Santa Barbara Theatre Newsroom

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, LAUNCH PAD to present readings of dynamic new plays by professional playwrights Leo Cabranes-Grant, matthew paul olmos,  A. Rey Pamatmat and Megan Tabaque during the upcoming LAUNCH PAD Amplify Reading Series Festival.

Mark E. Trueblood, who has guided Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) of Santa Barbara to new programmatic heights over the course of his 27-year tenure as executive director and later president, will retire.

Camerata Pacifica will spotlight the violin, horn, and piano in an engaging program featuring two U.S. premieres, both commissioned for Camerata Pacifica by Pasadena resident Judith Vida-Spence.

Camerata Pacifica will spotlight the violin, horn, and piano in an engaging program featuring two U.S. premieres, both commissioned for Camerata Pacifica by Pasadena resident Judith Vida-Spence.

PCPA is serving up the hit musical Waitress – a heartwarming story baked with love, liberation, and the pursuit of dreams. Bringing a deliciously empowering tale to the Central Coast stage April 24th through May 11th at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria, and June 19th through July 6th at Solvang Festival Theater. 

The ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the world's leading showcase for conscious cinema, has unveiled its official lineup, including transformative works executive produced by Richard Gere, SIA, and Mark and Jay Duplass.

The ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the world's leading showcase for conscious cinema, has unveiled its official lineup, including transformative works executive produced by Richard Gere, SIA, and Mark and Jay Duplass.

The Theatre Group at SBCC will end the 24-25 season with the new comedy, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, A COMEDY by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen. See the photos here.

The Theatre Group at SBCC will end the 24-25 season with the new comedy, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, A COMEDY by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen. See the photos here.

Production photos have been released for the limited engagement of Rachmaninoff and the Tsar at Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara (ETC). Check here for the photos!

Production photos have been released for the limited engagement of Rachmaninoff and the Tsar at Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara (ETC). Check here for the photos!

Out-of-the-Box Theatre brings 'Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812' to Santa Barbara in a bold, immersive production at Center Stage. This electro-pop, folk-rock musical, inspired by Tolstoy’s War and Peace, blends contemporary energy with a classic tale.

The Ojai Art Center Theater will present the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Crimes of the Heart, running March 28 – April 20, 2025. Check here for more details.

The Theatre Group at SBCC will end the 24-25 season with the new comedy, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, A COMEDY by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, based (very loosely) on Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, directed by Michael Bernard. 

JAY MARTEL has won Emmy, Peabody, Writers Guild of America, and American Comedy awards for his writing. He served as a showrunner, executive producer and writer for the award winning sketch show Key & Peele.

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara and J. Todd Harris present PARENTS IN CHAINS- A new comedy about texts, treks, sex, and empty nests. Written by Emmy and Peabody award-winner Jay Martel, Directed by Andy Fickman.

Ensemble Theatre Company has revealed the full cast for an add-on production to its season, the world premiere of a new comedy, PARENTS IN CHAINS, written by Emmy and Peabody award-winner Jay Martel. See who is starring and learn more.

The 106th concert season of Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) of Santa Barbara will continue at The Granada Theatre on Thursday, April 3, with an appearance by the Chineke! Orchestra.

Youthclusive Inc., the youth-founded and youth-led nonprofit performing arts organization, is making waves with its inaugural production of Nickelodeon's The SpongeBob Musical.

What did our critic think of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at PCPA: Marian Theater?

PCPA will present Sanctuary City, a powerful and timely drama by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Martyna Majok. In this powerful coming-of-age story, two teens forge a deep bond amid the complexities of immigration, identity, belonging and love.

The Theatre Group at SBCC continues the 24-25 season with the hilarious comedy, Ken Ludwig’s SHERWOOD: THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, Directed by Katie Laris.

The UCSB Department of Theater/Dance's new-play development program, LAUNCH PAD, will present a preview production of a new play, Strange Birds, written by E. M. Lewis and directed by Artistic Director Risa Brainin.

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara has added “Community Pay-What-You-Can” preview performance of Hamlet in February. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets to the production.

Lindero Canyon Middle School will present 13: The Musical Jr. This high-energy production will transport audiences into the world of Evan Goldman, a 12-year-old navigating the ups and downs of adolescence.