The Bay Area is home to a wealth of arts and culture, with a thriving theater scene featuring Broadway-caliber tours and many local performers. Take advantage of some of the marvelous opportunities for theater-themed gifts in San Jose!
If you’re shopping for someone who is eager to see more of the theater world, you’re in luck. They can watch performances from London’s renowned National Theatre on the big screen, at The Hammer Theatre Center in Downtown San Jose. Live performances are filmed in London and screened at the Hammer and around the world, with productions ranging from classics like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to contemporary plays like Straight Line Crazy, and new offerings every season. The Hammer hosts live performances from San Jose State University as well as New Ballet and Starting Arts and En’Acte (both of which produce live plays and musicals.) Purchase a pair of tickets for you and the theater person in your life.
If you have or know a child who’s eager to get onstage but aren’t sure where to start, San Jose has several excellent companies offering just the thing: a day camp program with comprehensive theatrical training, culminating in a production for you to watch your little one shine! Children’s Musical Theater San Jose, Silicon Valley Shakespeare, San Jose Playhouse (at 3Below Theaters), and Teatro Visión all offer programs for young people with conservatory-style classes and workshops, performance and backstage opportunities. Book a program and help boost a child’s self-esteem, creativity, and collaborative skills.
It’s fun to subscribe for an entire season of Broadway tours or the opera, but did you know you can also subscribe to smaller local live theater companies? By subscribing, you’ll be empowering local artists and productions, most of which are nonprofit organizations, which enrich our San Jose community. Season subscriptions to theater companies large and small will often result in a lower per-ticket cost, and some have additional benefits like Members’ Nights, performance talkbacks and receptions, and more!
Broadway San Jose is where Broadway tours play in the Silicon Valley! Performances take place at the historic San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Consider gifting season tickets to Chicago, Mean Girls, Peter Pan, and Disney’s Frozen.
San Jose Stage Company (or The Stage, as it’s known locally) is a premier destination for professional theater in downtown San Jose. Performances take place in an intimate black box theater, with the farthest seat in the house no more than 15 feet away from the edge of the three-quarter-thrust stage. For the theater geek who loves high-quality, independent and contemplative plays, gift them a subscription to see People Where They Are, Hangmen and a surprise summer musical!
City Lights Theatre Company has been a San Jose institution since 1982 and continues to foster local talent in the form of actors, directors, designers, playwrights, and technicians. Each of their productions is partnered with a local nonprofit related to the content of the play, and patrons are encouraged to support local businesses in and out of the theater scene. Buy a season pass to gift your favorite theater person (they’ll enjoy productions like Nora: A Doll’s House, King Liz, Clyde’s and Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show), and know that you are not only supporting the arts, but the vibrant San Jose community.
Lyric Theatre was born as the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of San Jose and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022! The company is committed to preserving classical theatrical and operatic pieces through performance in Downtown San Jose. Give the gift of a night out to see Fiddler on the Roof, The Red Mill, or The Best of Cole Porter.
Children’s Musical Theater (CMT) brings 11 productions a year to the historic Montgomery Theater in Downtown San Jose and is the oldest performing arts institution in the city. Local youth participate as performers and technicians, learning the craft from professionals and mounting full-scale productions. Choose from several subscription packages and an expansive lineup including musical favorites like Mean Girls, School of Rock, Pippin, Rent, and more.
Opera San Jose host four mainstage productions each season from the historic California Theatre in Downtown San Jose. A professional regional opera company, Opera San Jose is home to a resident artistic company featuring local singers, musicians, and creative staff. For an inspiring gift of music, take advantage of their Create Your Own Subscription package and include discounted seats based on tier level, performance dates, and more! Treat your fledgling theater lover to an evening of Verdi’s Rigoletto, or witness the Bay Area premier of Daniel Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas.
Symphony San Jose is a treat for theater lovers devoted to music. Performing at the California Theatre as well as the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, our Symphony features excellent musicians performing both classical and contemporary music to the delight of audiences for over 20 years. Choose from three flexible subscription packages and give the gift of beautiful music performances to a devotee, or even a curious newcomer.
Whatever your age, there’s no denying the magic of live theater – especially in a vibrant and powerful arts culture like the one here in San Jose. The gift of a theater experience not only delights the recipient, but supports artists in and around the community, continuing San Jose’s legacy of imagination and creation!
