by Cari Lynn Pace During WWI, communication in the field of battle was critical to the Army. Soldiers could not work the plug-and-cord switchboards fast and efficiently, causing poor results and failed coordination with our Allies in Europe. Desperate, the Army reluctantly recruited female switchboard operators who could translate calls between English and French. These…
My guests on the 01/29/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were YWCA of Sonoma County Chief Executive Officer Madeleine Keegan-O’Connell and Press Democrat columnist Chris Smith to talk about their upcoming benefit performance of A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters. The one-night-only performance will be held Friday, February 13 in the Carsten Cabaret…
by Harry Duke Two men are conversing while one of them fishes off of a Chesapeake Bay dock. The fisherman regales the stranger with tales of fishing with his son. The stranger seems somewhat confused by the conversation. A woman soon approaches. As they converse, we learn they’re not strangers at all. They’re a family.…
by Cari Lynn Pace Novato Theater Company’s highly imaginative presentation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, running now through February 15, opens with a clever B&W film reel, spoofing the actors, establishing the mood, and setting the time squarely in the 1940’s. This inventive intro is just one of several creative special effects…
My guests on the 01/22/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were director Drew Bolander and actor Tina Traboulsi from the 6th Street Playhouse production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The show runs January 23 through February 15 on the Monroe Stage of Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse. Click below to listen:…
My guests on the 01/15/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Brittany Law and Trevor Hoffmann from the Cinnabar Theater production of My Fair Lady. The show runs in the Warren Theater on the campus of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park from January 23 through February 8. Click below to listen:…
My guests on the 01/08/26 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Stage Director Elizabeth Craven and Music Director Tom Martin from the Mercury Theater production of Woody Guthrie’s American Song. The show runs January 9 through January 25 in the former Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma. Click below to listen: ********** Click HERE…
Marin theatre companies reach back to 1904,1942, and 2018 for shows to draw audiences into their houses in 2026. A classic drama, a Pulitzer Prize-winning allegory, and a modern musical look at the U.S.’s first women soldiers are what’s on tap for the New Year. The Novato Theater Company is first out of the gate…
Now that Ralphie got his BB gun, Scrooge became a better person, and George Bailey decided he really did have a wonderful life, it’s time for North Bay theatre companies to get their 2026 shows on the road. Petaluma’s Mercury Theater is first out of the gate with Woody Guthrie’s American Song. It’s a musical…
by Harry Duke I see a lot of live theatre every year, but my first love was the movies. Some of my earliest memories are of going to see double features at the movie theatre in my hometown. (That certainly dates me.) It’s long gone, but the memories are still there. When my family moved…
by Harry Duke It’s that time of year when critics looks back and attempt to encapsulate an entire year’s worth of productions into one easily read “best of” list. Why? Because it gives them something to do during the slow period between the close of the holiday shows and the onslaught of productions in the…
by Beulah F. Vega The Gift of Nothing, now running at Marin Theater through Tuesday, Dec. 23, begins on a special day when the residents of the Mutts world celebrate by giving gifts to their friends and families. But Mooch the cat (Jordan Covington) has a problem: what to get the dog that has everything?…
My guests on the 12/18/25 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Emily Cornelius and Drew Bolander from the 6th Street Playhouse’s New Year’s Eve Classical Voices Celebration 2025. The show features some of the North Bay’s most talented women (and a few men) who’ll fill New Year’s Eve with beautiful classical numbers…
by Harry Duke What’s Christmas without a production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) on a local stage? Sonoma Arts Live fills the bill with their production of Scrooge! The Musical. The SAL production runs at the Sonoma Community Center through Dec. 21. The stage version, which Leslie Bricusse adapted…
My guests on the 12/11/25 “Theatre Thursday” segment on The Drive on 95.5 were Cinnabar Theater Executive Director Diane Dragone and director Bridget Codoni for a conversation about their upcoming holiday presentation of The Holiday Songbook. The show has four performances in the Warren Auditorium on the campus of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park…
North Bay Stage and Screen 