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.

What a treat! The Marin Symphony is a highly underrated group. And my new favorite musical…read moreorchestra. Though I am from San Francisco and have seen the SF Symphony at Davies several times, I much more prefer the Marin Symphony performances at the Marin Veterans Memorial Center. I've seen two performances this year--Waterfront Pops: The Music of John Williams, and most recently Holiday Pops. Waterfront Pops was performed outdoors near the Lagoon of the Marin Center. There is ample parking, and very easy to get to just off the freeway. The line up was amazing, and had all of my favorite John Williams songs. The choice of songs was arranged perfectly, starting and ending with Olympic themes. Indiana Jones, Schindler's List, The Patriot, Hook, Jaws, ET, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Superman...All of the classics were played. The songs transported you back to the movie all over again. The Holiday Pops performance was equally beautiful. I love the intimate venue of the Marin Center, as every seat is a good one. Tickets for performances are extremely reasonable--$50.00 for an orchestra seat. Song choice was just perfect, mixing in traditional songs with more contemporary arrangements. The Nutcracker selection was a treat, and at times, sounded better than when I saw the actual performance of the Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House (I do not like the sound system there). The finale of Sleigh Bells topped off a truly magical evening. Conductor Alasdair Neal is a lot of fun, personable, and tells great stories. He's a lot of fun to watch conducting as he gets really animated and always looks like hes having so much fun on stage. At one point, during the Trepak performance from the Nutcracker, it looks like he was having a seizure of some sort from from his enthusiasm. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy seeing the Marin Symphony on the two occasions that I've attended their shows, and look forward to seeing Disney Classics next year. A must.

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.

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.

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've seen many shows and find them to be top notch. I keep coming back for more each season.read more

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!

-----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.

I've sent my daughter here for the Holiday Spectacular one year and she loved it. However, I signed…read moreher up again and she didn't want to go again a year later and was scared to go. I'm not sure why but she said it was scary and wouldn't enter the studio. The holiday spectacular, while adorable-but can be very intense for smaller children. The (little) girls are all expected to wear makeup; such as mascara, rouge and lipstick, which some people may not want their kids to wear under a certain age. The performances are cute, but about 50 kids on stage. Pros: Nice facilities, clean, on trend dance classes (I.e Taylor Swift or Wicked/what's on broadway). Sweet teachers. Cons: Lots of marketing pressure to sign up for classes or your kid won't get into their dance class. Pressure to sign up when is opens or not in. $40 fee just to change a class even if you made a mistake. Their refund policy is not family friendly. I really tried to get my daughter (6) to go into dance class, but she was having anxiety about going. She was scared about going to a new class with new people and just wouldn't go in. This particular performance has about 50 little 6 year olds tap dancing or doing hip hop on stage and a wait list. So, it was a very popular class. However they don't offer refunds. The cost for a semester (Jan-May) is about $700 for a weekly lesson + performance. I think it's just something you should be aware of when signing up to send your kid here is that you may not get any funds back if they can't go for any reason. (Anxiety, injury, work/childcare issues etc.) So, perhaps think about this before you sign up. Recommendation: don't pressure parents so much on sign up day to get into the classes and then don't offer refunds. Offer more "try before you buy" options or options for little girls who might be more hesitant to try new things.

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.

I just saw Kinky Boots...a tour de force performance by the leads and cast. Lola was spectacular…read more It is a poignant story that brought me to tears. Great songs and music. There's one week left. Don't miss it!

We all look forward to this time of year when we gather up on Mt. Tam for a pleasant afternoon of…read moremagical sounds and a day with family, friends, locals, and tourists. It's quite a trek to make it up to the theater. Some people hike up and down, 7 miles one-way. Even with the bus shuttles, it's an all day excursion. Highly recommended, it's family-friendly, and the kids have a wonderful time. Food and drinks are allowed, bring your picnic baskets, lots of sunscreen, a blanket, a sweater, portable seat (or rent one), and a hat. I've been here for Hairspray, The Sound of Music (100th anniversary), and this year it's Beauty and the Beast. My son has worked up here as a Cub Scout selling ice cream, good times! Over the years, the price has gone up like everything else in the Bay Area. Parking is now $20 ($15 online + $4 service fee), or you can choose to hike. There will be a music concert on Saturday, June 10, 2017, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first outdoor rock festival. Mountain Play will host a one-day outdoor music festival featuring Jefferson Starship and a concert version of HAIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBQVrCflZ_E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1b8AhIsSYQ It will be EPIC!