Wells Fargo Pavilion facts for kids
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Music Circus
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UC Davis Health Pavilion with the former Wells Fargo Pavilion branding
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| Former names | The Music Circus Tent (pre-2003), Wells Fargo Pavilion (2003-2021) |
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| Location | 15 & H St., Sacramento, California |
| Owner | Broadway Sacramento & Sacramento Theatre Company |
| Type | Theatre in the round |
| Genre(s) | Musical theatre |
| Seating type | Theatre in the Round |
| Capacity | 2,200 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2001 |
| Opened | Summer 2003 |
The UC Davis Health Pavilion is a special theater in Sacramento, California. It is owned by two groups: Broadway Sacramento and the Sacramento Theatre Company. This theater is famous for its unique stage design, where the audience sits all around the performers.
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What is the UC Davis Health Pavilion?
The UC Davis Health Pavilion is a key part of a big project that updated almost an entire city block. Its stage is designed for "theatre in the round" shows. This means the audience sits in a circle around the stage. The stage itself is about 32 feet (9.75 meters) wide.
The theater can hold up to 2,200 people for a show. The whole building covers about 53,000 square feet (4,923 square meters). It is the main home for the Sacramento Music Circus. This is a special type of theater that puts on shows during the summer.
How Did the Pavilion Start?
The UC Davis Health Pavilion was built on the same spot where an older theater tent used to be. This older theater was called the Music Circus tent. The idea of a "Music Circus" started way back in 1949. It was created by a person named St. John Terrell. These early Music Circus shows were performed in the round, often under a big circus-style tent.
In 2002, the old canvas tent for the Sacramento Music Circus was taken down for the last time. The next year, in 2003, the new, modern pavilion opened. This new building brought many improvements. It has better lighting and a stage that can turn and change levels. The original building was designed by R.F. McCann & Co.
Building the New Pavilion
Construction for the new pavilion began in the early 2000s. It officially opened in the summer of 2003. The building looks like the old circus tent. It has strong, hard walls but is covered with a soft, special fabric. This fabric is made of fiberglass and coated with Teflon.
Unlike the old tent, this new structure is permanent. It does not have the big tent poles that used to block people's views of the stage.
What Was the Pavilion Called Before?
When the pavilion first opened in 2003, it was known as the Wells Fargo Pavilion. It kept this name until 2022.
In 2019, there was a brief announcement that another company, Dignity Health, would become a sponsor. The theater was going to be renamed the Dignity Health Theatre. However, this plan did not go forward. Broadway Sacramento and Dignity Health decided not to continue with the partnership. The theater then went back to being called the Wells Fargo Pavilion.
On May 11, 2022, Broadway Sacramento announced a new partnership. They teamed up with UC Davis Health. Because of this new partnership, the venue was renamed the UC Davis Health Pavilion, which is its name today.
