I have heard great things about Hillbarn's productions, haven't been so I cannot comment. However, my review is based on my experience with the Summer Camp Program. Back in January, I emailed Hillbarn and asked about the Summer Camps for kids and what the aftercare costs would be (camp runs to 2pm). The person responsible gave me the camp options and said only to talk to her about this, because she is in charge. Several parents from my daughter's school was interested but we all work full time. She said that they would have the camp aftercare information ready in late Jan/early Feb. Â I have emailed her 4 times, left 3 voice messages - all at least 5-10 days apart (so intentionally not badgering), since that time. All I am asking is what the cost would be for aftercare. As a working parent, I feel that this is a reasonable ask. What if it was $500? What if they don't have aftercare? Â No response. Not even an email reply saying that they are working out the details, which would be totally fine. Â Just no response what so ever! Â
The parents, on good faith, all enrolled our children anyways for Summer Camp. However, now we are all still wondering 3 months later, if it was a wise decision as we haven't been given the courtesy of a response back to our inquiry. Tell us there is no aftercare, we will get an alternative. Tell us aftercare is $xxx, so at least we know to budget. Tell us something. But to not response at all is very poor customer service. Even in my voice messages, I have asked if there is someone else to talk to, but no response. I am sure the program is good, but the lack of consideration and responsiveness is rather poor and dismissive. In the end, isn't this a reasonable ask???
I recently saw a production of John & Jen here at the Hillbarn Theatre. I had never been here before and I was pleased with the experience. The theatre is easy to find. The people working were friendly and helpful.
The best part is there wasn't a bad seat in the house. We were in the back row and had no problem seeing all the action on stage. I would gladly come back for another show.
There's something rather special about community theater.
If you didn't know there was a theater in this neck of the woods, well now you do.
I found it while taking a diversion from the Bay Trail one random day, forgot to yelp it until I was planning to check out an upcoming show so I thought I'd share the wealth if this is your thing.
It's been around for several decades. Â Charming.
Plus: talented acting, nice folks - worth checking out.
Came here the other night for the first time and had a very enjoyable experience. Â We saw a wonderful production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" -- fine lead actors, good music and choreography, and overall a spirited, energetic musical. Â (Of course, it's hard to go wrong with a Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber creation.) Â This echoes my parents' experience in attending performances here for several years.
Hillbarn Theatre is located in Foster City and amazingly this is its 72nd year -- so they know community theater.  The venue has free parking, and outside business hours you may be able to park in adjacent commercial lots as well.  The theater building itself is compact, but they make use of every foot of available space.  Seating is very well laid out: there isn't a bad seat in the house  (stadium seating), although the first row is literally at the edge of the stage.  That said, this is a small theater, and virtually every seat was filled at this Saturday night performance, so it's probably a good idea to get tickets early.  The stage itself is compact as well, and a bit of an atypical shape, but this in no way inhibits the enjoyment of the performance.  We didn't even notice it that much, until walking across the edge of the stage at intermission, and had to marvel at how a bit of creativity can give the illusion of large space.
The lobby itself is somewhat small, albeit large enough, and helped somewhat by space to easily walk outdoors during intermission. Â The bathrooms are somewhat small, and they are currently fund-raising to do upgrades.
We have given Hillbarn Theatre gift certificates, which have always been well received and can be a creative gift for the person that is hard to buy for.  The recipient  redeems the certificates for plays of their choosing.  We have found Alan, who mans the box office, is always a pleasure to deal with, and goes out of his way to give excellent customer service. Â
Hillbarn Theatre is a solid community theater on the peninsula -- one need not be forced to travel to San Francisco to see a decent play.
Hillbarn is putting on RAGTIME-a complicated show with a large cast. Â It is so over the top good in performance and staging that I urge anyone and everyone to see it. Â Coalhouse is played by C.Blankenship-both character and actor are superlative-but it is the mother who holds the stage and the play together. It is not just the support of your local theater that happens here-it is the enrichment of your life!
Review Source:The producers was a fantastic production, as was the Drowsy Chaperone last season and Aida the year before that. Â Â They have very talented people and for me it beats going to the city to see such great plays. Â Â As Lee says it is great theater in our own backyard (okay they do it in the playhouse, but it is 8 minutes form my house!) Â Next season looks fantastic!
Review Source:I saw The Producers at the Hillbarn on 5/5/12 and thought it was very funny, smart and high energy. Â The choreography with the little old ladies with their walkers was hilarious. Â The director, Bill Starr did a fantastic job; it had a talented cast and wonderful voices, especially the leads. Â Even if you are not a "musical" person, you will enjoy this rendition of Mel Brooks' Â "The Producers". Â
There is not a bad seat in the house; it holds 100 people in this intimate setting. Parking is free and plentiful in their own lot. Â Shows for The Producers are Thur, Fri, Sat and Sun from 5/3 to 5/27. Go see it!
Ok, I know I did one not too long ago on Drowsy Chaperone but I had to post a review of the recent City of Angels run that just completed. Â Guys, I don't consider myself a huge theatre buff, but this is seriously the best community theatre I've ever seen. Â I hate even referring this place as a small, community theatre because this production was every bit as good as those $150 per seat shows I've seen on the west coast and throughout the country.
The tickets here are only $32 and when I think of the disappointing West Side Story production I saw at the Orpheum a bit ago ($125), I can't help but wonder what even more amazing things could be possible here on a bigger budget.
Watched City of Angels with my kids tonight. Fantastic! Top notch performances by everyone involved. Sensational cast.
Impressive production for a small, local theater.
Look forward to the next special night out at Hillbarn Theater.
My daughter also attended the PJCC GLEE camp at Hillbarn this past summer. Quality experience from start to finish! GLEE show was phenomenal, kids sang & danced their hearts out!! Encore!!
I am SO glad that Foster City has this little gem. Â Hillbarn Theater is supposedly one of the oldest small theater in the bay area. Â It's an intimate setting with a small stage area and stadium seating that probably fits 100-200 people (don't quote me on that, though; I'm bad with estimates). Â The productions are [almost] always fabulous, from the scripts they choose to the acting and singing.
In addition to being one of the only mediums for entertainment in Foster City, Hillbarn also provides acting classes to people of all ages. Â In fact, when I was a kid I went to an acting camp here, had a blast and learned a lot. Â I love that it supports and brings the arts to the community - thanks, Hillbarn!
I haven't been to a show here but I'm rating their summer camp program. Â It's a solid 4.5 stars. Â My daughter did a one week theater camp and had a great time. Â In the one week they learned their lines, made costumes, made a "set", learned songs and dances. Â The final show was really cute, a little short but given the time frame, they did a lot.
The class was larger than I thought it would be, but they had a lot of teachers (two main teachers and at least 5 or 6 college/highschool students). Â the class seemed like a combo of kids who were there because they were shy and their parents wanted them to do this to open up/express themselves. Â And kids who like to perform. Â My daughter is a combo of both. Â The shy kids were really hard to hear, so while I'm sure they had a fun week, I'm not sure it helped them find their inner theater. Â There were kids belting songs like no tomorrow and it was awesome.
My daughter had a fun time and looks forward to returning next summer.
I came here for the 1st time, to see "A Wonderful Life." Â I give it 4* for performance.The sound was pretty good and so was the performance. The auditorium is small, but this makes viewing very good from anywhere in the auditorum. Seats uncomfortable (old) as one person pointed out but i think the performance makes up for that. Free parking. Always nice.
Haven't gone to  theatres around so can't really compare to others. I've only watched a few shows in SF and those shows cost substantially more and some of the theatres in SF aren't in that great of shape so not bad.So for the price we pay here, I'm totally not complaining. Will be returning to watch future shows.
I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again:
I don't like musicals.
Yup, smiley, sunshiny, happy-go-lucky me, despises musicals.
And yet . . .
Hillbarn Theatre is yet another community theater that is pecking away at my cold, hard stubbornness on this topic. Â Their recent production of Chicago was downright entertaining! Â They do a fantastic job of hiring very strong leads, and, while the supporting cast/choreography is perhaps not quite as polished, the leads are strong enough to carry the show.
Intermission is typical of community theater: candybars, wine, beer, water. Â They have a nice outdoor patio on which you may get some fresh air, but unfortunately you can't bring alcohol out there. Â (What, alcoholics don't deserve fresh air too??)
Seating inside is well-tiered so that it seems that everyone gets a great seat. Â The lighting is fair, though my particular seat (mid-center, 5th row) was opposite a very piercing light that resulted in a few uncomfortable moments during the show.
Overall: well-produced, great seating and professional-grade leads at a very low price for a night's entertainment.
But I still don't like musicals. Â Harrumph!!
Oh local theatre. Definitely caters to its audience - suburban families or retirees. I was impressed with the content pushing a few conservative borders, and the hand earphones for the geriatric. Preview night was just as impressive, though the intro was a little wordy thanking all the sponsors. Size is very decent (bigger then I expected) with stadium grading, so no one is blocking the view. I'll definitely be back to see other local productions.
Review Source:This is a true gem of a theater. Some of the best productions on the Peninsula are done at Hillbarn Theatre. I saw "Oklahoma" which was just marvelous with some amazing performances. The Laurey and Judd were superb. I then caught "Steel Magnolias" which was so true to life that I felt i was in Louisiana!
It's a beautiful, intimate 170 seat theater with no bad seats. The night I went to "Steel Magnolias," they had free cosmetic make overs from Benefit Cosmetics (cause magnolias takes place in a beauty salon). Awesome! There is lots of free parking and the ticket prices are some of the lowest in the Bay Area.
As a local theater goer, I've been to many theatre in the area such as the over rated and bad Broadway By the Bay and the enjoyable Bus Barn among others. Hillbarn Theatre is one of the best in the bay.
This is a review of the theater itself, not of any particular productions. I've been a season ticket holder for five years and have performed in four productions there as well.
Although the theatre company has been around since 1941, the building itself is only 30 years or so old--still, it's the oldest public building in Foster City. At one time there actually were a hill and a barn, but not in FC.
Parking is free and there is a large outdoor area that is great to escape to during intermission.The lobby has been recently repainted and the corridor leading to the house is lined with a list of every show Hillbarn has ever produced.
The house proper is what gives the theater its signature intimacy. There are only 175 seats and none are more than forty feet from the stage. In fact people in the front row have their feet on the stage. While performing in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" I had to look at an implied  (non-existent) mirror on the edge of the stage with my face about four feet from the audience. Every night folks would move their head to the right or left to avoid being in my sight line; it made keeping a straight face difficult sometimes. Which was tough because I had just delivered a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The sets are consistently excellent; the two Technical Directors do real magic. Because the stage is not of a standard size, everything is custom made for each show. Contrast this with, say, Broadway By The Bay, who just read a rental catalog and order sets for delivery.
Backstage is excellent. There are good dressing rooms and an excellent Green Room for performers to hang in while not on stage.
In my opinion the dramas are consistently excellent, matching any off-broadway theatre in The City. The musicals are rapidly approaching this standard and with a resident Musical Director to give consistency, when live bands are used, they are pretty darn good.
It's worth a trip from SF, but peninsula residents owe it to themselves to check it out.
I'm addicted to theater; I'm also averse to traveling great distances to get my fix. Â Hillbarn is cozy and quaint and conveniently just around the corner. Â Quality is not bad for community theater. And the stage is so small, you are sure to get a good seat even if you get the half-off tickets through Goldstar Events.
I saw Man of La Mancha there in September. Â Impressive leads but it's no Broadway by the Bay (San Mateo Performing Arts Center). Â Still, I'll be back for more.
Extremely high quality productions for "community theater." I say this both as a performer and audience member. I've reviewed theater professionally as well, so while I'm admittedly biased, I do think that the quality of a Hillbarn show is not to be underrated. I'm constantly impressed by the work done at the theater company. Of course not every show deserves equal praise, but overall the productions tend to get a lot of talent and feature strong direction and design. They do six shows per year - typically three musicals and three straight plays (a mix of drama and comedies) so there really is something for everyone. They offer good subscription packages if you want to see every show on the menu.
Review Source:Foster City creeps me out in a Truman-show sort of way, and this community theater is definitely located in the thick of the city's indistinguishable business park/condo complexes. Outside it doesn't look like much, but the interior is actually very cool. I guess the theater has been open for 66 seasons, I don't know if that is the same as years or what, but anyway it has been around for a while. The ceiling is high and domed, with criss-crossing wooden rafters. Steep stadium-style seating ensures that everyone has a good view. I wasn't a huge fan of the show we just saw, Inherit the Wind, but I would consider going back to the theater. If I'm not too creeped out by the surrounding false waterways and identical buildings.
Review Source:
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