By |2019-07-29T22:41:23-07:00July 29th, 2019|2018-19 Season|

As SBMT looks excitedly toward its 2019-2020 season, we wanted to give you a sneak peek at the artists who work behind the scenes to make the magic happen. To that end, we have created a series of video interviews with the design team for our first show of the season, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder. In this first installment, Heather Kenyon shows off a scale model of the set she has designed. Watch the video below (or read the transcript). https://youtu.be/W9XVrbFVQaw Who are you, and what is your role in this production? Hi. I am Heather Kenyon. [...]

What’s the secret sauce for selecting a successful season?

By |2019-07-01T17:08:34-07:00July 1st, 2019|2019-2020 Season, Announcements, Behind The Scenes, Board meetings, Video Link|

For community theatre companies like South Bay Musical Theatre, the annual exercise of selecting which shows to stage is a critical decision, and many competing factors come into play. Do you snap up that hot new show the moment it’s released, or lock down a perennial favorite? Do you stretch yourselves with a serious story, or stoop to silly slapstick? Do you pick a challenging title that will attract the best actors, or stick with a Broadway blockbuster that your patrons may prefer? Do you foray into adult fare, or favor the family friendly? Unfortunately, there is no universally correct answer—and [...]

We have a Gentleman’s Guide cast!

By |2019-05-28T20:49:42-07:00May 28th, 2019|2019-2020 Season, Announcements, Meet The Cast, Photos|

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, South Bay Musical Theatre's first show of the 2019-2020 season, promises to be one that is unique and memorable. Casting was conducted over the past two weekends and the level of talent that turned out to audition was "off the charts." SBMT audiences will recognize many favorites from past shows, including David Mister, who played the role of Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame last spring, and Michael Hirsch, who played the role of The Duke in Big River this past January. They may also recognize RuthE Stein from her character role in [...]

Awards bestowed on Millie cast and crew

By |2019-05-22T23:01:16-07:00May 22nd, 2019|2018-19 Season, Awards, Behind The Scenes, Photos|

Following SBMT’s Preview Night performance for Thoroughly Modern Millie on May 18, 2019, Executive Director Sara Dean invited the audience to stay for a few extra minutes as the staff conferred special awards to outstanding members of the cast, crew, and orchestra. The Gypsy Robe was renamed the Legacy Robe, following the adoption of that name by Actors Equity. Traditionally, the robe is presented by the previous recipient, but Big River winner Libby Moore Schroeder was unable to attend because she had just given birth to a new baby! (Audiences may remember her as visibly pregnant in last January’s production.) Filling [...]

Are stereotypes acceptable in today’s theatrical productions?

By |2019-05-15T00:06:03-07:00May 15th, 2019|2018-19 Season, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!|

Justin Fan, Karyn Rondeau, and Edmond Kwong play the villains. Photo by Steve Stubbs. In the irreverent musical Avenue Q, one of the songs purports that “Everybody’s a little bit racist,” as it skewers contemporary attitudes regarding race, religion, political correctness, and humor based on exaggerated stereotypes. The point hits home, because as much as we hate to admit it, we all have biases. Those of us in the theatre community are forced to confront these issues whenever we dip into the well of past Broadway productions to pick a slate of shows to revive. The stereotypical characters and [...]

Announcing our 2019-2020 season!

By |2019-01-30T00:36:54-08:00January 29th, 2019|2019-2020 Season, Announcements, Board meetings|

At SBMT's semiannual members' meeting on Jan. 28, 2019, Board Chairman Jay Steele and Executive Director Sara Dean unveiled next year's slate of shows and concerts to an appreciative audience. The shows were revealed in reverse chronological order with characteristic fanfare and showmanship. Seven of SBMT's past performers sang songs from each of the shows as a projection screen showed a summary of the show's plot. The season begins with our fall production of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder in September 2019. This knock-'em-dead, uproarious hit was Broadway's most-nominated show of 2014. With ten Tony nominations and four wins—including Best [...]

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