Went to see Hands on a Hardbody and what a great show! We were not sure what to expect, but the actors were amazing. Their singing evoked many emotional responses. Great set design including an older Nissan truck on stage! The venue is nice. Seats are staggered so you don't have a totally blocked view if someone sits in front of you. Only downside, was we (myself and mom who uses a cane) had seats reserved on the Mezzanine and got there only to find out there were steep stairs and no elevator. Went and spoke to the friendliest usher (wish I had asked her name) and she quickly found us seats on the main floor. read more

Spreckels Performing Arts Center - Stairs to Mezzanine - Performing Arts Near Me - Rohnert Park, California

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This past weekend the dance studio I teach at had their June show at Spreckels Performing Arts Center! It was a great experience. Lots of parking, a beautiful stage and an overall smooth run of show. The backstage can get a bit crowded but that is normal with these kinds of performances! Such a special experience thank you to Speckles and their staff. read more

Spreckels Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Rohnert Park, California

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Fun little experience to kick off the holiday season. The venue is very quaint and cozy. My wife and I saw "It's a Wonderful Life" (IAWL) radio play. It was like watching a play of a play. The actors played radio actors who were performing the play on the radio for Christmas Eve. The set was simple but amazing, the actors all did various characters / voices of IAWL. So well done but for me it what was truly special was listening and watching the foley artist doing the sound effects real time at the rear of the set. Amazingly well done production. read more

Spreckels Performing Arts Center - It's a Wonderful Life - Performing Arts Near Me - Rohnert Park, California

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Haven't been to a live show in forever. Hands on a hardbody was a fun and entertaining show. A great time with good friends.

Great auditorium with a rather confusing women's bathroom, but beautiful royal purple curtain, and what seems to be a rather large backstage area with great surroundsound. This is the second time I've been to this particular performing arts stage to see my niece perform, and every seat is a good seat in the house!! as they perform, I forgot it was cash only on their concession stand but we went to eat after the show anyways. Lol great performance and studio C dance team did a wonderful showcase!!! read more

Spreckels Performing Arts Center - Soooo excited to see Studio C showcase! Hee - Performing Arts Near Me - Rohnert Park, California

The staff at this theatre continues to become more and more rude each year. I have been attending shows here for over 11 years for my daughters dance shows. The staff is rude and downright disrespectful to families who are simply trying to enjoy watching their loved ones dance. This is not a family friendly environment. I would love to speak to who actually runs this community center about their volunteer ushers who seem to be on a power trip. read more

Drip! Drip! Drip! From opening to final curtain. Sounds like a leaky toilet. That's Urinetown Pretty cool sound effects by Spreckles! Sure, I can use a few laughs. The story line was zany and without doubt funny. The title "Urinetown" could be a little more tastefully named although it was really spot on! It is amazing that the profoundly urban "Urinetown" has shown up in a small town theater like Spreckels in Rohnert Park. In the not too distant future, a relentless drought could result in a catastrophic water shortage and the outlawing of private toilets. Toilet humor! Get the picture? Public toilets were owned by Urine Good Company. Peeing became a privilege for the poor and anyone caught peeing with wanton disregard would be sent to a mythical Urinetown, never to return. LMAO! Anyone has seen anything as wacky as this? This is a hilarious musical, a satire on the shortcomings of the legal system, the bureaucracy, local city politics and of course public toilets! That set off a pee-for-free unrest, a right to defend a basic human right to empty your bowels. Got to get my urologist's take on this! Prepare to laugh until you drip, drip, drip..... Don't forget this is a musical with songs and choreography redolent of the Work Song in Les Miserables or even Tradition in Fiddlers on the Roof: Look down, look down Don't look 'em in the eye Look down, look down You're here until you die Although the musical score never reached blockbuster status, kudos nevertheless was due to the entire ensemble for their lusty and exuberant presentation and dance movements. I wish to single out Joshua Bailey as Bobby Strong and Ariana LaMark, the understudy for her role as Little Sally on Sunday for their robust and vibrant voices and performances. The boisterous voice of Peter Downey suited his role as Officer Barrel to a T, loud and authoritative. For my age, Spreckels Performing Arts is a gem. Being a theater lover, it has all the pluses that bigger theaters in San Francisco don't. Parking is free and a breeze and no traffic congestion to get in and out and just a mile from my home. With the senior discount, where else can you enjoy 3 hours of quality musical theater for less than $40? Watch out for the sequel "PoopTown" for residents in San Francisco! JK! read more

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I support and enjoy local theater. I am nostalgic for Broadway musicals. And now, after my first experience at this venue, I am officially in love with Spreckels! (Somehow, I've hovered in Santa Rosa's theater scene for all this time, not really knowing much about Spreckels! I'd heard about it but am just now learning what a GEM it is!) By luck, I saw the deal on Groupon for South Pacific and without hesitation, ordered my tickets for the final show. Plenty of parking. Welcoming lobby with lots of cushioned chairs and bar-height tables. Concession stand had a variety of offerings. There was an obvious lack of younger folk ...well....actually... I was the "younger folk" it seemed. haha. Side note: I enjoyed seeing all the Red Hat Society women who came out in droves! Their purple and red attire is a wonderful reminder of the power in female friendships! Anyhow! I was nervous because our seats were right side, 2nd to the BACK, but my view was great! The intimate theater's stadium seating was comfortable and not cramped at all. Note: There was a significant temperature discrepancy from my seat compared to my friend's down near the front. I was quite warm. She was quite cold. LOL The performance transported me back to my teen years and I had to make conscious effort not to sing along. Mind you, I could have! Every word. Every musical word. :) I look forward to the next performance! read more

Spreckels Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Rohnert Park, California

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Enjoyed a funny stage production of BBQ Apocalypse. Was surprisingly entertained by the small budget production. Dialog had lots of swear words and hot smooching, oh and a totally deserved murder. My kind'a show. Was performed in the little studio theater which seats about 40 people. The building is utilitarian, more than a little public works project in style and totally appropriate for its function. A tiny snack bar offers 4 varieties of Bear Republic beer and red / white wine besides cookies, candy bars and sodas. I'm an occasional live theater patron, maybe see 4 shows per year. Usually at the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa. This Rohnert Park venue is equal in quality. I'd gladly return to see another show. read more

We went on Friday night and quite enjoyed the show Big Fish which is the first we've seen at Spreckels. Since this was the last weekend for this production I will keep my review to the space only except to say that this particular cast was very talented and I would imagine that given the level of performance we saw you are likely to be pleased with subsequent shows as well. This production was on the main stage. Seating was very comfortable with ample leg room and sight lines were good. The sound quality was also good. I definitely appreciate that they use a live orchestra rather than a canned music track. Staging for Big Fish was very clever and relied heavily on projection. It worked for this show. It will be interesting to see if they use it as much in future shows. There is a nice refreshment bar in the lobby where you can get snacks and drinks before the show and during intermission (the brownie was yummy). No food or drinks are allowed in the theater except for the bottled water. We look forward to returning for future productions. They have a good line up this season. read more

This was my first time here. I like the parking lots. Lots of space and a comfortable walk to the Performing Arts Center building. We balked at paying the $20 convenience fee online to get our tickets. We just drove to the center and bought them at the box office. They charged us a $2 handling fee. I wish they would roll all of that into the ticket price. The lobby has a nice concession stand where you can buy bottles of Lagunitas IPA for $5 each. Lagunitas is one of the sponsors of the play we watched. I wish they would sponsor the beer too. There are comfortable chairs to sit in while one waits for the doors to open. The average age of all the people that night must have been about 70. There were plenty of seats. I wish they would give a "under 50" discount to entice the youth to see live drama. The stage area we saw our play held about 100 people and we were all quite close to the stage area. No problem seeing or hearing what went on. We saw "Baskerville" - a production of 5 actors and 40 different characters. It was a rough presentation of the famous Sherlock Holmes story - and slapstick in performance. It was a "fun" type presentation - kind of like a 2 hour skit poking fun at the iconic story by AC Doyle - and the actors attempting to portray the 40 characters in multiple locations. If you enjoy "silly" you will enjoy this production. The actress Kim something was our favorite. She has that gift of timing and grace that made what she did seem naturally funny rather than contrived. read more

Spreckels Performing Arts Center - Performing Arts Near Me - Rohnert Park, California

Saw the Youth in Arts performance of The Music Man. It was wonderful. The music and singing was great. I give great props to the Director and Music Director as the kids were in sync and great timing. Some of them really have a great future ahead of them. Highly recommend seeing. read more

Last night my wife and I visited the Spreckels Center to see the musical 1776. The show was entertaining, and except for a couple cast members who could not sing, it was reasonably well presented. My review, however, is not for the production, it is for the venue itself. Finding the center was easy, since it's located off the main east-west avenue going through Rohnert Park. There was plenty of free parking, and the walk from the farthest part of the lot to the front entrance was around 1 minute. Very manageable. The center is nicely designed and well maintained. Acoustics were good, and there is a great view of the stage from virtually any seat. That brings me to the seats. OMG! I have never had a more uncomfortable three hours during any performance! Not only were the rows too closely stacked behind each other, allowing no room for my long legs to stretch at all, but the seats offered NO firm foundation. I felt as if I were sitting on a cheap mattress where the springs had long since broken down. I squirmed and shifted positions constantly, but it was to no avail. I was MISERABLE! OK, i thought. I got a bad seat. "Not so," said my wife, who reported the same level of discomfort. Then during the intermission, I ran into a friend. We chatted briefly about the performance and then she offered, without prompting, "But those have to be the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat on!" I offer this review in the hopes that someone from the Spreckels Center will read it and bring it up for discussion at a board meeting. PLEASE replace those seats! They are so bad that I literally plan to never return to this venue. read more

Consistently fine productions in both the big theatre and the black box. Top loyal talent on stage and behind the scenes.

Beautiful venue! Recently took in a performnace at Spreckels, and was very impressed with the quality of the venue. Seats were comfortable and not too cramped, lighting was terrific-and more advanced than comprable venues in the NorthBay, and the stage was easily visible from all seats. Acoustics were terrific-allowing sound to be easily heard but not overwhelming or "bouncy." The only minus for a star is the parking lot. After a performance lets out-the design of the parking lot for exiting is a bit poorly planned-so make sure any post-performance plans accomodate for a bit of waiting to get out. Other than parking-I am very excited to see a show again at Spreckles soon! read more

I've lived in Sonoma County, CA and for years, I saw the big, lighted Spreckels sign on Hwy. 101. I have always wanted to attend a theater production here but never had a chance until last night. After visiting other venues in the area, I must say, Spreckels was worth the wait! Last night's performance of "Oliver!" was in a word, amazing. It is such a pleasure to see the caliber of talent in our small little corner of the world put on a production worthy of any competing "Big City" musical/play. I would describe the venue size as medium on a scale from small to large. From a fully carpeted lobby and theater to the comfortable seating in both areas, I was just enthralled with the top notch amenities. Spreckels features a full box office, a special area to pick up will call tickets, and a complete concession stand instead of scattered tables in the lobby like another venue I've recently visited. Full orchestra and special lighting/sound/video projection capabilities added another dimension I have not seen in any other local theater. Spreckels has definitely taken advantage of modern technology in every way. Surprising to me is the cost of the tickets. Considering the complexities of last night's production, I would have definitely paid more for my ticket, but was happily content to pay what I did. In other words, the tickets are reasonably priced! I highly recommend attending any performance at this venue. Easily located minutes from Hwy. 101, Spreckels has private parking where you don't need to hick a mile to get to the entrance. I'll definitely be back for future performances! read more

Spreckels Performing Arts Center continues to be a terrific venue to see first class musicals, dramas and comedies. Spreckels productions can compete with any in the SF Bay Area so save yourself a long pain in the butt drive to SF and get to a show here. Last night we saw their production of "1776" and it was excellent. In our era of political turmoil, it was funny (and ironic) to see how our founding fathers bickered and fought their way to independence. Performances by the cast were diverse and spot on. 1776 is different than most musicals, there are only 13 songs performed in 2+ hour show but the quips and humor keep the show moving at fast pace. Tickets for shows at Spreckels are very reasonable for the quality of the performances, just another reason to stay in Sonoma County :). If interested 1776 runs through February 26. read more

One of the advantages of seeing a show at this venue is that the size of the stage and theatre allows big production numbers to be done BIG. Other venues do their best to recreate the feeling of a big production number, but for it to be really done well you have to have the space to do it and a live orchestra to accompany it. Spreckels has that space, and they get that orchestra. So they have the space and the resources, but do they do it well? You bet your ass they do. Their most recent production, "Young Frankenstein" had at least four big numbers - "Join the Family Business", "The Transylvania Mania", "He's Loose", and the show-stopping "Puttin' on the Ritz" that must have created quite a challenge to choreographer Mikey Snider and Director Gene Abravaya. Did they meet the challenge? You bet your ass they did. With an ensemble working together to maximum effect, and with the musical support of a 15 piece orchestra under the direction of Richard and Sandy Riccardi, the stage burst with the energy of a company that went all out to bring you the type of entertainment you just don't get to see that much of around these parts. Plenty was and written about the fine work being done by the leads and supporting performers. My hat goes off to all the members of the ensemble who busted their asses to make these big, magical theatrical moments happen. Whatever the production, chances are Spreckels will do it right. Go see something. read more

Every time I've seen a show at Spreckels, it has been phenomenal. The amount of time and effort the cast and crew puts into their work is incredible. I can not recommend seeing a play at this arts center enough. I can't wait for the next one! read more

What a fabulous script. Great cast! Stand outs include Uncle Fester and Pugsley, but all deserve a shout out. Another thoroughly enjoyable production by the Spreckels Theater people read more

A beautiful theater with some amazing productions. What a treat to spend a couple hours here. Very lucky to have such a quality facilities in the community. read more

I saw 'Brigadoon' here in the large theater and it was a wonderful experience. There was full orchestra and we had perfect seats. It made for a very nice evening out. read more

Scrooge: The Musical, which is now playing, is excellent. Don't miss it. It makes for a great evening or afternoon performance with family and friends. Wonderful choreography and lots of talent all around. Cathie Bob sez check it out! read more

Such a great experience, everything is so well done. The theater is beautiful, clean & larger than I expected. We have seen 3 performances here, took my kids to the latest one - Mary Poppins! They LOVED it, a wonderful first experience to live theater. Everyone there is inviting & courteous. We plan to see many more performances as a family! Thank you Spreckels! read more

Saw the Book of Matthew last night.....oh my gosh! Stupendous performance. Acting was outstanding, each actor completely absorbed in the character and drew the audience to them with each line. Great job. Small theater was interesting also. Complete success. See it if you can. read more

Came here to see Big Fish. It was a cute and fun show! As usual, great actors!

My family recently went to see a Sunday matinee performed in the smaller Condiotti Theatre. This theatre is open seating, which is "first come first served" for seating. We got there early because a member of our party is disabled and walks with a cane and needs a handicap accessible seat. I knew from previous experience that only the front row and the 1st row of the balcony is handicap accessible, because there is no railing whatsoever going up and down the stairs to the 2nd and 3rd level of the balcony. When we entered the theatre, ALL the handicap accessible seat were reserved for a group from Oakmont, who were not handicapped. We had to sit on the 2nd level with much difficulty. A handicapped woman behind me on the 3rd level had to lean on my shoulder to get down the steps. I think it is quite dangerous to force handicapped people to climb stairs with no rail, due to their current policy of "reserving" the accessible seats behind-the-scenes for groups who do not need them, but want "front row" seats. read more