Broadway Sacramento facts for kids
The UC Davis Health Pavilion, Broadway Sacramento's home for the Broadway At Music Circus series
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| Formation | 1951 Formerly known as the Sacramento Light Opera Association and California Musical Theatre |
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| Type | Theatre group |
| Purpose | Broadway Musicals / Musical Theatre |
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| Website | https://www.broadwaysacramento.com/ |
Broadway Sacramento is a large nonprofit arts group in California. It is the oldest professional performing arts company in Sacramento. This group mainly puts on musical theatre shows.
Since 1951, their summer theater, Music Circus, has been showing Broadway-style musicals. In 2002, Music Circus had its last season under a canvas circus tent. The next year, they opened the Wells Fargo Pavilion. This new building looks like a circus tent. It keeps the tradition of the old canvas big top. The building is covered by a special fabric. In 2021, the Wells Fargo Pavilion was renamed the UC Davis Health Pavilion.
How Broadway Sacramento Started
The first Music Circus started in 1949 in New Jersey. It was created by St. John Terrell. He mixed musical theater with a circus tent. The shows were performed in the round, meaning the audience sat all around the stage. This new way of performing became very popular. Many theaters copied this idea in the 1950s and 1960s.
In California, producers Russell Lewis and Howard Young wanted to build their own theater. Sacramento Bee president Eleanor McClatchy helped them choose Sacramento. The Sacramento Music Circus opened in 1951. Its first show was Show Boat. The group was first called the Sacramento Light Opera Association. Eleanor McClatchy was a supporter of the Sacramento Civic Theatre. This theater had a big parking area. This area became the home for the first Music Circus tent.
In April 2018, Richard Lewis, who leads the company, announced a name change. The company's name changed from California Musical Theatre to Broadway Sacramento. Before this, "Broadway Sacramento" was just the name for their touring shows. Now, the touring shows are called Broadway On Tour. The summer shows at the UC Davis Health Pavilion are called Broadway At Music Circus.
Broadway at Music Circus Shows
From 1951 to 1989, the summer Music Circus program was the only show series. Russell Lewis and Howard Young led it for most of those years. The summer shows have been in almost the same spot since they began. Actors, directors, and designers come from all over the country. They create completely new shows in Sacramento.
Richard Lewis, the current executive producer, is the son of original producer Russell Lewis. Sacramento Music Circus was once one of many summer theaters. These theaters performed musicals in the round. Today, it is one of the few professional theaters that still performs musicals in an arena setting.
Broadway on Tour Shows
Broadway on Tour shows happen when Music Circus is not performing. These shows were first called the Music Circus Winter Season. Later, they were known as The Broadway Series. These are usually touring versions of popular musicals. They are performed at the Community Center Theater.
Since 1989, this series has included many famous musicals. Some examples are The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and The Producers. Broadway Sacramento is a founding member of a group called the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. Richard Lewis is also a member of the League of American Theatres and Producers.
