Palo Alto and the Bay Area Entertainment/Theate

West Bay Opera Pacific Arts League Stanford University

Palo Alto Players. The Peninsula’s oldest theatre company, the Palo Alto Players has been producing quality live theatre in Palo Alto since 1931. Built in 1933, the Palo Alto Players produces a season of comedies, dramas, classics and musicals from September to June. Audiences and participants come from all over the Bay Area to be a part of Palo Alto Players productions. Quite a few participants in Palo Alto Players have gone on to make important contributions in the film industry, including Danny Glover and two-time Oscar winning Midnight Cowboy and Coming Home screenwriter Waldo Salt. In fact, the roots of many of the Bay Area's theatre companies, including its artists, can be traced back to the excellence of the Palo Alto Players. To order tickets, call 650- 329-0891 or visit www.paplayers.org/tickets.

West Bay Opera. Housed in Palo Alto's very own Lucie Stern Theatre, West Bay Opera is the second oldest opera company in California. For tickets and information, call 650- 424-9999.

The Palo Alto Children’s Theater. From its inception in 1932, the Palo Alto Children's Theatre program has provided innovative performing arts programs for young people of the community. The fully-equipped theatre consists of an auditorium, stage, fly, lighting and sound systems, shop, costume room, dressing rooms and office area, just for young people of the community. Throughout its history the theatre has provided an average of 20 plays a year for audiences, including radio, television, film and video. It has gained world acclaim as a model for theatres by and for young people. Guests and scholars from around the world have been welcomed and told about the theatre. It is included in the textbooks and history books on Children's Theatre in America.  [Top]

Pacific Arts League. Since 1921, the Pacific Art League has been a gathering place and source of inspiration and instruction in fine arts. The Pacific Art League promotes the understanding and creation of art as a means to enrich the lives of our communities and society. Founded as "The Palo Alto Art Club," they’ve created a valuable addition to the San Francisco Peninsula's cultural life. The Pacific Art League is an inviting place for anyone who wants to create art. Members of the Art League is a community of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, and skills who come together to express themselves through art. PAL features fine art classes, exhibitions, a gallery store, The Traveling Art Program, the biennial Pacific Prints Show, and studio rental. Visit www.pacificartleague.org.

Palo Alto Arts Festival. This high-art event in late August attracts over 100,000 people every year from throughout the West Coast. The Palo Alto Arts Festival takes place on tree-lined University Avenue in beautiful downtown Palo Alto. The backbone of the festival and the key to its success are the 300 fine artists and crafters who display booths along University Ave. These exhibitors are the reason why this festival attracts such a high percentage of artists whose work you'll see only at a select few shows on the West Coast. Special attractions include a kids' art & crafts area, three major music venues, and the Italian Street Painting Expo. Local micro-brews and fine wines are offered to accompany the gourmet foods. Free parking is within two blocks of the festival. Call 650- 324-3121 or visit www.mlaproductions.com.  [Top]

Stanford University. Built in 1891 on 8,180 beautiful acres in Palo Alto, Stanford University is an elite academic institution that was created to be untraditional, co-educational, and dedicated to producing “cultured and useful citizens. For over 100 years, Stanford has placed a wealth of opportunities within the reach of its students on the beautiful campus in the western foothills near the San Francisco Bay. Students earn undergraduate degrees in three Schools at Stanford - the School of Humanities and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of Earth Sciences. The schools of Business, Education, Law and Medicine offer graduate programs. As a major research university, Stanford offers undergraduates the chance to participate in the process of discovery of knowledge under the direction of its renowned faculty. The fine residential college education at Stanford is enhanced by a faculty involved in mentoring students through senior honors projects and research seminars. For information and admissions, visit www.stanford.edu.

Stanford Lively Arts. Through exploration, creativity, and passion, Stanford Lively Arts invites audiences to explore a season of classical and world music, dance, and spoken word performances by world-famous artists and astounding newcomers. Lively Arts fosters artistic growth through world premieres, unique collaborations, and commissions to create new works. Their extensive programs provide engaging interactive experiences between artists and art lovers, many of which are free and open to the public, including pre- or post-performance discussions, master classes, and student matinees for children. Through passionate live performance, the creation of new art, and memorable encounters with remarkable artists, they make performing arts an essential, exciting, and ongoing part of the community.  [Top]