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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

by Doug Hughes, Marketing Director As Marketing Director for South Bay Musical Theatre, my job is to sell you on our upcoming season. That usually means hyping the shows, teasing the titles, and dazzling you with reasons to subscribe. Easy, right? Well—this year, there’s a twist. I can only talk about two of the three shows. The third one? It’s fabulous. It’s Tony-winning. It’s a total crowd-pleaser. And it’s top secret until mid-September (when the rights house lets us talk about it). So, what’s a marketer to do? I decided to flip the script. Instead of pitching shows, I’m pitching [...]

Broadway Quality, Affordable Prices by Doug Hughes, Marketing Director If you’ve been dreaming of seeing The Sound of Music, you have two options in the coming year: wait until mid-2026 and pay over $100 per person to nab good seats for a touring production—or experience the magic much sooner, for a fraction of the cost, at South Bay Musical Theatre, your premier amateur musical theatre arts company in the South Bay. From Sept. 27 to Oct. 18, 2025, SBMT brings The Sound of Music to the intimate Saratoga Civic Theater. With just 298 seats and only 13 rows, every spot [...]