Julia Morgan Theater

Run and see about Hairspray They have assembled the most talented cast They are a joy to watch. Superlatives do not cover their performances. Powerful, fun, joyous I wantedcto stand and applaud after every song! Bravo!!!

My wife and I just saw «You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown», presented by the Berkeley Playhouse Mainstage at the historic Julia Morgan Theater in Berkeley. As a Cal student in the 1970’s I had often walked by this building, which was then St. John’s Presbyterian Church, but had never gone inside. What a treat to see the inside of this historic building now serving the community as a comfortable, intimate community theater. Upon arriving for the performance, we were welcomed at the door by very hospitable ushers, box office and refreshment stand staff. Since we bought our discounted tickets through
, we each received a complimentary food item (the cookies donated by Adeline Bakery were sumptuous), and a free gift from their theatrical closet of past show memorabilia. This is a family-​friendly theater where children are welcomed and families are allowed to eat in the theater during the show.
We were totally surprised and delighted by the professional and thoroughly entertaining acting and singing performances of the cast in this joyful musical. It was just as good as anything we’ve seen at ACT, and perhaps even better because the inclined seating area in the 300-​seat capacity theater gave everyone a great view of the performers on the raised stage. The live music was also delightful and the amplified sound system and speakers was perfect.
We had such a great time that we’ll certainly consider signing up for season tickets to see their remaining 2015 season performances of Hairspray and Fiddler on the Roof. These season tickets will bring the cost per person to an amazing value of about $ 20 per person, which is even less than the
tickets. Anyone who enjoyed reading Peanuts comic strips or watching the many Peanuts TV cartoon specials will have a great time seeing «You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and bringing their children and grandchildren along to experience the joy. The show runs through March 15, 2015, so get your tickets soon!

Came here yesterday for «Willy Wonka». The musical was done really well, with a large cast. I was very impressed w/​the staging & beautiful props and also how great the kids all performed. I loved it so much! We arrived 10 min prior and found street parking rather easily within a block from the theatre. I’d love to continue supporting them.

Awesome venue for casual theater. I suggest going anytime but daytime during the Summer. They seem to lack AC, which made a recent experience very, very drowsy. Also plan extra time to get there, the surrounding streets are quaint but single lane and full of pedestrians during peak times.

The Honest Truth: This place isn’t bad! It’s not «professional» per say, but it gives off a really fun, homey vibe and its fun to be there. The staff is pretty good, nice, and easy to work with. The dance group I’m in holds a two day showcase in the spring and its always fun to perform there!
The Details:
Most of the time when I think of going to see a musical I think of huge performing arts centers with balconies and chandeliers. I think of Broadway and famous musicals. This is not Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Instead, it’s a cozy wooden theater thats pretty small and intimate. Now thats not necessarily a bad thing, just don’t expect a huge fancy theater. Also, all of my experience with Julia Morgan is performing with my dance group! We hold a showcase every year in Julia Morgan and its always pleasant to perform there. However, the stage is not flattering to the dancers and its hard to see the formations and blocking from the audience. The nice thing is that all the performers are able to watch the show even if the seats are sold out. Sometimes the music isn’t loud enough for us and there have been miscues with the lighting, but overall, its nice to perform there. Its a great place for local small performances, but don’t expect anything fancy! Parking is also hard to find.

I’m in love! Just saw Seussical over the weekend and had the best time. This is a very nice playhouse in Berkeley! If I lived in Berkeley I would be a regular! I agree with the other reviews about the view! There really isn’t a bad seat in the house! The performance was fabulous! Brought back lots of memories! I was very impressed by the actors!

I recently came here to watch the very entertaining Seussical The Musical. As we were walking up and down the streets of Berkeley looking for this place, I quickly recognized that we were in the middle of a neighborhood and not some busy downtown street. The building itself looks like an old home converted into a theater. The place was very cool, the stage and seating area gave it a very intimate feel. One thing I noticed is that no matter where you sit in here, you have a great view of the stage. The place is small so during intermission the lines to restrooms and concessions can be a little congested. All in all I will definitely check out future shows here as they are typically more affordable than bigger productions elsewhere. Check them out!

The Julia Morgan Center performances further screw up the already tough parking situation in the surrounding blocks.

Came here last weekend for their play on Charlie Brown. Gotta love this place. From ballet to plays, this place truly promotes Arts. Parking was a bit difficult but the play was worth it. Watching how these kids can sing in the musical was amazing!

I just attended an event here (Armistead Maupin in conversation with Jon Carroll) Good ramp in to the front door, though it could use a little more lighting. The accessible seats are on the right side (and maybe left as well.) It might be a little difficult if you have a wider chair, but it works fine. The coolest part is there is an accessible stage. I realized I had seen Neil Marcus, a performer in a wheelchair, there years ago. This time there was a small reception on stage after the main event, and I had performance fantasies, when I rolled on it, lol. (I’m such a ham.:) All in all a good place for events. It wouldn’t hurt though if they put the accessibility info on their website. I can’t speak to anyone who might work there as this was a benefit for Park Day school in Oakland and people from there helped me out. (and they couldn’t have been nicer!)

I’ve been here for my business club’s Annual Charity Fashion Show and for my friends’ dance performances. The theatre is medium big and it is equipped with good lights and sounds technology. Working with the guys in lights & tech has always been a good experience!

A beautiful, historic, wonderful venue to see a show. So gorgeous — all that wood (love Julia Morgan stuff) — and great acoustics. Music, dance, small troupes, local artists — and rare international acts. All here.
How I miss my Biz-​erkeley Daze!

Just finished designing a show here. Five starts for it’s cozy atmosphere, awesome crew and great community programming. Not too heavy on the technical side, but acoustically and lighting wise a really great venue to see /​work a show.

I saw Urinetown there last weekend and I just saw Footloose yesterday and both were AMAZING! The theater is always in great shape, and the snacks sold at the concession stand are reasonably priced. The house was sold out for both Urinetown and Footloose and as usual, I had a great time.
Still 5 stars.

Haven’t been to the Julia Morgan Theater in about 10 years (make that almost 10 and a half years, to be exact), since the last time I was there was for a schoolwide Chanukah performance event that I performed in. It is a BEAUTIFUL venue and if I ever happen to be back in Berkeley I would love to see a show here.

I’ve only been and performed in dance shows and performances here. Performed a couple of times every semester for 3 years when I was a CAL student.
It definitely isn’t an ideal venue to have hip hop/​jazz/​swing groups dancing. Our groups were too big for the stage so we had to squooosh, and it didn’t make the performances look as good as they should look like how we would be in Zellerbach playhouse. We had few technical difficulties with the music with the equipment because whenever someone or a move would stomp on the stage, the music would skip. If someone in the practice room downstairs stomped, the music would skip upstairs. So it is a very sensitive place, we had to beware of our steps. There is a cute makeup/​hair dressing room lit place though in the back.
I do agree though with other Unilocalers. it is a very intimate place to have performances which can be nice! The place is very old though, maybe some renovations would definitely make the place better!

It’s an intimate setting, perfect for smaller productions that don’t require large set pieces or huge casts.
It sort of reminds me of the theater at my university, it’s in an older building that’s well maintained but does show it’s age a bit, the acoustics are decent, the seats are adequate (if a little creaky, which, in a space that size can be kind of embarrassing). The bathrooms feel a lot like old public school bathrooms (with out the gross smells, thankfully), but they are clean and well stocked. The staff was friendly and helpful, it always makes an experience that much nicer when the staff remembers how to smile!
Outside the theater they have a nice little seating area with benches where you can hang out while you are waiting for your show to begin.

Went here to see our niece perform in «The Nutcracker». The venue is quaint, cute and intimate. Hard to believe — living in the East Bay all my life — that I haven’t been here before.
The performance of «The Nutcracker» (especially the performance of our niece) was great and the sound was pretty good. While I like to think I’m edumacated and am privy to culture, that’s not so much the case. I’m sure I could benefit from going to the theater much more often. The Julia Morgan Theater makes me want to go see more plays — I’ve bookmarked the theaters website and I’ll be checking out the possibility of seeing some shows.
Watch out — if you see me at a Unilocal event, I may be spittin’ some raw rap about the Arts!

Quaint little theater on College Ave. For performers (particularly dance groups), the stage is pretty small. It’s more deep than wide.
There is a dance room backstage, with mirrors and ballet bars.
It is a cute (but old) venue and I always see children in costumes standing outside.

Wonderful old theatre designed by Bay Area legendary architect Julia Morgan. The inside wood work is beautiful and stage is big. A wonderful place to perform. I just finished a run here with Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences and totally appreciated the large dressing rooms and tech service. Very old building, but it’s holding up. Fits enough for an audience of up to about 300. Great venue for small theatre and dance companies. It’s also home to the Berkeley Ballet that offers beginning classes for adults!