Regional Theater of the Week: Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, CA

BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre site on the Internet, is excited to announce a new feature to its comprehensive regional coverage - the Featured Regional Theater of the Week! Each week, BWW will introduce its readers to a regional theater located in one of our (over 130!) coverage cities. By exploring these different venues, their history and showcasing the production seasons, BWW continues its commitment to expand our presence in communities and cities across the United States.

This Week's Featured Regional Theater: Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara, CA

Center Stage Theater is operated by Artspace, Inc.,a California nonprofit corporation. Center Stage Theater was built in 1989-1990 as part of the Paseo Nuevo shopping center according to the Ground Lease and CCRs negotiated by the City of Santa Barbara and the devloper, Reininga Inc., with the help of the City of Santa Barbara Redevelopment Agency and the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. (The present home of Contemporary Arts Forum, across the terrace from CST, was part of the same process.)

Artspace, Inc., which operates the Center Stage Theater, was formed in 1989 by a consortium of non-profit performing arts organizations, specifically to administer the new theater, which had not yet been built, and to advise the developer and architect in building-out the space to meet the actual needs of performing artists and presenters.

Center Stage is now an intimate black box theater with weekly performances by a variety of artists and companies, located in Paseo Nuevo in the heart of the downtown Santa Barbara cultural district.

Center Stage Theater exists to provide a professional, affordable, and accessible performing arts venue for Santa Barbara. Located in the heart of the downtown arts and cultural district, Center Stage encourages works that celebrate new artists and the cultural diversity of our community. The theater strives to create an environment where people of all ages and levels of expertise can participate in a hands-on experience as artists, technicians and audience members.

In the last year, Center Stage was home to 191 performances by 57 production companies featuring more than 600 performers for nearly 14,000 audience members. These performances include film, music, dance and theater and the productions range from professional shows to children performing publicly for the first time. Click here to see a selection of past performances.There are several groups who have made Center Stage their home: Lit Moon Theatre, The Anacapa School, City@Peace, Out of the Box Theater Company and Speaking of Stories, to name a few. In addition to these old friends, each year we welcome the largest collection of new production companies of any venue in Santa Barbara. When you support Center Stage you are in fact supporting each of these organizations.

Donations to Center Stage Theater are used to do many things: they help keep our rates low and affordable, they help purchase and maintain equipment for the theater, and they support our Rental Subsidy Fund.

Hard work and a broad base of support brought this theater to life, and built it into the wonderful community treasure it has become. You can help us foster these creative ideas and make innovative and exciting performances possible by making a donation today.

The current production at Center Stage Theater is BLOODY BLOODY Andrew Jackson, now playing through February 24, 2013. Next up is THE SALLY CATS, February 19, 2013. The rest of the season includes a CUSTOMER SERVICE WORKSHOP With David Acker February 28, NOCHE DE FLAMENCO March 1, AN EVENING WITH GOLETA BALLET THEATRE March 2, CONFIGURATION March 9-16, THE COASTAL CALIFORNIA ADDY AWARDS March 13, INSTANT KARMA IMPROV COMEDY March 14, STORIES FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD March 17-18, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION March 21-30, BILL W. AND DR. BOB April 4-13, STORIES BY EDITH PEARLMAN & RON CARLSON April 14-15, NEXT TO NORMAL May 2-12, CELEBRATION OF STORIES May 19-20, and more.

The Center Stage Theater Box Office is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5:00 P.M., and one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at any time.

For tickets and more information, visit: http://www.centerstagetheater.org/

Know of a theater we should feature? Send your suggestion to christina@broadwayworld.com.