Jewel Theatre Company

Founded in 2005, Jewel Theatre Company (JTC) is a professional company (i.e, we operate under a contract with Actors' Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers in the U.S.) dedicated to creating extraordinary productions that explore and advance the art of theatre by entertaining, enlightening and engaging the community. Now approaching its seventh season, JTC's main program is producing, in an intimate 88-seat theatre, a season of four plays annually, including comedies, dramas and musicals, for residents and visitors of Santa Cruz.

In addition to presenting published and well-known plays, JTC helps to develop new works and regularly produces rarely done plays as part of its season. JTC's theatrical programming also has an educational aspect wherein during each production's run we hold regular post-performance discussions between the audience and the artists who created the production, and we provide deeply discounted tickets for teachers bringing groups of high school students who are studying theatre and literature to JTC productions.

JTC productions run the gamut from premieres to rarely-seen plays to more well-known, popular fare, highlighting artistic excellence in all aspects of production – writing, acting, directing and design. JTC’s inaugural production, Love Match, was a funny, sometimes touching examination of life, love and the human condition, combining several one-acts by accomplished playwrights with songs a la Americana, and was dubbed by critic Ann Bennett of the Santa Cruz Sentinel as “Best Surprise” of 2005. JTC’s next production was Nicky Silver’s Raised in Captivity. The Sentinel critic described this dark comedy as “vivacious” and “captivating” and said “It’s a tricky kind of theater that requires a delicate balance to pull off, and JTC has brought just the right touch,” further validating the company’s burgeoning reputation for presenting unique, quality theatre that is moving, funny, and philosophical, a reputation that continues to this day.

JTC also presents fresh interpretations of more popular material such as You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Sylvia (dubbed “adorable” by the Sentinel critic), both of which played to several standing room only houses in JTC’s 2006/2007 and 2009/2010 seasons, respectively. Additionally, JTC is active on the new works front, having presented an original one-act play, a west coast premiere of two Lanford Wilson one-act chamber musicals, and an elaborate staged reading of a new musical about Peggy Guggenheim.