Awesome theater and it was great to see a show on opening night with a packed crowd. This small…read moreplace was a great date and I left feeling like I needed to study the English language. Very intimate and fun experience, clearly a labor of love. This is the best way to experience Shakespeare, live and performed!

I've had the honor of being an audience member at this theatre (amazing productions of The Comedy…read moreof Errors and A Midsummer Night's Dream), performing in altheir New Works Festival (which gives upcoming playwrights an opportunity to see their plays produced) and as a guest director of their 2025 production of Richard III. The Long Beach Shakespeare Company is a wonderful gem of a theatre that truly serves the community and gives the classics (and new works) a place to shine!

"Lend Me A Tenor" was a fabulous show, it was so hysterical, with great acting and perfect timing…read morefrom the actors. The operatic singing scenes was pretty amazing!! Denis, their Theater Manager took wonderful care of my group, with the best seats, and we all enjoyed the show. I am going back Thursday night to see it again, that's how funny it was! Holly Jeanne, who plays Julia was just exceptional, she's probably been on TV, between how funny and animated she was and we especially loved her gorgeous glitzy gown. We looked forward to every scene she was in coming onto the stage. Caryn D, Artistic Direct/Producer really out did herself with this show, it will be a hard show to top! I've already purchased a group of seats for, "Tick, Tick....Boom!" That show also looks wonderful! This theater is so upscale and decorated like a real Broadway style theater.

ICT review Share the love! Hold open auditions! Lend out one…read moreof your theatres for artists to workshop, have year round after school theatre camps, anything! The space is beautiful and empty 90% of the time. That is just not great leadership. I share your frustration that thousands of community artists in Long Beach have nowhere to practice their craft, while the AD and her condescending side kick act like ICT is Broadway. The plays are decent. The actors vary. The direction of every play feels all the same somehow; though they claim to have guest directors. I did some digging. The theatre was a gift from her friend at the time; the mayor. They used to be in a much smaller space. I respect that they are theatre people who worked their way up. I don't respect how little they pay their employees with absolutely no benefits or even the perk of being able to use one of their stages. There was also nothing in place to keep employees during Covid, so after years of working for them, all artists and teaching artists were just cut off with no notice and no plan to sustain them. Artistically, it would be so great if they stopped using Michael Donovan to cast every damn show. The accents he coaxes from actors are just painful. And yes, get some new blood in the mix, both acting & directing! Oh and by the way caryn, if you love artists so much; let them use the space!!!!

I may not have gone if I knew it was "children's theater" but every element was outstanding,…read morestaging, choreography, lighting, sets, music. I could not always understand the dialogue, but I am a huge fan after seeing their last performance of Urinetown.

The staff is wonderful! My son really enjoys going to his rehearsals and spending time with new…read morefriends. Highly recommend going to their plays and volunteering your time if possible.

This Hyperion Theater review is a bit late. I had to come here to see Rogers the Musical when they…read morehad their limited run here at Disney California Adventure, but I also remember coming here to see Aladdin, and some of the other musical productions that they had here previously. I forgot what a great spot this is and right now it's not being utilized. I hope the future they do have more and more productions. Rogers the musical was amazing and I am so glad that we're able to see it towards the end of their run. The cast members did a great job organizing and directing where everybody should go. It was so blazing hot out that day that I was very thankful for the shade that the trees provided out there. While lining up, they had us choose what section of the auditorium we wanted to be in and we would wait in that designated area, but once we were there they would announce once the section was allowed to go inside, it was a free for all at that point and there is no line. I hope and I can't wait to see what they have in here next.

Enjoying Rogers the Musical and upgraded for the VIP package($29 + tax) which includes kettle corn…read morein collectible bucket, drink, lanyard, waiting area, photo op and early seating. Definitely worth the price. The show tells the story of Captain America in about 35 minutes with singing and dancing. We sat 7th row center and could see everything. There were some song lyrics that were difficult to understand. Amazing talent and sets. The show is only running for 8 weeks, so see it soon!

Great fun to picnic in a lovely Torrance park at dusk and watch Shakespeare being performed. The…read moremost recent play this summer was 'Much Ado About Nothing'. (I've been attending for a few years) - of course if one is unlucky enough to only find a patch of grass far away from the stage, the sounds from the stage can be faint. Arrive very early to sit close enough to hear the actors. Bringing a picnic basket with a light dinner is something I'd recommend. These thespians are not classically trained so the acting isn't high caliber. But the entire experience is free (donations accepted), and a great way to spend an evening, in a lovely, relaxed, unusual setting with the family or friends.

*** Yet another awesome free summer event. ***…read more The opportunities to enjoy summer are endless. Last nite i brought a date here to chill out and watch Shakespeare's "Love's Labour's Lost". It's a casual, relaxed, very enjoyable affair ... there's another Shakespearean play tonite! First get your checklist of items for the event: 1. a picnic basket and/or ice cooler 2. a blanket and/or low-rise lawn chairs 3. wine, cheese, fruit, sushi, smoked salmon (y'know: easily manageable finger foods) 4. sweater and/or blanket for warmth 5. an easy going 'tude (this ain't Broadway) If u ask, i couldn't tell u anything about the play. All i recall is that the cast is extremely silly, lol. The date: we talked, we laughed, she dug it, I dug it, took a walk around the park during the intermission ... hey, it was all good. ;) *** A very pleasant way to just simply chill. ***

My family used to work here and I used to go to these performances all the time when I was a kid,…read moreback when they used to sell boxed brownies and fruit punch at intermission (so good!). Now that I have a family member that attends here, it's nice coming back to a familiar place. Cypress College is one of those gems in Orange County for theatrical performances- they have a great set/prop team and they have a vast range of performances from the classics to the esoteric. Parking is free for performances, and during intermission they offer water and snacks for $1. Also, it's surprisingly chilly in the theater, so bring a sweater if you're the type to get cold. I recently saw the musical Carrie, and props to the set crew! I loved how they projected images of screaming girls into the trees, and how Carrie projected her telekinetic powers throughout the show. I was wondering how they were going to take a disturbing Stephen King horror novel and transform it into a piece for musical theater. I realized I was watching a tale of someone constantly bullied, pushed to the brink of telekinetic disaster. Rather than horror, what I felt was disturbing heartbreak (attested by the sniffles in the crowd) of someone struggling to fit in, and losing that battle. While the subject matter is certainly not my favorite for a musical, it doesn't take much to see the parallels Carrie and the horrific school shooting incidents in current times, and I felt this musical was a great thinking piece for today's culture. Bolstered by the strong performances of the lead singers, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed the show!

The Cypress College Fine Arts Theater has alot of potential. For having recently watched the…read moreOff-Broadway rock musical Little Shop of Horrors. (Remember the movie about the people-eating plant back in the 80's starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin?) I wasn't expecting much but I completely enjoyed myself. The cast played their roles just right, always in character and always on point. Despite the small amount of stage room, the production team did a good job on props and portraying the different scenes. The theater itself isn't as grand as the Pantages. But, it's college theater, it offers you just enough. Their seating are stadium style seats and may squeak from time to time upon adjusting your derriere but serves it's purpose well. They offer refreshments during intermission. Gummy bears, candy bars, chips, soda and water. Unhealthy and inexpensive. Their restrooms need a little updating. i.e. more stalls. Women's restrooms never have enough stalls and the line can get pretty long. All in all, this place is what it is. It's local, it's decent, it's great for the smaller productions such as this one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ 3/5 Ambiance - The mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere. 2/5 Service -Helpful, accommodating, efficient, delivery and speed? 3/5 Food / Merchandise - Quality, taste, presentation. 4/5 Price - Reasonable, inexpensive, high priced? (Based on Irma's review rating rubric - http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/evXt-5kyL-guqoCwxaAxtQ/l)

Improv at Held2gether is an absolute blast! Two years ago, I signed up for classes to challenge…read moremyself--specifically to practice listening and responding completely in the moment. What I actually found was an incredibly uplifting, supportive, and hilarious community. I keep coming back again and again for both classes and performances. Owner (and my favorite instructor) Darren Held has built a dynamic space for people who love to laugh and aren't afraid to push outside their comfort zone. If you've been on the fence, jump in! Come to a show or sign up for a class - you will love it

Held2Gether is an outstanding school that provides a wide variety of improv comedy classes,…read moredrop-in, and performance opportunities that has formed the nucleus of the Long Beach improv community reaching into LA and deep Orange counties. It offers a free intro class monthly which is how I started and then tiered courses to learn improv. In addition it has student jams, 1 day specialty topic drop-ins, short courses, and lots of course/performance opportunities. I've been at the school for 2.5 years and progressed through all three levels; learned short form, different long form narratives, short form song, farce, and improvised narratives as well as improvised musicals. The jams, graduation shows and performances are rocking with an enthusiastic and usual sold out room. They also give corporate workshops to help people communicate and think on their feet

The Orange County area is chock full of these small community theaters putting on tremendous shows…read morewith great ensembles and The Gallery Theater is right near the top of my list. Although, I have only been to this theater once to this point the place really left its mark with it's charm. Many of the shows I have attended outside of a couple have mostly been comedies, so when I received an email from GoldStar for a darker, edge of your seat thriller of a show I knew this would be a great change and was just what I was looking for. That show was "Wait Until Dark" and to see this masterpiece of a show in this quaint little 50 seat theater was a great experience. Everything from the stage backdrops, the cast, the music, the tension were all absolutely on point. Having been a viewer who has never seen the film version I had no idea what to expect and was thoroughly thrilled with the presentation as a whole. I can honestly say that the place is a bit hard to find as their isn't much in the way of signage to direct you here (I drove past it the first time) but it truly is a great theater to seek out for a show. It may not look like much from the outside but it is warm and inviting once you enter the doors and the staff is friendly and makes picking up your tickets a breeze. My hat goes off to this place for having the courage to bring a play as dark and dramatic as this to this small of a stage as many of the theaters around tend to lean more toward the comedies or dramas and less toward the suspense genre of shows which is a shame. These more dramatic and dark shows are really something that is needed to help diversify the shows in the area at any given time. Although small in stature this place is big in heart and it shows in their body of work. I have missed at least one show I was interested in since my first foray but am definitely keeping my eyes peeled at the schedule for whats to come. I hope to be back sometime real soon.

Scrolling through Goldstar in search of a performance, I came across a listing for "The Double…read moreBarrel Detective Story." A play based off of a short from Mark Twain, his first attempt at writing a detective story which includes the famous character Sherlock Holmes. I love a good mystery! Anyways the point is not about the play, but about the Gallery Theater. If it wasn't for the interesting play I would have never found out about this really cute, but really secluded place! I was actually shocked when the directions said to turn into a business area, that this place would be right next door behind some businesses. I would have missed it, if they didn't place out a tiny board pointing towards the theater. The big thing I liked about the theater was its intimate and small size. I think their website described it to be a 50 seater theater, but I actually think it was a bit less than that, which meant I can see the whole stage and be up close too! For our particular play, people were literally sitting on the stage hehe It seems like a place where professional actors can come and share their skills with the public and a place where students can develop their acting abilities. So for all you theater-goer, play-loving, performance fiends out there, give this place a try and you'll fall for its quaint stage.