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 big arts group in California. It used to be called California Musical Theatre. This group mainly puts on musical theatre shows. It is the oldest professional performing arts company in Sacramento. Since 1951, its summer theatre, Music Circus, has been showing musicals like those on Broadway.
In 2002, Music Circus had its last season under a traditional canvas circus tent. The next year, the company opened the Wells Fargo Pavilion. This new building was made to look like a circus tent. It kept the Music Circus tradition of a big canvas top. The theatre is now a permanent building. It is covered by a special insulated 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. It was in a field in Lambertville, New Jersey. St. John Terrell created it. It was a mix of musical theatre and a circus tent. The shows were performed in the round, meaning the audience sat all around the stage. This unique way of performing became very popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Other theatres copied the idea. They opened similar Music Circus theatres along the East Coast.
In California, producers Russell Lewis and Howard Young looked for a place to build their theatre. Sacramento Bee president Eleanor McClatchy invited them to Sacramento. The theatre opened with a show called Show Boat. This was the same show that opened the original Lambertville theatre. It also opened the North Shore Music Theatre. In 1951, the Sacramento Music Circus tent went up for the first time. It was run by a group first known as the Sacramento Light Opera Association. Eleanor McClatchy supported the Sacramento Civic Theatre. This theatre had a large parking area. This area became the home for the first Music Circus tent.
In April 2018, Richard Lewis, who was the President and CEO, announced a name change. The company officially became Broadway Sacramento. Before this, "Broadway Sacramento" was just the name for their touring Broadway musical season. When he announced the main company's name change, he also said the names of both theatre series would change. The touring series at the Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center is now called Broadway On Tour. The summer series at the UC Davis Health Pavilion is now called Broadway At Music Circus.
Broadway at Music Circus Shows
From 1951 to 1989, the summer Music Circus program was the only season. It was produced by the Sacramento Light Opera Association. Most of these years were under the direction of Lewis and Young. Its summer shows have been in almost the same spot since they began. Actors, directors, and designers come from all over the country. They travel to Sacramento to create completely new shows. The current executive producer, Richard Lewis, is the son of the first producer, Russell Lewis. Sacramento Music Circus was once one of many summer musical theatres. They performed in the round. Today, it is one of only a few professional theatres that still puts on musicals in an arena setting.
Broadway on Tour Shows
This series was first called the Music Circus Winter Season. Later, it was known as The Broadway Series. Shows presented by Broadway on Tour happen when Music Circus is not performing. These are usually touring versions of popular musicals. They are performed at the Community Center Theater. This series started in 1989. It has included shows like The Unsinkable Molly Brown, The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and The Producers. Broadway Sacramento is a founding member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. Executive Producer Richard Lewis is also a member of the League of American Theatres and Producers.
