Walter M. Mayes

by Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director When Little Women opened two weeks ago, the enthusiastic response from our audiences confirmed something we had felt throughout the rehearsal process: this production is being carried by a powerful sense of connection, collaboration, and shared purpose. At its heart, Little Women is a story about sisterhood—about women supporting one another through hardship, ambition, loss, and love—and it feels especially meaningful to see that theme reflected so clearly both on our stage and within the team that brought this production to life. With only 10 characters in the musical, Little Women asks a great [...]

A classic story, reimagined with heart, music, and community by Walter Mayes, Artistic Director, South Bay Musical Theatre Many of us first met the March family on the page—curled up with a well-worn copy of Little Women, discovering ourselves in Jo's ambition, Meg's grace, Beth's quiet strength, or Amy's determination. Louisa May Alcott's novel has endured for more than a century because it speaks, with uncommon feeling and clarity, to who we are and who we hope to become. I first read it when I was eleven and I return to the book every few years, sometimes only to read [...]

By Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director South Bay Musical Theatre is thrilled to unwrap something truly special this season: Let It Show: A Broadway Holiday Celebration. As Artistic Director, I have long imagined bringing a warm, inviting December tradition to the Saratoga Civic Theater that celebrates community, showcases remarkable local talent, and ushers in the magic of the holidays without feeling like a children’s pageant. This year, that dream becomes reality. I am delighted to have created this new concert with one of my favorite collaborators, pianist and Music Director Bob Sunshine. Bob and I spent months digging through the [...]

Lauren D'Ambrosio as Maria and Brad Satterwhite as Captain von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” which plays Sept. 27 to Oct. 18, 2025 at the Saratoga Civic Theater by Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director and Director of The Sound of Music Few musicals hold as cherished a place in the American imagination as The Sound of Music. Since its Broadway debut in 1959 at the height of the Golden Age of the American musical, it has delighted millions with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s unforgettable score and the inspiring story of the von Trapp family singers. Many know the [...]