Stage

The Last Five Years

September 20, 2026

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s The Last Five Years turns a five-year relationship inside out, with Chris Cherin and Charlotte Boyce Munson tracing love, ambition and heartbreak in opposite directions. Reviewed by Christina Waters.

Private Lives and Public Capers

Christina Waters reviews Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s stylish production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives, a glittering collision of romance, wit and marital warfare.

Swing for the Fences

Derrick Lee Weeden delivers a thunderous, unforgettable performance as Troy Maxson in Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s production of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences.

Much Ado about Much Ado

Santa Cruz Shakespeare turns Much Ado About Nothing into a bright, fast-moving romantic comedy filled with sharp wordplay, music, dancing and inspired physical humor.

Daggers of the Mind

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s Macbeth delivers a chilling, psychologically rich production led by Dan Donohue's riveting descent into paranoia, ambition and bloodshed.

Sisterhood is Powerful

Cabrillo Stage’s Sister Act delivers powerhouse vocals, exuberant choreography and a high-energy ensemble led by Karriyma Pekary and Jennifer Taylor Daniels.

He Escaped Queens

Siran Babayan profiles Joe Ortiz and his musical Escaping Queens, a story of family, food, music and survival from Queens to California.

Pasternak as Van Gogh

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s Artistic Director Charles Pasternak brings Vincent van Gogh to life in a one-man play based on Leonard Nimoy’s script.

Boop Boop A Doop

A new Santa Cruz musical celebrates Betty Boop and Fleischer-era animation, bringing Sammy Timberg’s classic cartoon music to life on stage. At the International Academy of Dance, Friday and Saturday

High Art

Renegade Theater’s Reefer Madness: The Musical hits Santa Cruz with wild satire, big performances and sharp humor, running April 3 through April 20 at the Vets Hall.

Opera: the Final Frontier

UC Santa Cruz musicians and performers bring science fiction to the opera stage with The Trial of Spock, a new work inspired by Star Trek mythology and the classic episode “The Menagerie.”

Ties That Bind

Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s A Christmas Carol fills the Veterans Memorial Hall with carols, humor and heartfelt warmth, inviting audiences of all ages into Dickens’ enduring story of compassion and renewal.