South Bay Musical Theatre | Noteworthy Entertainment

Behind The Scenes

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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What It Takes To Plan a Season

By |2025-07-24T11:09:16-07:00July 24th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

by Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director What if I told you that the next season’s story begins before the curtain rises on this one? While audiences are anticipating the Abbey bells, singing nuns, and adorable Von Trapp children of our 2025/26 season-opener, The Sound of Music, I’m already deep in the next act—reading scripts, tracking rights, and assembling the puzzle that will become South Bay Musical Theatre’s ‘26-’27 season. At first glance, planning a season might seem like picking your favorite shows and hoping for the best. In truth, it’s a nuanced, months-long process—one that blends artistic passion with financial [...]

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How’s It Going?

By |2025-07-06T18:18:36-07:00June 27th, 2024|2023-2024 Season, 2024-2025 Season, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

by Walter M. Mayes, South Bay Musical Theatre Artistic Director As we close the books on SBMT’s 61st season, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to reflect on our work, our challenges, and our triumphs in bringing musical theater enjoyment to our patrons during the past year. When I stepped into the role of Artistic Director, my predecessor had already selected the season. Covid was still affecting us, and we were dealing with staff changes and a dwindling number of board members. With the support of Board Chair Michael Hirsch and the outstanding core of SBMT staff and [...]

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SBMT enhances sound experience with Saratoga Rotary grant

By |2024-03-17T21:47:58-07:00March 16th, 2024|2023-2024 Season, Behind The Scenes|

Musical theatre is a rich tapestry of storytelling, emotion, and artistry woven together by performers and musicians alike. For South Bay Musical Theatre (SBMT), bringing this American art form to the community is not just a mission but a passion. Now, thanks to a generous grant from the Saratoga Rotary Club Charitable Foundation, SBMT is poised to elevate its performances to new heights with state-of-the-art sound equipment at the Saratoga Civic Theater. At the heart of SBMT's mission lies the desire to share the magic of live musical theatre with the community. Central to achieving this goal is the live [...]

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Interview with Rent’s co-directors

By |2023-09-22T12:24:35-07:00September 22nd, 2023|2023-2024 Season, Behind The Scenes|

The following interview with Jennifer Cuevas and Nicole Tung will appear in the program for SBMT's upcoming production of RENT. Because it's a little longer than the typical "Welcome" letter, we are reprinting it here so that patrons can read it before they come to the theater. Jen and Nicole are the co-directors and co-choreographers for the show. What is your personal history with RENT? Nicole: The first time that I saw RENT was on Broadway. I had sung along with the soundtrack so many times with my roommates in college and felt like I knew and related to these [...]

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Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musicals

By |2023-07-30T13:06:05-07:00July 30th, 2023|2018-19 Season, 2023-2024 Season, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

Timeless Tales of Artistic Triumph: Comparing Rent with other Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musicals In the 105 years since the first Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded in 1918, only 10 Broadway Musicals have won that honor. SBMT’s upcoming production of Jonathan Larson’s RENT will be the fifth Pulitzer-winning musical to be staged by the company. In this blog post, we will attempt to examine some of the reasons RENT was so honored, and compare it to other musicals in the same elite group.   From the political satire Of Thee I Sing years ago, to last year’s winner, A Strange Loop, [...]

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