Behind The Curtain

May 27th, 2010

San Jose and San Francisco – 50 miles apart. An hour on the Caltrain bullet, and if you’re lucky an hour by car. I prefer the 280 route – but sometimes nothing beats the steadiness of the 101. In between, it seems, is an endless array of towns, cities and suburbs dotted by glimpses of the water. San Jose and San Francisco, so close and yet worlds apart.  San Francisco is the hub of travel and tourism for Northern California while San Jose has become the center of technology, the capital of the Silicon Valley. We thrive on new technology and we adopt it as early as possible. In San Francisco and San Jose we root for the same teams and while our favorites may be somewhat divided between Oakland Teams and San Francisco Teams – we all LOVE the SAN JOSE SHARKS! But when it comes to the arts, it can be a puzzling divide. In both San Jose and San Francisco, you’ll find the offbeat and eclectic collection of theatre, music, dance and the visual arts. In both San Jose and San Francisco, you’ll find the more traditional assortment of theatre, music, dance and the visual arts. In San Jose we have the Tech Museum and in San Francisco they have the Exploratorium. In San Jose we have San Jose Repertory Theatre and in San Francisco they have A.C.T.  In San Francisco they have SHN for touring Broadway presentations and touring Broadway shows come to San Jose through Broadway San Jose a Nederlander Presentation. It seems to have begged the question – “Can you have touring Broadway in both San Jose and San Francisco?” Well, unequivocally the answer is YES! Are we really in competition with each other? Or are we simply bringing Broadway to very different audiences? The amazing response we received from San Jose, the capital of the Silicon Valley, in our very first season speaks loud and clear and the message “KEEP BRINGING US BROADWAY CLOSER TO HOME! WE LOVE IT!” has been heard. As is typical in San Jose, we’ve been adopted us early. Our 2010-11 season has been set, we’re expanding our season from 5 shows to 7 and we’re beginning to look at the tours for 2011-12 and beyond! The Audience builds and the excitement builds, but does that mean there is a rivalry? South vs. North? Or can we all just say “WE LOVE BROADWAY!”?

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About “Notes from the GM”

We here at Broadway San Jose have things to say, so we will take time to say them - to you. Notes From the GM, written by our General Manager, Ruth Pangilinan, will serve as a platform for news and information about Broadway San Jose from the very top!