Attend the PCPA Theatre
It engulfs you -- you can feel it, breathe it, taste it. Live theatre captivates with an energy that’s like no other. Whether behind the scenes or in the audience, excitement swirls in the air as the PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) readies itself to unveil an array of Broadway musicals, comedies, Shakespeare, and dramas. This celebratory 60th season of artistry is brimming with performances that will inspire, engage, and infuse our souls with storytelling, music, and dance.
One might consider the PCPA a big fish in a small pond. Although its theatres reside in the relatively smaller communities of Santa Maria and Solvang, the PCPA carries an impeccable reputation for productions that rivals the best in the country. Serving as a training ground for aspiring actors, set designers, costumers, sound engineers, and stage managers, the theatre’s apprentice programs invite professionals to work alongside students, mentoring them in one of the country’s most renowned hands-on training programs. Afterall, with a stellar pedigree of cultivating the talents of Robin Williams, Kathy Bates, Jessica Chastain, and Zac Efron, among others, the PCPA reigns supreme in theatre production.
The upcoming season has something for everyone. In keeping with its time-honored tradition, the PCPA kicks off its slate of performances with a highly anticipated holiday extravaganza. This year, a beloved family favorite, Elf the Musical, brings all the warm and fuzzy holiday feels to the stage as Buddy the Elf, sets out to discover his family and finds the Christmas spirit along the way. Following this heartwarming production, jump back in time to the 15th century with Shakespeare’s historical underdog tale, Henry V, weaving together the events before and after the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years’ War. Changing the pace to the mystical is Wolf at the Door, an intriguing Mexican fairy tale of lost and regained feminine power that is sure to resonate with today’s generations.
And yes, there’s more!
Bringing a bit of magical fun to the stage, Little Shop of Horrors takes us on a wild adventure of a carnivorous plant that stirs mayhem. In the mood for laugh-out-loud fun? The Play That Goes Wrong goes awry with one hilarious mishap after the next in this riotous play-within-a-play. When you catch your breath from laughing, get ready to toe tap and hum along with one of Broadway’s most acclaimed musicals, Cabaret, a story of Berlin nightclub dancers set against an all-too-familiar political backdrop. And wrapping up this anniversary season, The Agitators delves into the complicated relationship between famed abolitionists Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass.
Where can you take in all this amazement, you ask? Straddling several locations, the PCPA offers year-round performances in the intimate settings of Santa Maria’s Marian and Severson Theatres while the Solvang Festival Theater hosts outdoor plays under the stars from June-October. For tickets, contact the box office at (805) 928-7731 or boxoffice@pcpa.org. Subscription packages are also available at (805) 922-8313. Small but mighty, the PCPA remains the crème de la crème, continuing to entertain theatregoers with spectacular productions, further cementing its reputation among the best theatre our nation has to offer.
