On Stage in Sonoma County
Experience the magic of theatre!
Theatre offers a captivating experience for audience members. All the elements of a live show – the actors, sets, and costumes— combine to make you feel like you’re actually stepping into someone else’s shoes instead of watching from the outside.
Unlike a movie, a theatre performance is never the same show twice; it’s a vibrant experience that is unique to that particular audience.
And, remember that the shows we enjoy in Sonoma County are produced largely by members of our community, working on the stage and behind the scenes to entertain and engage us.
So get out and see a show!
Jan. 7-29
A Year with Frog and Toad at 6th Street Playhouse
Written by Robert Reale, music and lyrics by Willie Reale.
Based on characters from Arnold Lobel’s series of childrens’ books, A Year with Frog and Toad is song and dance at its best.
Jan. 28 & 29
Cesar Died Today at Cloverdale Performing Arts Center
Written by: Gabriel Fraire and John Fraire
Directed by: Oz Montelongo Medina
An original play by brothers John and Gabriel Fraire, the story revolves around a Mexican-American family hiding secrets from each other. At heart, this is a play about family and the contradictory emotions that bind us together by blood.
Jan. 26 – Feb. 19
Little Shop of Horrors at 6th Street Playhouse
Music by Alan Menken, lyrics and book by Howard Ashman, directed by Aja Gianola-Norris, music direction by Lucas Sherman, choreography by Serena Elize Flores.
Follow a geeky flower shop assistant who’s secretly harboring a man-eating plant. His conundrum grows out of control to the nostalgia of ’60s rock, doo-wop and Motown sounds. GK Hardt Theatre.
Feb. 3-19
Sidekicked – Sonoma Arts Live
Written by Kim Powers, Directed by Michael Ross
After years of playing Ethel Mertz, the housecoat-wearing sidekick to America’s favorite sit-com star on I Love Lucy, Vivian Vance has a lot she needs to get off her chest. In her dressing room on the night of the show’s final filming, she issues an SOS to her longtime analyst: Help me understand who I really am before I’m stuck being Ethel forever. In this comedy, Vivian relives it all – from the good to the bad to Lucy. Audience members will enjoy this peek behind the scenes, as well as enjoy shots from the I Love Lucy episodes as well.
Feb. 3 – 26
Open at Main Stage West
A fragile love story about the ways in which we create our own realities and the power of belief.
Playwright: Crystal Skillman
Feb. 8-19, 2023
The Children at Left Edge Theatre
Directed by Sandra Ish, written by Lucy Kirkwood.
Robin and Hazel, a long-married couple, have retired to a farm by the sea. Their life is self-sufficient and apparently tranquil, until the arrival of an unwelcome figure from the past forces them to contemplate the world beyond their front door. This disturbing, compelling drama, set in the wake of a disaster at the nearby nuclear power plant, considers the personal responsibility of past and present generations for actions that will have profound consequences for our children.
Feb. 10-26
A Little Night Music, The Musical at Spreckels Performing Arts Center
Music and Lyric by Stephen Sondheim; book by Hugh Wheeler. Full of hilariously witty and heartbreakingly moving moments of adoration, regret and desire. Featuring the haunting “Send in the Clowns.”
Feb. 10-19
Once Upon a Mattress at Sonoma State Unniversity
Music Direction by Dr. Lynne Morrow; Stage Direction by Doyle Ott.
Who can be a royal princess? No one, if the queen has anything to say about it. In this wacky musical version of The Princess and the Pea, Fred the princess will have to prove she’s more than royal to win the hand of her dauntless prince in this classic musical romp by Mary Rogers. Person Theater.
Feb. 24-Mar. 5
Swimming in the Shallows at Cloverdale Performing Arts Center
Barb finds out that Buddhist monks in Thailand only own eight things — and wonders if that is all she wants. She starts giving away her things but her husband Bob keeps buying her new ones. Donna wants Carla Carla to marry her, but Carla Carla doesn’t like that Donna smokes.
Nick meets a shark at the aquarium — they go on a date to the beach and Nick tries not to sleep with the shark too fast. Plus dream sequences. Plus a wedding.
Recommended for Ages 18+