Blog-erviews!

Announcing New Board Member: Catherine Thermond

By |2025-11-13T16:45:10-08:00November 13th, 2025|Announcements, Blog-erviews!, Board Election, Opinion|

by Tipu Purkayshatha and Ann Lucena, SBMT Board Chair and Vice Chair South Bay Musical Theatre thrives on the passion, generosity, and creative spirit of those who believe in the power of the performing arts to bring people together. Today, we are thrilled to announce the addition of an exceptional individual to our Board of Directors, Cathie Thermond, who embodies those qualities. She will bring a wealth of experience, leadership, and love for the arts to our organization. Cathie Thermond A lifelong champion of community service and the performing arts, Catherine (Cathie) Thermond has served in leadership and board positions [...]

The Cost of Live Theatre

By |2025-11-03T16:34:01-08:00November 3rd, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Fundraising, Opinion|

by Michael Paul Hirsch, Executive Director I occasionally like to post answers to questions asked from the community. You can always ask your question using this convenient anonymous form. This question came in the other week: “I think it would open a lot of eyes and maybe inspire a few more donations to have a blog outlining all the costs associated with putting on a show and what percentage of ticket sales cover those costs. I don't think many of our patrons know we pay our musicians, creative staff, the cost of show royalties, etc.” I am frequently asked about [...]

Cheers, Tears, and Standing Ovations

By |2025-10-27T09:14:23-07:00October 27th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

by Michael Paul Hirsch, Executive Director Walking into a full theatre charged with the voltage of raw human energy anticipating a musical adventure is titillating, intoxicating, and just so much fun! Nothing compares to it. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of watching well over 3,000 of you go through that very experience with our production of The Sound of Music. Almost every performance was sold out, and every performance was astounding. Here are a few takeaways that have me feeling hopeful and inspired for the future: Live theatre is as impactful as ever. Tears, cheers, [...]

The Show Must Go On!

By |2025-10-20T16:49:45-07:00October 20th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Announcements, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

SBMT Understudy, Standby, and Swing Policy by Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director At South Bay Musical Theatre, we honor the long-standing tradition that the show must go on. At the same time, our top priority is the health and safety of our performers, crew, staff, and audiences. Illnesses and unforeseen emergencies are an unavoidable part of live theatre, and canceled performances can bring both artistic disappointment and economic hardship. To address this, SBMT has created a policy that establishes clear guidelines for the use of understudies, standbys, and swings. Our goal is to ensure that performances can continue safely, responsibly, [...]

Happy Halloweeding

By |2025-10-14T17:03:49-07:00October 14th, 2025|2018-19 Season, 2025-2026 Season, Blog-erviews!, Fundraising, Opinion, Photos|

Special event breathes new life into old costumes by Michael Paul Hirsch, Executive Director Hundreds of costumes have found new life after last Saturday’s Great Costume Give-Away, and we could not be happier! This event was an opportunity for SBMT to reduce our large inventory of costumes accumulated over many years of productions and see they get a good home, while also raising funds through generous donations to help underwrite the amazing shows we have in store for you during the 2025-2026 season and beyond. Almost a hundred people came to visit our rehearsal studio/costume storage in San Jose to [...]

If You Liked These SBMT Favorites, You’ll Love What’s Coming Next

By |2025-10-07T13:51:59-07:00October 7th, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

By Doug Hughes, SBMT Director of Marketing South Bay Musical Theatre’s 2025–2026 season of Noteworthy Entertainment brings you a whole new spin on stories you know and love. Whether it’s through a new adaptation, a rare revival, or a creative concert experience, each show invites you to see something beloved in a new light. To give you a better sense of what’s in store, I’ve matched each upcoming production with SBMT favorites from past seasons going back a decade and a half — because if you liked those, we think you’ll really love these. Mainstage Musicals (11 performances each) If [...]

Protect Yourself from Ticket Scams

By |2025-10-01T14:51:25-07:00October 1st, 2025|Announcements, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

Buy Smart, Buy Direct by Michael Hirsch, Executive Director At South Bay Musical Theatre, we want every part of your theatre-going experience to be joyful from the moment you buy your tickets until the final curtain call. Unfortunately, some third-party ticket resellers try to insert themselves into the process, showing up very high in search results and charging far more than the actual ticket price. With The Sound of Music almost completely sold out, these scarce tickets make good targets for scammers. These unauthorized sellers can cause a number of problems: Inflated Prices: Tickets listed on third-party sites may cost [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Fresh Faces, Fleeting Seating

By |2025-09-22T13:40:27-07:00September 22nd, 2025|2025-2026 Season, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

By Doug Hughes, Director of Marketing One of the joys of community theatre is discovering new talent, and South Bay Musical Theatre’s current production of The Sound of Music demonstrates that in abundance. Of the 40 cast members bringing this beloved story to life, an impressive 30 are making their SBMT debut. That includes our Captain von Trapp, played by Brad Satterwhite, who has graced stages all over the Bay Area and recently wrapped up a powerful run in A Few Good Men at Woodminster. All 13 of the young actors who play the von Trapp children (across two alternating [...]

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