Excellent and fun production of Mamma Mia! by the Novato Theatre Company! The cast was talented,…read morethe music of ABBA was wonderfully performed, and the energy throughout the show was infectious. A thoroughly enjoyable evening of theater that left the audience smiling and singing along at the end. Highly recommended!

It has been nearly 72 hours since the Sunday matinee MMTC/NTC performance of Alanis Morissette's…read more"Jagged Little Pill" and the choreography, the acting, and the music just continue to play in my head!  Morgan Olson and Evvy Calstrom-March are riveting talents with commanding stage presence. You simply can't take your eyes off of them! Music director Megan Schoenbohm, from whom I sat a mere ten feet from, was herself fascinating to watch as she meticulously and flawlessly conducted her musicians from one Morissette hit to another  (while on guitar and harmonica). The intimate and cozy NTC routinely delivers outstanding productions. Add this one to the long list.

Their local performances are delightful. We are so fortunate that the symphony continues to bring…read moreus beautiful music in a time of so much noise.

The Marin Symphony offers breathtaking performances with talented musicians and perfect acoustics!read more

Wow! Great class! Terry McGovern is the real deal. A serious veteran of the industry with countless…read morefilm, TV, radio broadcast and VO credits to his name. The class itself is excellent. Good size, nice eclectic mix of different people of different backgrounds and age ranges - many of whom are very talented. I've attended many acting programs and worked with many instructors over the years and this is among the very best. Highly recommended! 5 stars!

Been a member for almost 3 years and loving every minute of it. Very supportive, dynamic, creative…read morebunch and couldn't ask for a better director/ coach than Terry McGovern.

Our whole family came to Marin Shakespeare for the first time to see Spamalot, self-described as…read more"ripped off from" the Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie. This was a show especially well suited to Monty Python fans, with lots of in-jokes and nods to other Python skits. As a lifelong Python fan, Wifey first took me to see Spamalot 10 years ago at SHN Golden Gate Theater, and I actually liked this smaller more intimate production at the Forest Meadows Amphitheater even more. We were BLOWN AWAY by Marin Shakes. The show was sooooo good--Incredibly funny, witty, and well performed. There were multiple actors on stage with serious star power -- special mention to Susan Zelinsky as the Lady of the Lake (What a presence! What a voice!), Joseph Patrick O'Malley as the historian, corpse that won't stay dead, and prince that needs rescuing (sooo funny), Michael P. McDonald as a quick talking peasant turned Sir Galahad, who frequently broke the 4th wall to great effect, Ariel Zuckerman as the overly macho Sir Lancelot, and the incredibly talented Phillip Percy Williams (who we also loved in Grease) as Sir Robin. Bryan Munar was endearing as the under-stated and oft-forgotten page, Patsy. And of course King Arthur himself Jarion Monroe shone brightly. The rest of the cast was all highly skilled. Parking and access were super easy. Seating was comfortable (get a free seating pad by checking in on Yelp! Or pay $1 and save yourself the hassle of bringing one from home). This was Marin Shakespeare's first full musical, and their first show with their new audio system, which was set up by the same audio engineers that set up the Mountain Play theater on Mt. Tam and it sounds great. The audio was excellent, well mixed, and it was easy to hear the entire cast and the live orchestra. During the pre-show announcements, we heard that they've been gifted a warehouse-sized space in San Rafael (former Heller's for Children building at 514 4th Street) and are working on renovating and making it into a full theater. We also heard about their Shakespeare in Prison program, which is running 15 years strong and continuing to expand. Very exciting times for a very cool organization!

I loved this year's production of a Midsummer's Night Dream, updated for today's sensibilities…read more Humorous and well acted. I'm looking forward to future shows. There are no bad seats. Don't forget to bring your seat cushion and a water bottle.

I just attended the play "pride and prejudice last night. I haven't been to this venue in…read moredecades... what an excellent performance: we had about 20 actors on stage singing, beautifully, at a level of professionalism that was startling. This is a musical adaptation of Jane Austen's book, and it is a very engaging production. It's amazing to see Austin's work transformed into a musical with terrific lyrics, very cleverly constructed by Rita Abrams and her collaborator. I'd love to see the lyrics !

Fabulous acting, stunning staging, entertaining story! Perfect cast! Totally delightful evening.read more

It's fair to say that Marin is no hotbed of nightlife but lately, the rain and early sunsets have…read moreme nesting a bit more than in past years. It's in the midst of this nesting that I've discovered the joys of what the Throckmorton Theatre is laying down. The free, monthly noontime concerts are great as is the always popular weekly comedy night but more recently I've been enjoying the other events offered. In so doing I've come to see the Throckmorton as an essential community asset; they save me a drive to the City while providing right-sized entertainment close to home. When I attend events here I leave feeling thankful for their offerings. In recent months I've enjoyed a Jonathan Richman concert (fab... bring him back!), a concert by a local band, and A Chorus Line, teen edition. That last one left me sorry that I'd missed the previous one-time Broadway shows showcased here and with resolve not to miss another. For a little above the cost of your ticket you can pay to enjoy reserved seats but if you fail to do that you'll find equally satisfying seating on the main floor (they also have balcony seating) if you arrive early enough to snag it. I find myself checking the Throckmorton's calendar with a frequency, these days, that I'd not have anticipated even one year earlier. They've not disappointed yet.

I had not been to this charming theatre in many, many years. It is just as lovely as I remember…read more The art work in the lobby is so interesting. And the interior of the performance hall is exquisite with such detailed woodwork, gorgeous light fixtures and murals. We attended a free musical concert with an outstanding local violinist who featured art on the screen to accompany the music he played. I've honestly not heard a violin played with such versatility. What a treat this show and venue was!

Our 8-year old daughter just completed a week of musical theater camp at PAA of Marin and is now…read moregoing back for the "Triple Threat" (singing, acting & dancing) course. She loved the experience and we - the parents - loved the way she developed both her artistic talent AND collaborative skills in working as an ensemble/team. We highly recommend this for kids who want to have fun while learning important life lessons applicable to everything we do in today's world. Performing in a musical theater production involves creativity, self-expression, discipline, practice, attunement to what's going on around oneself, and working with others. A great way to build multiple skills while having a great time.

-----Adding to address Annie's comment below: Annie - if…read moreindeed you want to apply consistency across all performers, then when we fly in for the performance on Sunday we will join the show just like a number of other caucasian ensemble performers who had lower attendance and are still being allowed on stage. I plan to have my video on, so will record any interactions in which we're stopped from going on stage, and point to the caucasian students who have missed tech rehearsals this week yet still being allowed on stage. If paam is keeping our money, then we are performing on Sunday. Paam can also issue a refund and we'll be happy to go separate ways. But Paam does not get to take all our money and disallow us to be on stage yet allow others to be on stage who have lower attendance than our kids. Appreciate you doing the right thing. -----Original post: Our experience with the Performing Arts Academy of Marin (PAAM) has been deeply disappointing -- both in terms of fairness and the overall learning outcomes. The program feels heavily commercialized, prioritizing revenue over education or student experience. Tuition is extremely high for what ultimately amounts to very limited technical instruction, the pressure of buying vanity products aimed at parents who think their kids a star is everywhere, and the refund/credit policies are rigid to the point of being unreasonable. I've never written about race or discrimination in a review before, but I feel obligated to address it here because it has affected my daughters repeatedly. In the lyrical squad, choreography has been super simple and non-technical, yet cast placements have shown a clear pattern: the same Caucasian dancers are routinely placed front and center, while my older daughter -- who is a good dancer but not Caucasian -- is continually placed in the back or off to the far side. My younger daughter was once put in the front purely due to her small size in a formation, but it wasn't part of any fair or rotating system that would give all dancers a chance to shine. The final straw has been this: Multiple Caucasian dancers have been allowed to miss tech rehearsals and still participate in shows. Meanwhile, my daughters, who need to miss a single 24-hour window for a required ski team race and assessment (and for which we arranged to return early at significant cost of flying in, tickets already purchased), were told just 3 days before that they would not be allowed to perform once they fly in -- despite knowing their choreography thoroughly and being disciplined, capable dancers. The rigidity applied to them simply hasn't been applied to others. The pattern is painful to watch as a parent. It's demoralizing for kids who have worked hard and earned their place on stage. It's their right and not someone's at the front desk to strip them of who doesn't even see them. At the start of the year parents also receive an extremely one-sided agreement through DocuSign -- which I declined to sign because it was so imbalanced. I can't say I'm surprised. But it is disheartening to pay thousands of dollars for a program that delivers minimal instruction, selectively enforces rules for preferential kids, and ultimately allows discriminatory dynamics to persist. I wish our experience had been different, but based on what we've seen, I cannot recommend PAAM for families seeking a fair, inclusive, or educationally meaningful dance program.

In an age where everyone has a home recording studio, Ice House reminds us the difference between…read morean amateur sounding recording and one that is ready for the radio. After an exhaustive search for a great studio to create my first full length, I came across producer/engineer Joey Muller and Ice House, and it was probably the easiest and best decision I made. We spent several months making a great sounding record ... and despite the great studio, everyone knows it's really the person behind the gear that all makes it come together. Anyway, the highlights of the experience really need a bullet point list: - The live room sounds incredible. Drums and guitar were flat out amazing. - The gear at the studio is great - a very quiet chain using great preamps, converters, and other outboard gear. - Joey was extremely passionate and into the project, very responsible, and easy to work with. - Joey's musical talents and ear are amazing. Besides being a great piano player, his ear for pitch, melody, and song structure is very finely tuned. - The resources near the studio are expansive; there is a large music store within walking distance, as well as great healthy places to eat. - The network of professional musicians to help out on projects is huge; Joey knows many of the top musicians in the Bay Area, and they all love coming in and working at Ice House. Needless to say, if you want to make a great recording, this is the place to go. And it's actually quite reasonably priced as well. What more could you ask for?

My band, The Sound Field, just finished up day 4 of a 6-day recording stint for our new LP…read more There is nothing about this studio that doesn't rock. The ownership is wonderful, our engineer is brilliant and intuitive, the climate and comfort levels are exactly what I need (I have multiple sclerosis and a room with climate control is vital if I'm doing eight-hour days), and the tech is as fantastic as the rates. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.