Chautauqua Playhouse

I have so enjoyed every show I've attended here. I've even gotten to be a part of 2 shows there! Such a great theatre that puts on high-quality productions for adults & children. They're doing an amazing production of a musical called Scrooge this year. I highly recommend making it a part of your holiday plans!

We did enjoy ourselves this past Saturday for the Agatha Christie play. Nice and clean kept theater that is cute. Loved the intimate seating. Also really enjoyed that they accepted cards for folks like me that hardly ever carry cash. Nice and helpful staff also. Did I forget to mention that all the actors were excellent?

There's not a bad seat in the house at this theatre. Very cozy little place. Everything screams "community production" about it - which is a good thing! We should all support local theatre. Located at the end of a long driveway, it takes a little finding at first. I believe it is physically a part of the La Sierra Community Center? I don't think they are affiliated though. Despite the downturn in the economy, I am sure that this place will stay. It still can pack 'em in!

My beau and I had the pleasure of seeing a superb performance by the entire cast of On Golden Pond Friday evening. It's rare to watch a play that every actor/actress is on point. These actors would have made the original cast proud! Do yourself a favor, support local smalltheater and check this out while the show is still running. I can't recommend this show enough!!

I had the pleasure of seeing The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie, a "whodunnit" play that has had continuous adaptations since 1952. I watched a version directed by Rodger Hoopman at the Chautauqua Playhouse. I entered the small theater with a strong sense of intimacy-- the stage and the first row are separated by two feet of space and there is probably less than eighty seats in the room. The small setting makes it so any seat an adequate seat and allows for optimal acoustics in the room. The play features one setting, a hall of a manor, over the course of two days following a detective's investigation of a potential murderer amongst the seven occupants of the manor. The story follows a simple two act structure with a twist ending. It plants seeds, clues, and an occasional "red herring" throughout the story and hints at a more complex backstory to keep the audience in suspense or at least entertained. Overall, it was well paced and gave all the actors something to do. The fact that they employ mostly local rising actors who obviously love what they're doing is great! When the play ends, the audience walks past the actors lined up in the hall giving anyone a chance to talk to or congratulate them, all which adds to the intimacy of the playhouse.

My friend and I attended Proof this afternoon at the Playhouse. Thoroughly enjoyed the actors that where in the play and hope to attend more meaningful plays this year.

Attended Heidi today. Two actors were great. At least three actors were absent, so they had subs who had difficulty reading the script. The show dragged as a result, which made for fidgety children in the audience. It surely would have been better to cancel the show because it was awful. This is the second time I attended a play where actors read from a script. We will not be returning.

what a mess. you can NOT buy tickets online. let's you get all the way to check out then a blank white screen. switched browsers and same thing. AND they only allow you to call and buy tickets via phone ONLY on Fridays and then ONLY 12-5pm. How does this place continue to make it financially????

Always a fun time. Small venue, with a great 'community theater' atmosphere. Every seat is right next to the stage, the ticket booth, snack bar and the rest of the facilities have a wonderful amateur-talent-giving-it-their-all feel, and best of all, the actors, direction, costumes, and stagecraft are all surprisingly good. You can feel the tight budgets these people are working with, and what they do with it is just lots of fun.Another reviewer said it smelled dank, I've been there several times and haven't noticed anything like that.I recommend this place highly. Inexpensive and fun!

A pillar of Sacramento area community theatre "for 34 seasons", Chautauqua is a popular and busy local stage. There are shows and groups frequently playing or rehearsing -- between the Company's Main-stage shows, Children's shows, and the School of Performing Arts (children's voice, dance, and acting classes over summer).The facility, in the La Sierra Community Center, has ample parking (beware the speed bumps). While it can get roasty in the summer, a few minutes in the lobby/hallway with some bottled water from concessions are all it takes to cool off for the next act.Ticket prices are reasonable, and with just 96 seats available, some shows may sell out towards the end of the run. Most seats are good, though I prefer the rear middle or rear right.As for the content of the season, I've seen some really great shows here, and I've seen shows that were less so, but there has always been at least one thing about a production that was worth the ticket price. The lobby/hallway wall has images and posters from past shows, and most of the great local Sacramento acting talent has called Chautauqua their stomping grounds for a show or two. If you find a show in their season you want to see (or have a friend who's in a show there), give it a shot.