|
If variety is the spice of life, then Theatre on San Pedro Square has been helping to keep things spicy in downtown San Jose for the past three years. The company has staged everything from an original musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet to London's West End sensation The Blue Room, with cabaret shows, special events and more in between.
On July 27, Theatre on San Pedro Square founders Gary De Mattei and Michael Smythe will celebrate the theater's third anniversary with a party that will include a nod to past productions and a look to the future.
"We're going to do a brief retrospective," says De Mattei, the company's producing director. "It won't be too long-winded but we do want to recap what we've done and then talk about where we're headed, hopefully with the help of the artists who have graced our stage in the past. A few of them will be there and then some new people who are working with us now will also fill in the blanks."
De Mattei says that the party will most likely also include an announcement of the company's next season, which may include several tours from New York, a well-known drama and possible collaborations.
Since opening in the summer of 2000, the company has experimented with programming and doesn't necessarily book a conventional season with planned runs for each show. The second show that the company staged, the musical I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, had a run of nearly a year. "What I've been trying to do for the past three years is sort of test the waters to see what downtown San Jose theatergoers like to see," says De Mattei.
The theater has also hosted some musical performances, such as the summer cabaret series that's now under way. Featured this weekend will be Broadway singer William Michals, whom local audiences may know from American Musical Theatre of San Jose. Michals performs a cabaret show July 2526.
Because the theater has been renovated out of the space formerly occupied by a comedy club, it has the inviting atmosphere of an upscale nightclub, which the owners have found makes it an appealing bar and cafe. The cafe is open daily, even on nights when the stage is dark, and also serves lunch.
Although the theater is in a choice location—the heart of the popular dining district of San Pedro Square—its actual whereabouts can be a little tricky for new patrons. The theater is tucked upstairs behind the brick facades of restaurants and cafes that front San Pedro Street, so it requires a little bit of searching to find the theater's entrance at the side of those buildings (it's just a few steps from San Pedro Street through the parking lot next to Peggy Sue's).
"All people really need to know about is where we are," De Mattei says. "That's been the toughest part. Once they find us, they seem to want to come back and see other stuff."
De Mattei says getting people to come to the theater frequently is one of the main reasons he is trying to program a variety of shows. "We're trying to do stuff on the off nights. I've written a sketch comedy thing that we're going to be throwing into the mix next season," he says.
For now, the main plan for the next three years is to keep the footlights burning. "I know that if we can weather the next three years—the first five or six years are the toughest—we'll be OK," says De Mattei. "So, not to steal the slogan from Lincoln Center's theater company, but 'To do good plays at popular prices' is basically my objective for the future. Also to try to dot the season with some other fun things for other people to do and to try to keep the cafe aspect going. To bring in more music, more dance and just keep it going."
Theatre on San Pedro Square will host its third anniversary party July 27, 7 p.m., at 29 N. San Pedro Square, San Jose. To reserve complimentary seats, call 408.283.0200 ext. 15 or visit www.tosps.com.
|
