South Bay Musical Theatre | Noteworthy Entertainment

Behind The Scenes

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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Warm congrats to Big River award winners

By |2019-01-28T07:36:19-08:00January 28th, 2019|Awards, Behind The Scenes, Meet The Cast, Photos|

Award winners, from left: Raiña Parks, Libby Moore Schroeder, Brian Bonarti, Alexandra Maissonneuve-Teixeira, and Ellie Brownson. Following SBMT's Preview Night performance for Big River on Jan. 25, 2019, producer Jay Steele 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. It's always a difficult decision, because just about everyone can be described as “outstanding,” but in the end, these are the winners who took home the awards. Newcomer Award: Raiña Parks Gypsy Robe Award: Libby Moore Schroeder Orchestra Award: Brian Bonarti Technical Award: [...]

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The cast of Big River brings a classic back to life

By |2019-01-02T06:46:18-08:00January 2nd, 2019|2018-19 Season, Behind The Scenes, Meet The Cast, Photos|

Big River is a 1985 musical based on Mark Twain’s beloved 1884 novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This is the first time SBMT has staged the show, and the cast and staff have turned it into a passion project that is shaping up to be another in a long list of outstanding productions. The show took Broadway by storm in 1985, winning Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. In a period dominated by British imports, this was a uniquely American story, and it ran for more than 1,000 performances, featuring catchy bluegrass and country music by [...]

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Celebrating excellence at the TBA Awards

By |2018-11-08T20:56:43-08:00November 8th, 2018|Awards, Behind The Scenes|

South Bay Musical Theatre was proud to have performers and staff recognized at the recent Theatre Bay Area awards ceremony, held at Herbst Memorial Theater in San Francisco on Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Members of SBMT's Board of Directors as well as cast and staff from our nominated productions, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Bridges of Madison County, joined to "whoop" for the nominees and cheer on other Bay Area theatre organizations. We'd like congratulate all of our South Bay friends who were honored. A special shout-out to Lee Ann Payne for winning Outstanding Direction of a Play, for [...]

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SBMT up for seven TBA awards!

By |2018-09-25T18:25:00-07:00September 25th, 2018|Announcements, Behind The Scenes, Photos|

Congratulations to South Bay Musical Theatre’s seven finalists competing in the fifth annual Theatre Bay Area (TBA) Awards, which take place November 5, 2018. Theatre Bay Area is the third-largest regional theatre service organization in North America, and the TBA Awards, now in its fourth year, honors the excellence of professionally-oriented theatre in the Bay Area by offering a peer-based adjudication process and awards celebration. This year, more than 400 adjudicators cast approximately 10,000 ballots to evaluate over 300 productions staged by 122 participating Bay Area arts companies. With that much competition, this is indeed a great honor, and SBMT is [...]

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New SBMT Board prepares for upcoming season

By |2018-08-13T21:58:53-07:00August 13th, 2018|2018-19 Season, Behind The Scenes, Board meetings|

On August 11, 2018, the South Bay Musical Theatre Board of Directors held a day-long retreat to make plans for the future of the organization and to discuss ways to build on the company's recent successes. Diane Milo (director/vocal director for the upcoming production of Mame) led a team-building exercise and brainstorming session to explore ways of increasing the company's reach into the local community we serve. By the end of the day, the team had filled a white board with a long list of tasks and talents that are required to maintain the affordable quality that we provide. Are YOU [...]

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