South Bay Musical Theatre | Noteworthy Entertainment

Opinion

Designing a Fairy Tale Kingdom

By |2026-10-06T19:16:02-07:00October 6th, 2026|2026-2027 Season, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

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 environment they inhabit should probably follow suit. After identifying major locations where the story takes place and speaking with the director, Doug Brook, about his vision for this world, a designer begins researching and developing concepts to make that vision achievable, practical, tangible, and inspired.  One of my jobs for this [...]

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SBMT Seeks Director of Education

By |2026-10-06T19:16:59-07:00September 30th, 2026|2026-2027 Season, Announcements, Opinion|

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 young people. We are thrilled to make that request a reality. Our goal is about more than teaching children how to sing, dance, and act. We want to create a place where young people can build confidence, creativity, friendships, and a lifelong connection to the performing arts. We are fortunate to [...]

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Five Initiatives for SBMT’s Future

By |2026-09-17T16:12:51-07:00September 17th, 2026|2026-2027 Season, Announcements, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

  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 September board meeting, SBMT's executive team presented five strategic initiatives for the next several years. With the board's support, we are moving forward. Some are already underway, some have defined launch dates, and others will depend on partnerships, resources, and what we learn along the way. Expand & Diversify the Season [...]

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Auditioning: Focus on What You Can Control

By |2026-09-03T16:16:53-07:00September 3rd, 2026|Auditions, Behind The Scenes, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

One of the questions I hear most often after auditions is, “Can I have some feedback on my audition? Is there something I could do differently next time?” I understand the question, especially when someone has worked hard, auditioned for a role they really wanted, and then discovered they were not called back or cast. But the word that catches my attention is “next.” Because if there is one thing I hope every actor takes away from an audition, it is this: there is no secret formula for getting cast. There are, however, some very important things you can control. [...]

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A Modern Performing Arts Company

By |2026-08-28T14:32:05-07:00August 28th, 2026|Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

In my last blog, I talked about why I’m proposing changes to SBMT in the future. I cited several reasons for some of the changes such as the fragility of the arts ecosystem, rising costs, the importance of community connection, changing audience demographics, and SBMT currently being in a state where we are strong enough to act. A modern performing arts company isn't defined simply by how many shows it produces. It's defined by the many ways it creates opportunities for people to experience, participate in, and support the performing arts. I thought I would talk a bit about what [...]

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Remembering Becky Brownson

By |2026-08-17T12:11:12-07:00August 17th, 2026|Blog-erviews!, Opinion, Photos, Video Link|

I first met Becky Brownson in 2011 when I was cast in The Sound of Music at West Valley Light Opera. Becky directed, and she had a patient and firm guiding hand, leading the cast – including double ranks of Von Trapp Family child actors – through a lovely production. It takes a special person to successfully direct children, and Becky was always special.  After that, I was fortunate to work on many productions with Becky over the past 15 years, both at South Bay Musical Theatre and with other groups in the area. She had many more years of [...]

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What Comes Next for SBMT?

By |2026-08-14T10:12:04-07:00August 14th, 2026|2026-2027 Season, Announcements, Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

SBMT is… expanding? In a few weeks, the SBMT Board and executive team will gather for our annual Board Retreat. This is a chance to step away from the daily work of running a theatre company and think about the future. This year, the executive team will present three initiatives that could significantly expand what SBMT offers to the community. The rationale for expanding what SBMT is and does is simple: Last year, the community lost WVLO, a long-lived and cherished theatre organization in the South Bay. Its loss demonstrated how fragile the arts ecosystem currently is. We have been [...]

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Board Reflections on Leadership & Momentum

By |2026-07-27T11:13:11-07:00July 27th, 2026|Blog-erviews!, Board meetings, Opinion, Video Link|

by members of the South Bay Musical Theatre Board of Directors Not long ago, volunteer Yvonne Hirsch conducted interviews with the SBMT Board of Directors to get their thoughts on a variety of subjects related to the arts community we serve. The following is part two of a two-installment video series. Last week the Board discussed Community and Legacy; this week they turn their attention to Leadership & Momentum. If you have the time, please watch the recording: If you're in a hurry, we have summarized the video in the transcript pasted below. Dick Robbins: Well, I'm so impressed with what [...]

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Board Reflections on Community & Legacy

By |2026-07-27T11:14:31-07:00July 22nd, 2026|Blog-erviews!, Board meetings, Opinion|

by members of the South Bay Musical Theatre Board of Directors Not long ago, volunteer Yvonne Hirsch conducted interviews with the SBMT Board of Directors to get their thoughts on a variety of subjects related to the arts community we serve. We have serialized the interviews into two videos that we are sharing here this week and next. If you have the time, please view the actual recording by clicking below: If you're in a hurry, we have summarized the video in the transcript pasted below. Steve Sammonds: The Board has become a lot more diverse in the last few years. [...]

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My Musical Theatre Story

By |2026-07-17T11:19:52-07:00July 17th, 2026|Blog-erviews!, Opinion|

by Marcy Bates I love musical theatre! The costumes, the sets, the voices—all of it cuts right to my heart. Seeing it live on stage, with music and lights, somehow makes the story more alive. As a child of the 1970s and 1980s I grew up on movie musicals. My cousins and I would sing and dance to Annie, Grease, Footloose, Blues Brothers and so much more. In elementary school, my favorite field trip was going to the theater. When I grew up and became a teacher, I always made sure to take my students to see shows. Then as a [...]

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