BE BRISK, BE BOLD, BE BRILLIANT...

Santa Barbara High School Theatre has been performed continously for 107 years, 86 of those years in the same space.  We are a public high school in Santa Barbara, California, and we are dedicated to giving as professional experience to student actors and technicians as is possible--to that end, we employ professional designers, choreographers, musical directors and guest artists.  SBHS Theatre is a proud part of the SBHS Performing Arts Department which currently offers five theatre classes with Department co-chair Otto Layman, five choral music classes (including award-winning Acapella and Madrigal Singers under the direction of Phillip McLendon ), 8 instrumental music classes (including a nationally-recognized Jazz Band under the direction of Charles Ortega), and 5 dance classes (Beth Deopante).  We offer an array of entertainment from September to June, in a newly renovated, 800 seat house featuring state of the art lighting and sound.

We are proud to partner with the Santa Barbara Theatre Foundation, currently headed by Nancy Barry and Laura Lewis.  This parent-founded and led organization was formed to support the SBHS Theatre Department as we renovate an aging space (to date their efforts have led to the installation of a state of the art sound and lighting system, and the replacement of the entire lower floor with new, comfortable seating).  Future plans include continued work on the sound and lighting system, as well as funding the productions themselves. 

 ABOVE: Clayton Barry, Kristian Sorensen, Miguel Miranda, PINNOCHIO 2009 BELOW: Kristian Sorensen, Sable Layman PINNOCHIO  Photos by Kristi Sestak

• Carter Crowe, Kristian Sorensen  FOOTLOOSE   Spring, 2009

        Peter Pan, Fall 2007

  "PETER PAN SPARKLES..."

  "Theatre is alive and well at Santa Barbara High School...this production goes far beyond expectations, and the flying by the lead actors is magical...a work of art!" --Paul Foster Froeming, SANTA BARBARA DAILY SOUND

 below: The Lost Boys, November 2007, PETER PAN)

   Tiger Lily and the Tribe, PETER PAN      Fall 2007

 HAIR, Edinburgh Fringe Festival August 2008

Who We Are

 OTTO LAYMAN

Otto has headed the Theatre Department since 1996.  In that time he has directed ALICE IN WONDERLAND (which he lalso adapted); ANYTHING GOES (2011); THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (2010); SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (2010) and PINOCCHIO (2009)--which he also adapted with Christina McCarthy and Lise Lange, with origianl music by John Douglas; FOOTLOOSE (2009); A VILLAGE FABLE; HAIR! (at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland); BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2008); JEFF BARRY: MUSIC FOR A NEW GENERATION (2008); PETER PAN and THE PAJAMA GAME (2007); ON THE TOWN and STILL LIFE WITH IRIS (2006); THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS and CARNIVAL (2005); THE ASH GIRL and COPACABANA (2004); MRS. McTHING and THE WIZARD OF OZ (2003); GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES and A TALE OF TWO CITIES (2002); FRIGHT NIGHT and INTO THE WOODS (2001); ALICE IN WONDERLAND (which he also adapted), ONCE IN A LIFTIME and DURANG, DURANG (2000); A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FILM, ON THE RAZZLE, and AT THIS EVENING'S PERFORMANCE (1999); YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, THE THREEPENNY OPERA, and A NIGHT OF ONE ACTS (1998); ALICE UNDERGROUND, THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 (1997); and THE RAVEN (1996).  A longtime member of the Ensemble Theatre Company as an actor and Playwright in Residence, Mr. Layman received his A.A. in English Literature from San Diego Mesa College (1980); his B.A. in English Literature from UCSB (1982); an M.A. in Creative Writing from Boston University (1987) and a Master's in Education from UCSB (1996).

MIKE MADDEN (Set and Light Design), the resident technical director at the Ensemble Theatre in Santa Barbara. Madden comes to Santa Barbara High School Theatre for his twelfth show. His first set design at Santa Barbara High School was Mrs. McThing (2003), followed by Copacabana! (2004), The Ash Girl (2004), Carnival! (2005), The Wind in the Willows (2005), On the Town (2006), Still Life with Iris (2006), Pajama Game (2007), Peter Pan (2007), Beauty and the Beast (2008), our touring production of HAIR; A VILLAGE FABLE (2008); FOOTLOOSE and PINOCCHIO(2009); SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (2010); THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (2010) ANYTHING GOES, and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2011).  Mr. Madden's entire professional life has revolved around technical theatre. Bit by the theatre bug in high school, he went to CSU, Chico, and earned his degree in Theatre Arts.  Along the way, he has designed and teched live theatre all over Northern and Southern California, Ashland, Oregon, and London, England.  He has worked for roughly thirty different companies, and hundreds of shows as anything from deck hand to technical director, from designer to voice-over talent.

CHRISTINA McCARTHY (Choreographer/Fight Coordinator/Puppet Designer/Aerial Training), a graduate of Santa Barbara High School, is currently the Assistant Director of Santa Barbara Dance Theatre. She has taught ballet and modern dance at UCSB and in numerous private studios in Santa Barbara. Before the birth of her two sons, Malcom and Nolan, Ms. McCarthy worked as a dancer with the Nina Weiner Dance Company in New York and with the Santa Barbara Dance Theatre. In addition to her dance pursuits, she is a professional potter and puppet maker. Her puppets have been seen in productions by the Ensemble Theatre, Lit Moon Theatre, Genesis West Theatre Company, and Dos Pueblos High School. Ms. McCarthy recently choreographed productions of ANYTHING GOES and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (For which she also designed the puppets (2011); THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (2010)  SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (2010); PINOCCHIO and FOOTLOOSE (2009); HAIR (2008); Beauty and the Beast (2008), The Pajama Game (2007), Peter Pan (2007), On the Town (2006), The Wind in the Willows (2005), The Ash Girl (2004), Copacabana (2004), and The Wizard of Oz (2003) at SBHS.

LISA LANGE (Costumer Emeritus) is back with the Santa Barbara High School Theatre Department, and not a moment too soon...Lise's work was last seen in Peter Pan (2007), Beauty and the Beast(2008), HAIR!, (2008), FOOTLOOSE and PINOCCHIO(2009); SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (2010); THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (2010); ANYTHING GOES (and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2011).  Before a stint teaching in Oxnard, Lise was the costume designer for Mr. Layman's first years at Santa Barbara High School, designing The Raven (1996) and Little Shop of Horrors (1997). She has also designed Into the Woods, Fright Night, A Tale of Two Cities, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Wizard of Oz for the SBHS Theatre Department.