Children's Musical Theater San Jose

CMT San Jose (Children's Musical Theater San Jose) founded in 1968 as Cabrini Community Theater, is a performing arts organization based in San Jose, California.

One of the largest youth musical theater and training programs in the US, the organization produces eleven full-scale musicals per year, in addition to classes, workshops, and summer camps. Nine of their productions cast every child who auditions in three different age groupings from the ages of 7–20. Two are showcases for more professional performers who donate their time and talents to benefit the organization.

CMT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is the oldest performing arts organization in San Jose. It was the first non-professional company in the country to stage the musicals '' Aida'' and '' Miss Saigon'', and the first to produce a number of others on the West Coast including ''A Christmas Carol'', '' Billy Elliot'', '' Sister Act'' and '' American Idiot''. The company has earned 12 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and as of 2024 has put on over 400 musical theater productions.

History

John P. Healy

CMT's founder John P. Healy Jr. was born in 1951 in New York City and moved with his family to San Jose in 1963. He started learning Musical Comedy in 1965 at the Santa Clara Youth Village and started performing and co-directing in musicals in the following years.

Healy was a graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory and went to Stanford University from 1969 to 1972 where he double majored in music and theater. He played the cello and at age 16 became the youngest member of the San Jose Symphony.

Healy would run CMT from its beginnings in 1968 until 1982. In addition to his work with CMT, in 1972 Healy founded the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of San Jose, now known as the Lyric Theatre of San Jose.

After he left CMT, Healy became a drama coach at Lincoln High School. In 2000, he started a new children's musical theater in El Dorado Hills. He died in 2007 at age 55 after complications from a fall and head injury.

Healy years

Originally, John Healy was part of the Young People’s Operetta Tour Group, but created a new tour group made of 15 of his friends known as the Entr'actes in May 1968. This group would perform scenes from various musicals at local churches, rest homes and hospitals. They also performed operettas, including ''Hansel & Gretel'', produced and directed by Healy.

By the summer of 1969 the group had become the Cabrini Community Theater, attracting 50 youngsters to perform three operettas: ''Hansel & Gretel'', '' Don Quixote'' and '' The Emperor's New Clothes'', the first two of which also written by John Healy.

In 1970 the Cabrini Community Theater started a youth branch called the San Jose Children’s Musical Theater (SJCMT). By the end of 1972 the entire organization had adopted this as its new name.

By 1972 over 300 children were involved in performances. SJCMT offered workshop classes and ran five touring groups. It was also in this year that rehearsals started in an old building designed by Willis Polk that previously housed the First Church of Christ, Scientist. This building then became known as the Palace of Performing Arts or POPA. CMT rehearsals would continue here until 1981.

CMT continued to grow in size and by 1975 they reported that over 1,000 children would be involved in a year.

Healy directed, choreographed, musically directed and designed most of the 150 shows produced by CMT by the time he left in 1982.

Between 1982 and 1993 the organization was largely run by parents.

Kevin Hauge

CMT's artistic director Kevin Hauge majored in musical theater at Illinois Wesleyan University. Afterward, he worked as a performer and later a manager and dance captain at Marriott’s Great America in Chicago, then moved to work for Great America in San Jose in 1980. He continued to go on to help collaborating on musical productions at a large variety of venues across the world, including Tropworld, Harrah’s, Six Flags Parks, and Royal Viking Cruise Lines.

Hauge started working at CMT in 1982, directing a number of shows, starting with ''Bye Bye Birdie''. After a few years he left for other opportunities, but returned to San Jose and directing for CMT in 1994.

While working with CMT he received the Lin Wright Special Recognition Award by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. He was also the guest speaker at the International Association of Theater Educators Conference in Washington D.C. and at the Education and Technology conference in New York City. In 2016 Hauge received an honorable mention by the Tony Awards for Excellence in Theater Education.

Hauge will continue in his role until his planned departure in 2025, which will mark 30 years.

Hauge years

Michael Mulcahy was brought on as CMT's first executive director in 1993. In 1996, he hired Kevin R. Hauge to be the company's first full-time Artistic Director. Hauge continues in this role today and by many accounts has increased the production value of the organization's performances. Mulcahy, a former CMT performer himself, continued as executive director until 2001 and is still on the board today.

CMT went through a number of executive directors after 2001, some shorter-lived than others. People with longer terms have included Jennifer Sandretto Hull from 2001 – 2006, Michael Miller from 2012 – 2016 and Dana Zell from 2016 until today.

In 1991 CMT began an annual "Cabaret Night" as a fundraiser event.

To engage the theater community in emerging technologies, in 1998 CMT started the unique " Theater As Digital Activity" program, which lasted until 2003.

Because of its widening reach beyond its origins, in 2001 the organization changed its name to Children's Musical Theater San Jose, which puts the location last instead of first.

In 2004 CMT started its " Marquee" program with one Marquee production per year. In 2011 they exchanged one of their Mainstage shows for Marquee, bringing Mainstage down to three a year and bumping Marquee up to two.

To keep children performing and maintain their sense of community during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, CMT Mainstage rehearsed and performed In the Heights remotely. This performance included 200 performers recorded from their homes with the recording presented at a drive-in theater.

In 2021 the organization moved its headquarters to a new 25,000 sq ft building to be used for rehearsals, classes, prop/costume storage and office space. It also set up the side parking lot for its three outdoor summer productions while indoor productions were prohibited.

CMT increased their total annual shows to 11 by adding a second Junior Talents show in 2022.

In 2024 it was announced that Kevin Hauge would retire from his position as artistic director at the close of CMT's 57th season in 2025.

Performance venues

CMT's original performance venue was the St. Frances Cabrini Hall. Over the years the organization occasionally performed in a few other locations as well, including various high schools and the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

Since 1973, CMT's performances have almost exclusively occurred at the Montgomery Theater, which shares a building with the San Jose Civic.

Performance divisions

The musical productions CMT puts on every year are separated into four different named categories, based on different age ranges. Occasionally the age range may be adjusted for a given performance.

Junior talents

Youngest age range (7–11). Currently two performances every season, though not every season has included Junior Talents shows.

Rising stars

Age range 8–14. Currently four performances every season.

Mainstage

Age range 14–20. Currently three performances per season (four performances before 2011). High quality shows that usually include a live orchestra.

Marquee

Introduced in 2005, Marquee performances can include children as well as adults from the Bay Area across all age ranges, including many CMT alumni. Equally high production value as Mainstage shows.

Unlike other performance groups, casting is not guaranteed for those who audition for Marquee shows. Two performances every year (one before 2011).

Programs

Theater As Digital Activity (TADA!)

In 1996, CMT started an online program to allow children from around the world to collaborate and fully create musicals to be produced by CMT and performed by their members. The program ended after its last production in 2003.

A website called ConvoNation, which was a communications platform for sick and disabled children created by Apple’s Worldwide Disabilities Solutions Group, collaborated with CMT to create TADA's first project, the original musical "''Pulse: The Rhythm of Life.''" It was released and performed in 1998, featuring Alex Brightman in a lead role. In 1999 PBS made a documentary about the development of Pulse, hosted by Annette Benning.

Other projects developed under the TADA program included ''Our Tree: The Family Chronicles'', released in May 2000, ''2101'' in 2001, '' A Little Princess'' in 2002 and ''Persephone'' in 2003. Of these, three were written and composed in part by Richard Link.

Classes and Workshops

CMT offers classes for recital, dance, acting, improv, vocal and auditions for ages ranging from 4 to 20. Occasionally, professional guest artists are brought in to teach classes. The following notable artists have taught or presented at CMT: Thomas Schumacher, theatrical producer, Anthony Rapp, broadway & film actor, Jason Robert Brown and Drew Gasparini, broadway composers and Jacob Brent, actor and choreographer.

CMT alumni have also returned in a teaching capacity, including Alex Brightman, Aaron Albano and Matt Hill, among others.

Student Audience Matinees (SAM)

For each of its shows performed in a season, CMT offers special discounted matinée (morning) performances exclusively for schools and other local community groups. These will include a Q & A session during intermission and a study guide for teachers to help their students and prepare them for their experience.

Touring Groups

From its beginnings continuing up until 1999 CMT had one or more tour groups, in which members would perform at various community events as well as for private parties, organizations, hospitals and schools.

Originally starting out as the "Entr'Acts", additional groups added in the 1970s were known as the "Finales", the "Melodear" and the "Reprises". From the early 80s through the 90s there was a single touring group known as "The Neighborhood Kids".

Events

CMT San Jose holds the following annual events:

Gala – Fundraising event early in the year during which alumni and current performers put on multiple show numbers during a brunch and dinner. Includes auctions and raffles. This event started in 1991 and was originally known as Cabaret Night.

Preview Night – Free outdoor potluck event in the summer that includes several live preview performances of musical numbers from the remainder of the season and the announcement of all of the musicals for the next season.

Honors Night – Free event in December with presentations and performances in which outstanding performers receive awards for various categories.

While not relating to CMT's own shows, the organization also hosts the Rita Moreno Awards (Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors) – A competition in May co-hosted with Broadway San Jose to recognize outstanding achievements in high school musicals. The Lead Actor and Actress winners go on to the Jimmy Awards in New York City.

List of Productions

Alumni

Broadway performers

* Alex Brightman – ''School of Rock'', '' Beetlejuice''
* Myha'la – '' The Book of Mormon''
* Ryan Vasquez – '' The Notebook'', '' Hamilton''
* Megan Masako Haley – '' Wicked'', '' Mean Girls''
* Aaron J. Albano – ''Newsies'', ''Cats'', ''Aladdin''
* Nick Spangler – '' Tootsie'', ''The Book of Mormon''
* Isabella Esler – ''Beetlejuice''
* Dennis O’Bannion – ''White Christmas''

* Alia Hodge – '' Beautiful: The Carole King Musical''
* Chelsea Morgan Stock – '' The Little Mermaid'', '' Something Rotten!'', '' Sister Act''
* Adrienne Eller – ''A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder''
* Eric Michael Krop – '' Godspell''

Other alumni

* Teri Hatcher – actress, singer
* Kate Walsh – actress, businesswoman
* Jason Jurman – actor
* D. C. Douglas – actor, voice actor
* Anna Maria Perez de Tagle – actress
* Jennifer Cihi – singer, actress
* Darren Korb – songwriter, composer, voice actor
* Neil Kaplan – voice actor

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.cmtsj.org

YouTube channelolder channel


Instagram

Living history site

Children's theatre
Organizations based in San Jose, California
Culture of San Jose, California
Performing arts in California