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I AM KING – The Michael Jackson Experience offers an unparalleled experience, bringing you as close as possible to witnessing the King of Pop live on stage!

Starring Michael Firestone, a remarkable tribute artist who not only sings live but also flawlessly executes Jackson’s iconic dance moves, I AM KING immerses the audience in a captivating musical and visual exploration of the world of the KING OF POP. The show delivers exceptional performances of Jackson’s greatest hits such as “Bad”, “Billie Jean,” “Thriller,” “Man in the Mirror,” “Human Nature,” and numerous others.

“This is a company that knows what its audience expects from an evening of theatre!”
LA TIMES

Get ready for a joyful, heart-tugging, and utterly unforgettable event honoring the past while boldly moving on and moving forward as we journey through 66 years of Playhouse and bid farewell to two members of the Playhouse Family!

As cherished Actors’ Repertory Theatre members Graham Silbert (33 years) and Joey Perez (12 years) prepare to take their next steps in NEW YORK, they return to the stage that helped shape them for an evening filled with music, laughter, and hope. Their journey reminds us that theatre is always moving forward, carried by the artists and communities who believe in it.

“The Playhouse is truly a gem in this city, and visiting it should be on the top-of everyone's Los Angeles to-do list.” UCLA DAILY BRUIN

If you’ve ever attended a Family Theatre Musical, taken a class here, or laughed, cried, and applauded through our Jewish Heritage Series, Love In Bloom, Fairytales for Pride, and more - you already know them. And you know how deeply their work is woven into the fabric of this theatre.

Follow Graham and Joey as they reunite with Actors’ Repertory Theatre to revisit favorite moments from Cinderella, Author! Author! – An Evening with Sholom Aleichem, Don’t Start the Games Without Me, Dorothy’s Adventures in OZ, Audition: The Musical, Alice and the Wonderful Tea Party, Dear Gabby, and so much more.

This special event is a joyful celebration of music, humor, and shared memories - an evening that honors not just two beloved artists, but the spirit of the Playhouse itself. More than a farewell, it’s a chance to laugh, reminisce, and celebrate the creativity, community, and sheer delight that live theatre brings to our lives, reminding us why this stage has always been a place of connection, joy, and belonging.

Each performance includes a sumptuous sweets-and-savories reception, and all proceeds support the Save the Main Stage Campaign, helping us restore, renew, and re-envision the heart of the Playhouse.

Joining Graham and Joey for this unforgettable send-off are Karla Bermudez, Holly Gibson, Isabel Lindley, Madeleine LeMay, Michala Peltz, and, of course, Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie.

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are supported in part by generous grants from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and Playhouse PALS.

This course focuses on the most popular, influential, and enduring artists of the British Invasion, which spanned roughly the years 1964 to 1968. We will examine the roots of those artists in their native Great Britain, and then show how they crashed the U.S. charts on the heels of the Beatles, who paved the way for their compatriots to take advantage of the lucrative American market. The Beatles were not just the first to do so – in spectacular fashion – but they also set a standard for British groups that came after them; groups that were self-contained, meaning they wrote their own songs, developed their own style, and had unique visual and musical trademarks. You do not need to have taken Part 1 of this course to attend Part 2.

Part 2 of this course will focus on the following:

Week 1: The Animals, The Kinks

Week 2: The Moody Blues, The Who

Week 3: The Rolling Stones

Week 4: One Hit Wonders

This course can be attended either in-person at the Thousand Oaks campus or virtually via Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

As the center of the vast Ancient Roman Empire, the city of Rome developed as a thriving and monumental city, richly decorated and promoting the power of the Emperor. Walking the streets today, you still pass by many Roman ruins strewn throughout the city. Even more objects of art from the Roman Empire are preserved in the dozens of museums found in the city. This class will look at the history of Ancient Rome through the monuments that can still be found within the ancient walls.

This course can be attended either in-person at the Thousand Oaks campus or virtually via Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

How did an undercapitalized West Coast rock publication, edited by a 21-year-old college dropout, become one of the most important magazines of its era? This course will explore that question by probing Rolling Stone’s origins, tracking its turbulent development, and mapping its immense influence on American popular culture and journalism. In particular, we will consider the magazine’s major figures and influences, its tangled relationship with the counterculture, its conception of rock music, and its political and cultural coverage.

This course can be attended virtually via Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Satan, or the Devil, has been a character that has been feared for centuries. Many of the major religions have recognized an evil force that stands against God and seeks to undermine His actions. Nevertheless, it was not always this way. Satan is a Hebrew term, and didn’t always refer to an evil being. Demons, or Satan’s henchmen, weren’t always necessarily evil––in fact, a belief in demons entered into established religion hundreds of years after many of the first traditions. In this course, we’ll look at the evolution of the idea of Satan––where thinking developed on the topic, and how it changed over time. We’ll explore Judaism, Christianity, and other major religions, understanding the origin of the idea of Satan and how it has changed over time.

This course can be attended either in-person at the Thousand Oaks campus or virtually via Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Yes, we’ve all whistled, hummed, and sung along with the popular songs we know and love. But over the years, most listeners of American popular music—from the 1930s to today—have had little sense of how these songs were created or who was behind them. Who was actually writing these hits?

We may recognize legendary names like the Gershwins or Cole Porter, but the craft of songwriting itself was rarely discussed. For decades, most songs were created by songwriting teams, with one person composing the music and another writing the lyrics. Famous examples include Burt Bacharach & Hal David and Carole King & Gerry Goffin.

However, there are numerous instances where the English lyrics were written by American songwriters, but the melodies originated elsewhere. Over time, these traditional teams faded in prominence, giving way to a new type of creator: the singer-songwriter—artists like Billy Joel, Elton John, ABBA, and Taylor Swift—who write and perform their own hits.

In this course, we’ll take a deep dive into the surprising origins of many beloved melodies and explore whether these borrowed tunes offered advantages over “homegrown” ones. Did these similarities lead to lawsuits? Did songwriters borrow—or steal—from classical composers?

Join us as we unravel this nostalgic musical mystery!

This course can be attended virtually via Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

At the beginning of 2026, U.S. Special Forces conducted a covert mission in Venezuela that ended in the capture of its President, Nicolás Maduro, and his extradition to the U.S. where he will be tried for drug trafficking charges. Since then, U.S. President Donald Trump has further escalated his ongoing campaign to seize control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a long-term NATO ally. His effort to gain control of Greenland has left many in both the United States and around the world flummoxed, wondering why he is so obsessed with the remote Arctic island. Please join Dr. David Livingstone for this informative lecture in which he will discuss the strategic motivations and consequences driving U.S. foreign policy in the Arctic. How have the effects of climate change and competition for natural resources influenced renewed interest in Greenland by the United States, its allies and adversaries? Are we witnessing what some are referring to as a new “Trump Doctrine” or is it part of the blueprint outlined in project 2025 aimed at establishing global “spheres of influence?” Looking at the history of the Cold War, Dr. Livingstone will try and provide ways we can think about the Arctic as a new frontline in a global power struggle.

This lecture can be attended either in-person at the Thousand Oaks campus or virtually via Zoom.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

The Santa Monica Playhouse Jewish Heritage series presents the world premiere of acclaimed playwright Jerry Mayer’s newest play, a serious comedy about ambulance chasers, those predators whose faces leer down at us from every billboard in town, and the angel of an attorney (is there such a thing?) who’s on a mission to chase them down.

The internationally acclaimed team that brought you Jews R2 Much Fun, Almost Perfect, Aspirin & ELEPHANTS, You Haven’t Changed a Bit and Other Lies and more, reunites renowned playwright Jerry Mayer with veteran (and frequent Mayer) director Chris DeCarlo. Original music is by Steve Mayer. The stellar cast features Candace Del Rio (Steel Magnolias, The Andrews Brothers), Annette Gromala (Second City, the Groundlings), Alan Lowrie (Baby Shu and Fwends - Tubi, The Wife Remover - GammaTime) and Paul Linke (Parenthood, K-PAX, CHiPs, Judging Amy; the "Time" plays - Time Flies When You're Alive [HBO, Cable Ace Award nomination], Life After Time, Father Time).

“Watch out, Neil Simon. Jerry Mayer is right behind you!” Profile Magazine

94-year-old playwright Jerry Mayer, who has written for M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart Show, All Nin the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Facts of Life (where he was executive producer) and five of Mitzi Gaynor’s TV Specials, never shies away from tackling the big issues and MY LAWYER IS AN ANGEL is no exception.

“Chris DeCarlo is a masterful director.” Theatre Scene

Chris DeCarlo, Playhouse Co-Artistic Director, has helmed 12 of Mayer’s world premiere comedies. Says DeCarlo, "Jerry Mayer's plays are a joy for a director, a cast and of course, an audience, touching on issues to which we can all relate - love, romance, marriage, financial woes, parents, infidelity, aging, and friendship. Experiencing a Jerry Mayer play brings us that much closer to the realization that turning the frown upside down is the best way to navigate through life’s most serious issues, big or small.”

Santa Monica Playhouse programs are support in part by generous grants from the We Are Santa Monica Fund, the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and Playhouse PALS.

Camerata Pacifica’s “Beethoven 32” initiative, which launched this season, kicks into high gear with a solo piano recital by Principal Piano Gilles Vonsattel devoted exclusively to Beethoven’s piano sonatas. “Beethoven 32” is a momentous three-year Beethoven cycle featuring Vonsattel, “a pianist well worth watching” (The New York Times), performing all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas in a hybrid blend of solo recitals and chamber programs. The recital, which marks the third program – and first solo recital – for “Beethoven 32,” takes place at two Southern California locations – Friday, March 20, 7:00 pm, at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West; and Sunday, March 22, 2026, 8:00 pm, Zipper Hall, at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.

Vonsattel takes centerstage to perform Beethoven’s celebrated Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 “Pathetique,” and the beautiful and intense Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1, “Sonata quasi una fantasia.”

He also interprets Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Op. 26, the third movement of which was played during Beethoven’s own funeral procession, and concludes the program with the tempestuous Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata.”

Swiss-born American pianist Gilles Vonsattel boasts remarkable versatility and artistic originality. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the 2016 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, and top prizes in the Naumburg and Geneva competitions, he has graced prestigious stages worldwide, enthralling audiences with recitals and chamber performances, and collaborating with renowned orchestras including the Munich Philharmonic and the Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco symphonies.

For tickets ($75) and information, visit www.cameratapacifica.org.