LAMORINDA, CA — Nearly two years after Cal Shakes announced reaching an "insurmountable financial impasse"— and then went dark — the amphitheater that hosted generations of theatergoers is preparing to welcome back audiences.
The former Cal Shakes site in Orinda is reopening as Siesta Valley Bowl, a live entertainment venue that plans to host concerts, theater, and community events.
The venue officially launches its inaugural season Friday with a performance by singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman, the influential founder of 1970s proto-punk band The Modern Lovers and a featured musician in the hit film There's Something About Mary.
Richman's appearance marks the beginning of a season featuring more than a dozen national touring artists scheduled through the summer and fall at the intimate 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheater nestled in the Berkeley Hills.
The reopening signals a dramatic turnaround for a venue many East Bay arts supporters feared had been lost for good after California Shakespeare Theater dissolved in 2024 following years of financial challenges.
As Cal Shakes fought for survival, support arrived from across the Bay Area arts community, including Oakland native and Emmy Award-winning actress Zendaya, who helped secure a $100,000 donation for the theater in 2024.
The gift carried special significance. Zendaya grew up around Cal Shakes, where her mother, Claire Stoermer, worked for years as a house manager at the Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda, according to reports.
Zendaya later took acting and improv classes through the company, an experience she has credited with helping spark her interest in performing.
The donation became one of several high-profile efforts to keep the nearly 50-year-old theater company afloat.
Despite an outpouring of support from patrons, artists, and alumni, Cal Shakes announced later that year that it would cease operations, citing declining ticket sales, rising production costs, and shifting funding trends across the nonprofit arts sector. The Covid-19 pandemic delivered an especially heavy blow.
About a year after that closure, Siesta Valley Bowl secured a long-term lease for the nine-acre property and established the Siesta Valley Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the campus and expanding programming beyond theater to include music, film, dance, educational events, and community gatherings.
The organization signed a 15-year lease with the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which owns the property.
The new operators say they intend to preserve the site's artistic legacy while broadening its offerings.
"The Siesta Valley Foundation now honors that history while expanding its mission,"according to announcements. "By preserving the watershed, modernizing the amphitheater, and broadening programming to include music, film, dance, and education, we are writing the next chapter."
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Lamorinda, CA Patch
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