“Open A New Window!”
Explore behind the scenes at South Bay Musical Theatre by reading our blog. Here is where we will discuss upcoming shows, announce casting decisions, and debut new promo videos. Each blog post will also be linked from our social media sites, so if you don’t want to miss a thing, be sure to “Like” and “Follow” us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
It Takes a Village to Make a Musical
From Rehearsal Studio to Opening Night Every once in a while, someone comes up to me on opening night and expresses amazement that the costumes are finished, the orchestra sounds wonderful, and the actors know all their lines, music, and choreography. My reaction is usually a silent "Dear God, [...]
The Art of the Possible
Choosing Musicals for Today’s Audiences Boy, do I love musicals. It's a good thing, too, because as Artistic Director of South Bay Musical Theatre, producing three major musicals a year and soon to expand to four, I spend plenty of nights trying to figure out the right mix for [...]
Opening Night: More Than Just a Curtain Call
Walter M. Mayes presents the Legacy Robe to Ruby Delgros for Once Upon A Mattress There is something special about opening night. After weeks or months of rehearsals, the music, the costumes, the scenery, and the countless details that bring a production to life finally coalesce before [...]
Easter Eggs in Once Upon A Mattress
When a musical has been around for 67 years, there’s plenty of room to have a little fun with it. That’s exactly what our creative team has done with SBMT's production of Once Upon a Mattress. Along with the familiar songs, characters and comedy, this production is packed with [...]
Designing a Fairy Tale Kingdom
How do you design a place for characters with names like Queen Aggravain, Sir Studley, and Prince Dauntless to exist and breathe? It all starts, like everything else in theatre, with the story. The characters and the plot of Once Upon a Mattress are exaggerated and fantastical, so the [...]
SBMT Seeks Director of Education
Help us build something new for young people in the South Bay South Bay Musical Theatre is excited to announce the creation of a new Youth Theatre Education Program, beginning in summer 2027. For many years, our audiences and community members have asked us to offer theatre education for [...]
South Pacific Auditions Announced
Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director of South Bay Musical Theatre, announces auditions for SOUTH PACIFIC Music by RICHARD RODGERS Lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II Book by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II and JOSHUA LOGAN Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Tales of the South Pacific” by James A. Michener Director: Vinh [...]
Five Initiatives for SBMT’s Future
Over the past several weeks, I have written about changes coming to South Bay Musical Theatre: the reasons we believe change is necessary and what we hope to accomplish. Now it is time to talk about what we are actually going to do. At our August board retreat and [...]
Concert auditions announced
South Bay Musical Theatre announces three audition opportunities! Holiday Sunshine: Heartwarming Entertainment for the Season: December 19 & 20, 2026 A cabaret evening of songs for the season, created and Directed by Walter M. Mayes and Bob Sunshine. Beloved accompanist and musical theatre raconteur Bob Sunshine helms an evening [...]