Opinion

by Michael Paul Hirsch, Executive Director This past weekend, West Valley Light Opera Musical Theatre Company (WVLO) announced that their 60th Diamond Celebration, produced last November, would be their final production, bringing an extraordinary 60-year legacy to a close. For 60 years, WVLO and SBMT have produced hundreds of performances side by side at the Saratoga Civic Theater, enriching and connecting the community through the shared experience of storytelling. Though each of our companies operated independently, we have a long history of cooperation, collaboration, and a bit of healthy rivalry. Together, we have served as stewards of the Saratoga Civic [...]

by Walter M. Mayes, Artistic Director When Little Women opened two weeks ago, the enthusiastic response from our audiences confirmed something we had felt throughout the rehearsal process: this production is being carried by a powerful sense of connection, collaboration, and shared purpose. At its heart, Little Women is a story about sisterhood—about women supporting one another through hardship, ambition, loss, and love—and it feels especially meaningful to see that theme reflected so clearly both on our stage and within the team that brought this production to life. With only 10 characters in the musical, Little Women asks a great [...]

A classic story, reimagined with heart, music, and community by Walter Mayes, Artistic Director, South Bay Musical Theatre Many of us first met the March family on the page—curled up with a well-worn copy of Little Women, discovering ourselves in Jo's ambition, Meg's grace, Beth's quiet strength, or Amy's determination. Louisa May Alcott's novel has endured for more than a century because it speaks, with uncommon feeling and clarity, to who we are and who we hope to become. I first read it when I was eleven and I return to the book every few years, sometimes only to read [...]

by Michael Paul Hirsch, Executive Director I am no soothsayer or diviner, but I am empathetic and perceptive enough to sense a shift carrying us toward a far more optimistic trajectory in 2026. From my discussions with you in the lobby of the theater, I know you feel it too. Last week, Doug Hughes, our Marketing Director, wrote about reflecting on SBMT’s remarkable 2025. This week, I thought I would talk a bit about what is to come in the New Year and why I am feeling so hopeful. First off, the obvious: the season we are actively producing is [...]