By Patti Roberts

For the first time in its nearly 75-year history, Broadway Sacramento is producing a full-run holiday show at its Broadway at Music Circus facility. “Elf The Musical” will play at UC Davis Health Pavilion this December on the theater campus they once shared with the now-closed Sacramento Theatre Company (STC). 

Until now, under an agreement with STC, Broadway at Music Circus could only offer summer seasons, so they weren’t in competition with STC’s regular seasons. Now, with STC having taken its last bow with its productions and educational programs in recent months, Broadway at Music Circus will be able to extend their season to a year-round residency at the site on H Street. 

Broadway Sacramento can’t stage holiday shows at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center on L Street — which is owned by the City of Sacramento — because Sacramento Ballet’s “Nutcracker” takes over the facility in December.  

Broadway Sacramento oversees both Broadway on Tour, which hosts traveling theater companies, and Broadway at Music Circus, which produces local theater. The announcement of Broadway at Music Circus’ extended season on Tuesday, Nov. 12 has been met with mixed emotions. There is excitement about staging more theater-in-the-round musicals, but sadness about the closing of STC, the oldest theater company in Sacramento which opened in 1949. 

“While our board regrets having to make this choice, we look forward to supporting Broadway Sacramento,” said former Board President and Executive Director Betsy Wood. “The positive aspect is that we feel that the merger of STC building space with Broadway at Music Circus allows them the opportunity to produce their great musicals year-round.” 

According to a news release issued TK, STC “regretfully wrapped up its operations due to financial pressures,” with no further details on its financial history. The last Main Stage STC subscription season was in 2022-23, though they did produce a few shows under their Artistry Series last year. 

STC suffered along with other local theaters during the pandemic lockdowns, but they were having financial difficulties for many years even before then, according to Wood. There was no one reason, she said, just an accumulation of financial strains.  

“It’s been an absolute rollercoaster from overwhelming sadness over our [eventual] closing to my pride in the staff for their commitment,” Wood said, adding that “ we are grateful to STC’s patrons who, since 1942, have supported our mission of integrating professional theater with theater arts education.”  

Broadway Sacramento President/CEO Scott Klier also expressed his sadness about the closing of STC while embracing the opportunities to expand Broadway Sacramento’s seasonal offerings, as well as introducing its new arts and education program. 

“We’re sorry to lose a colleague company,” Klier said, stating they intend to honor STC’s legacy as they embrace the opportunity to grow. “Our educational program ‘The Broadway Sacramento Conservatory’ is still in development. We had our first semester in the fall and will offer it again in the winter and spring/summer.” 

According to Klier, the Conservatory will be open to students ages 12 and up, giving them professional musical theater training in acting, singing, and dancing. The winter session starts Jan. 7 and runs through Feb.12. 

With the added Broadway at Music Circus shows, Klier is “proceeding with caution.”  

“We have to figure out how to expand and fulfill our obligations to that site year-round,” he said. “It will be slow growth — existing staff will have to work hard until we expand our staff, and we’re working hard to protect them from burnout.”  

But while Klier is a bit nervous about the upcoming extended season, he is also excited about providing opportunities for local theater employees since Broadway at Music Circus is produced locally.  

“As we commit to more productions, it will increase opportunities for local talents,” he said. “We select each show and assemble all the people needed to mount these local productions: directors, stage directors, set directors, teams that design and produce the sets, costumes, props and lighting, as well as music directors, choreographers, and, of course, talented cast members.” 

Besides extending the Music Circus season, the change gives Broadway Sacramento more opportunities to use STC’s former theater spaces. They are now able to branch out to offer audiences a lobby during intermissions and to have more rehearsal spaces, dressing rooms, costumes, props and storage space for set elements. 

As for STC’s collection of theater items kept throughout their 70 years of operation, they have found good homes for them, according to Wood. 

“I’m glad that the library of costumes, props, sets and tools that were gathered over years were donated and went to good homes, including Broadway Sacramento, local theaters and schools, as well as young theater lovers and parents associated with our Youth Theater program,” said Wood. The STC historical archives also included playbills, photos and posters of shows throughout the years, which are now in the hands of Broadway Sacramento.  

“All the items are currently being stored on-site until we figure out how to display them or permanently store them,” Klier said. 

 “We’ve been a team with STC for many years, sharing our location with them at our theater campus,” Klier said. “We will miss them. Live theater creates unique memories, and that is what we will continue doing.” 

Broadway at Music Circus’ upcoming new extended season starts with “Elf the Musical,” Dec. 6-1, and continues its lineup in 2025 with “Footloose,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Million Dollar Quartet,” “Hello Dolly!,” “West Side Story,” “In The Heights,” “Hair,” and Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” 

]This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics and protocols, the city had no editorial influence over this story and no city official reviewed this story before it was published. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.