PCPA cast, crew and audience members celebrate return of live indoor performances

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- At long last, the curtain has finally risen for PCPA inside its longtime home, the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria.

"It puts us right back in the center of what we do, which is tell stories so people can gather," said Mark Booher, PCPA Artistic Director.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 53-year-old building that is located on the Allan Hancock College campus, was closed to the public for nearly two years.

"Everything that we do is built toward making a moment happen in front of a live audience and we just couldn't do that," said Booher. "That was fundamentally impossible."

Now, the theatre is open to audiences once again. Last month, PCPA returned to Marian Theatre for the first time since March 2020 when it started a seven-week run of The Secret Garden: Spring Version.

"For us as a theatre company, it means everything," said Booher. "It's actually kind of hard to describe what happens when we get to be in front of a living audience gathered together."

For many in the community, they are overjoyed for the long-awaited opportunity to return back inside the theatre.

"I'm very excited to be back," said Jana Wilcox of Morro Bay. "I think that fine arts and the theater are just the soul of people. It just speaks to me and it is sorely needed in times like this"

Just as excited as audiences, perhaps maybe even more so, are the actors themselves.

"There's nothing like being in front of a live audience," said Kitty Balay, PCPA Resident Artist/Director of Engagement. "During COVID, we pivoted and we created a lot of virtual programming, and that was really exciting to reach out to people in new ways, but to be back together and hearing the audience responding to the show is so thrilling and that's what live theater is all about, is experiencing something together at the same time."

Being together is a theme that Booher believes is needed now more than ever before.

"We as people are made to gather together," said Booher. "It's just important to us as human beings to share a sense of community in real time. The way we do it is to make a story to gather around, but people really need to be together and this period of isolation has really deepened that realization for all of us."

Live performances actually returned for PCPA earlier this year in the Solvang Festival Theater with a pair of productions that ran from July through September.

While the outdoor theater is a beloved venue that annually houses PCPA's summer season, the conservatory's longtime home is the Marian Theatre, which cast and crew members are thrilled is available to host live performances.

"When I'm in that theater, I always feel like it's sort of like it's my house," said Balay. "I feel like people are coming into our house, to experience something that's really special. It definitely feels like coming home and it's very moving having live audiences."

"There's a huge level of devotion that the artists and the company put into here," said Booher. "Many of us spend more time here than at our homes, so the Marian Theatre really does feel like home for us. Our fondest wish is that the community feels at home here."

Guests at the theatre will notice very few changes, outside of a handful of COVID-19 related safety protocols that are in place.

"There are a couple more things that (audience members) have to do in order to keep everybody safe in gathering," said Booher. "Mask wearing is required and we're requiring proof of vaccination or a clear COVID test within three days."

Both Booher and Balay emphasize having the COVID-19 protocols in place are crucial to making sure PCPA is able to offer indoor performances now and in the future.

"It's about keeping the community safe so we can come together as a community and experience something, this storytelling, this joyful experience all together that you just can't experience alone," said Balay.

The Secret Garden: Spring Version opened PCPA's 58th season on Nov. 11. It's final performance is tonight on Dec. 23.

Several other productions, including play readings, musicals, comedies and dramas are on the schedule for the rest of the 2021-22 season.

The next performance inside Marian Theatre is Shakespeare's As You Like It, which will run Feb. 17-March 6.

The 2021-21 season runs through Sept. 17, 2022.

Tickets are on sale now.

Ticket prices are $23.75 - $62.

Visit www.pcpa.org or call the box office (805) 922-8313.

Box office hours are Wednesday through Sunday 12:30 p.m – 7 p.m.