Arts & Entertainment
Hillbarn Theatre Raises Curtain On 70th Season
With missing bell back, "Chicago" takes center stage.
With a little luck and a whole lot of hard work, the Hillbarn Theatre has been redefining community drama since 1941. This month, the Hillbarn kicked off its 70th season with a show stopping-performance of Chicago and was given the best opening night gift in history --- the historic 10- year-old bell stolen six years ago was found in a San Leandro scrap metal shop on opening night.
"It is the best surprise we could ever ask for," said Lee Foster, Hillbarn's executive producing director. "For it to be found and returned home to us on the night of our 70th anniversary is a true miracle."
Some may call it the 'Miracle on Hillsdale Boulevard,' but Hillbarn is no stranger to happy endings. It's seen its share of ups and downs over 70 seasons and it's the community's strength that keeps it coming up on top.
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"I came in to the theater in 1997. At that point theaters --- especially theaters with 70 years of history--- they rise, they fall, they have a variety of different ups and downs," said Foster, who recalls a leaky roof forcing patrons to use umbrellas while they watched a performance back in 2000. "We've created an amazing renaissance and everyone has poured their hearts out to help us."
If the name "Foster" rings a bell, it's no coincidence. She is the granddaughter of Foster City founder Jack Foster. The Hillbarn is the sixth oldest continuously operating amateur theater company in the nation and the oldest in San Mateo County. Robert Brauns and Sam Rolph founded the Hillbarn as an offshoot of the Peninsula Little Theatre that was founded in 1936.
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In the summer of 1941 Brauns, Rolph and Ralph Schram, founder of Palo Alto Players began looking for a barn that could be used to stage performances. They located the Pingrey Barn on a hill at 43rd Avenue and Hillbarn Court in San Mateo that became the troupe's first home. In 1968, Hillbarn moved to what was then the "new" Foster City, continuing its popular performances that always packed the house.
Most of Hillbarn's patrons are not local residents, but theater-lovers from surrounding communities. Foster says 85 percent of the patronage comes from 14 zip codes in the immediate area and the remainder from 144 other zip codes.
"They can't believe this little theater, in a sleepy bedroom community, does work like that," Foster said.
It's the Broadway-quality shows that keep audiences in awe, and returning in droves. But major productions like Chicago take months to prepare.
Greg Sudmeier, the theater's resident musical director, says production planning begins a year ahead of the opening curtain, first choosing the play and then working on the musical score. Sudmeier says he studies the music and listens to different varieties of the production.
"I go to work not just for musical sake, but for subtext of the lyrics because that's part of musical direction," explains Sudmeier. "Believe it or not, it's not just teaching notes but actually helping them to understand what they're singing; what the meaning of the words are behind the music. That's where good performances come from."
Hillbarn's current season is in full swing with Chicago running through September 26th, followed by Dial M for Murder, A Wonderful Life, Holes, Separate Tables and finally, A Drowsy Chaperone scheduled for staging next May.
For Foster and the Hillbarn Theatre, Broadway replicated on a stage 3,000 miles from the Big Apple is a state of mind -- an escape from the everyday just down the street in Foster City.
"In this world of Internet and cyberspace, I think we still yearn for human connection and I think you get it when you come to a community place and everyone knows everyone and you can identify with the humanity you see on stage," said Foster, who believes there's a sense of community pride in top quality local theater. "I think people feel good about that."
Tickets to all Hillbarn performances can be purchased online at www.hillbarntheater.com or by calling the box office at 650-349-6411.
Walk-ins are welcome during business hours: Tuesdays through Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and one hour prior to showtime. The Hillbarn is located at 1285 Hillsdale Blvd. Foster City, CA 94404.
