Backstage Stories

Admit it, the minute you cross off the last task on your to-do list and slide onto the couch to watch TV, your inner voice screams, “I should be doing something useful.” In a world that often celebrates productivity, it Read More

The Before the Show It’s hours before the curtain rises at The Granada Theatre. The leading lady is in her dressing room, moving through her pre-show ritual of warming up her voice and mentally stepping into character. Across town, you’re Read More

You know that mental fog and fatigue that can set in after hours of scrolling through social media, or binge-watching Bridgerton? It’s so real that a few years ago, it was termed “brain rot” and named the Oxford University Press Read More

The Granada Theatre’s Board of Directors is excited to welcome two new members to its board. One is new to the Santa Barbara community, and the other is a long-time community philanthropist who was instrumental in The Granada’s restoration. “We Read More

Today’s conventional career wisdom suggests that to climb the ladder, you need to keep propping it up against different houses. But Ashley Dawson did it differently. She moved to Santa Barbara from Detroit eight years ago to take on a Read More

In the theater world, understudies often step into leading roles after refining their craft in supporting roles. At The Granada, several members of the administrative staff have followed a similar track, moving from entry-level roles into leadership positions at the Read More

  The lights dim, a hush descends on the audience, and the curtain at The Granada Theatre rises. In the audience, 10-year-old Kaitlyn sits wide-eyed, mesmerized by the festive Christmas Eve scene unfolding on stage, where children dance and a Read More

This April, Hadestown is set to dazzle Santa Barbarans with its intertwined love stories. But before King Hades or Orpheus takes the stage, a different kind of performance unfolds behind the scenes.  When a Broadway or large-scale production comes to The Granada Theatre, it sets in motion a precisely choreographed effort as crews, technicians, Read More

Nolan Nicholson traded the baseball diamond for the crown jewel of Santa Barbara’s art scene, joining The Granada’s Board of Directors recently. The former minor league pitcher for the Gary SouthShore RailCats and current First Vice President and Regional Relationship Read More

You’ve felt that collective, electrifying rush after watching an exhilarating performance at The Granada Theatre and maybe wondered why you don’t feel the same lying on your sofa watching Bridgerton. The reason is simple: during a live performance, your brain Read More