PCPA Returns to Santa Maria and Solvang for a Jam-Packed 61st Season

The Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) 61st season will showcase a variety of performances ranging from traditional musicals to renditions of Disney classics to Shakespeare and more. Starting in November, PCPA will be entertaining audiences in theaters in Santa Maria and Solvang. This season is merely a continuation of PCPA’s long-established tradition of featuring their talented trainees, putting the next generation of theater professionals on display. With former members like Robin Williams, Kathy Bates, Zac Efron, and more, this year’s company is sure to carry on the PCPA legacy and stun spectators with their craft.

The 61st season opens with Beauty and the Beast at the Marian Theatre November 7 to December 22.​​ Celebrating love and magic, this retelling of the familiar Disney classic includes iconic characters and well-known songs like “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.” This timeless story is sure to enchant audiences!

Marian Theatre will then be hosting one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, from February 13 to March 2, 2025. The play follows the burgeoning romance between Claudio and Hero and the witty banter between Beatrice and Benedict. Combining lively characters, silly antics, and humorous repartee, this production is a fan favorite for good reason!

Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City takes the stage at Severson Theatre from February 27 to March 16, 2025. Set in Newark, New Jersey in 2001, Sanctuary City centers around two main characters, Marta and Sebastian, and offers a nuanced and compassionate exploration of the reality faced by undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

From April 24 to May 11, 2025 at the Marian Theatre and then from June 19 to July 6, 2025 at the Solvang Festival Theater, the stages will transform into Joe’s Pie Diner, the set of Waitress. With music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles, this heartfelt story features protagonist Jenna, a waitress who feels stuck in her small town and unhappy marriage. Accompanied by her two best friends, Becky and Dawn, Jenna clings to her dreams for a better life, ultimately kickstarting an exciting journey of self-discovery and empowerment.

Experience Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Holmes and Watson at Marian Theatre from June 26 to 29, 2025 and at Solvang Festival Theater from July 11- 26, 2025. This eerie tale chronicles the journey of Dr. Watson, best friend of Sherlock Holmes, to a remote island where, years after Holmes’s alleged death, three men claiming to be Sherlock Holmes are being housed in an asylum. Full of twists and turns, this clever mystery will captivate audiences until the curtain closes!

From July 17 to 26, 2025 at Marian Theatre and August 1 to 23, 2025 at Solvang Festival Theater, the musical comedy Something Rotten sends viewers back to 16th century London. Something Rotten spotlights struggling playwrights Nick and Nigel Bottom as they attempt to create the world’s first musical and dethrone the enormously popular William Shakespeare. Marked by a fun blend of witty Renaissance references and contemporary Broadway flair, Something Rotten will undoubtedly have spectators roaring with laughter.

Songs for Nobodies comes to life from August 14 to 23, 2025 at Marian Theatre and August 28 to September 7, 2025 at Solvang Festival Theater. Accompanied by a legendary score, the plot revolves around intersecting encounters between “nobodies” and famous female singers from the mid-twentieth century, namely Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday, and Maria Callas. This transfixing musical explores the universal human experience of finding connection, inspiration, and love through music.

With Shoe, accomplished playwright Marisela Treviño Orta spins a saga that weaves together magic realism and historical drama. Protagonist Marta is desperate to escape the confines of her family home in Texas yet, at the same time, is rooted there by the needs of her family. Witness this moving story at Severson Theatre on September 19 and 22, 2025. 

The Taming hilariously reimagines Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Set against the ultramodern backdrop of a Miss America pageant, three women with opposing political ideologies must work together to rewrite the Constitution. Despite the jokes and playful mood, The Taming offers evocative and timely commentary about contemporary politics. Don’t miss this must-see comedy on September 20 and 21, 2025 at Severson Theatre!

Playwright José Cruz González pays an homage to his Mexican American heritage and love for baseball in Under a Baseball Sky. When Teo begins cleaning his elderly neighbor’s vacant lot, the two form a connection grounded in shared history and baseball. Be sure to catch Under a Baseball Sky at Severson Theatre on September 21 and 22, 2025!

Ostracized by her family and friends for her love of ballet, Valentina finds comfort in her new (imaginary) best friend Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina astronaut, in Blast Off by Maya Malan-Gonzalez. Alongside Ellen, Valentina learns and grows, gradually finding her courage and discovering how the sciences and the arts can work together to create something magical. Blast Off will be touring at schools across the Central Coast and having two performances at Severson Theater on November 2 at 1:30 and 7 p.m.

You won’t want to miss El Ermitaño (The Hermit) on December 14 at Severson Theatre. This Mexican traditional Christmas play by Miguel Sabido will be performed in Spanish and has limited availability. El Ermitaño follows the format of a “pastorela,” a twist on the typical Nativity story, integrating angels, devils, and, ultimately, a dramatic clash against good and evil.

Season subscriptions are now available and individual tickets for Season 61 will go on sale in September. To purchase show tickets, please visit pcpa.org or call the box office at (805) 922-8313.