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23-663: The Hammer Theatre Center began as a home for the San José Repertory Theatre Company , which was founded in 1980. The company became known during its early years as the fastest-growing professional theater company in the U.S. To have a theatrical home, the company collaborated with the San José Redevelopment Agency to build the Hammer Theatre in downtown San Jose. The Hammer Theatre, named after former mayor Susan Hammer and her husband, Phil Hammer,

46-517: A top-line interior lighting system, seating upgrades to replace the decades-old plastic molded chairs, more restrooms, and a new concessions program. The "Montgomery Theater" is attached to the east side of the building. Seating 486, it is the primary home of CMT San Jose . Many of the most popular entertainers and public figures have appeared at the venue creating memorable historic events since its opening in 1936. Barbra Streisand appeared there during her first concert tour in 1963. Bob Dylan and

69-549: Is a former arena, currently operating as a theatre and concert venue, located in downtown San Jose, California . The venue is owned by the City of San Jose, is managed by Team San Jose and is booked by Nederlander Concerts . The auditorium seats 3,036 which can be expanded up to 3,326 in a general admission setting. The venue was created through a joint venture between the City of San Jose, Public Works Administration and local property owners Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Montgomery, who donated

92-510: The City of San Jose's Fine Arts Commission, which provided funding and worked to help create a viable board of trustees. The first board was led by Dr. Clayton Feldman, who was able to provide guidance for the young staff and helped recruit the future leadership of the Rep, including Attorney Phil Hammer, who succeeded Dr. Feldman. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation provided a key early grant to help hire professional staff. Elaine Knoernschild joined

115-589: The Hawks played a famous show there on December 12, 1965, and Allen Ginsberg made a tape of it now held by the Stanford University Libraries . Earlier that year the Rolling Stones played a concert there that was attended by Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters who electrified a party afterward reportedly attended by Stones members. Richard Nixon made national headlines during an anti-war demonstration at

138-587: The Rep conducted a national search and selected Rick Lombardo in 2009. Lombardo joined the financially struggling company after 13 years as the producing artistic director at New Repertory Theatre in Boston, where he was credited with bringing in a younger and more diverse audience. Notable projects under Rick Lombardo 's leadership include: In June 2014, the San Jose Repertory Theatre board of trustees informed Mr. Lombardo that they had voted to close

161-620: The Sobrato Auditorium, a few blocks away. After the Rep closed, the building became the Susan and Phil Hammer Theatre Center named for the former mayor and her husband who were instrumental in getting the theater built. The theater consists of three seating sections, with a total capacity of 584 people. San Jose Civic Auditorium The San Jose Civic (formerly known as the San Jose Civic Auditorium and City National Civic )

184-407: The board in 1982 and became the third board president. As happens with most nonprofit theatres, the founding board members made success possible by their dedication and hard work. Most notable among the Rep's early accomplishments was their payment of competitive wages, a commitment that Mr. Reber made for the company from its inception. David Lemos, a recent graduate of Santa Clara University, became

207-529: The city of San Jose; this was later restructured into a long-term loan similar to a mortgage. On June 11, 2014, San Jose Rep ceased operations and filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The building was reopened in 2015 as the Hammer Theatre , now operated by San Jose State University . San Jose Rep was founded by James P. Reber in 1980 (originally as San Jose Repertory Company). James Reber was born in Butte, Montana , and

230-432: The city's main convention center until a new facility of the same name opened across the street in 1989. The building was demolished in 2019. A $ 25 million renovation of the venue (approved in 2007) was begun in 2009. A state-of-the-art sound and video system was installed, the building's floor was refurbished, an exterior lighting system was activated, and the loading dock was upgraded. Key improvements planned included

253-456: The country. Mr. Reber led a group of young artists, technical staff, and administrative staff, most of them based in the Bay Area. The Rep's opening production of Noël Coward 's Private Lives was the first step for the fledgling company. This was followed by three more plays in 1981 (including one directed by Tony Taccone before he was artistic director at Berkeley Rep). Early support came from

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276-507: The early Rep era were: Among the distinguished alumni of San Jose Rep's early years, all of whom were recruited by the young Artistic Director David Lemos and played significant roles in launching the young company, are: James Houghton, founding artistic director of New York City's unique Signature Theater Company; Richard Rodgers, director of the Drama Division at Juilliard; James Bundy, artistic director of Yale Repertory Theater and dean of

299-580: The ethnically diverse San Jose population was highlighted by opening the newly built new home of the Rep with the West Coast premiere of Thunder Knocking on the Door by African American playwright Keith Glover , with a Rep-commissioned score by Michael Butler and local blues legend Chris Cain . In 2001, Holly Hunter appeared in a production of By the Bog of Cats in preparation for her 2004 West End revival of

322-418: The first production manager and eventually artistic director. Lemos and Reber negotiated with Actors Equity for early concessions and eventually to full Equity (Actors' Union) status. Artistically, San Jose Rep was a bit uneven, but given its age, many productions were surprisingly high quality and were given excellent critical notices and are still revered by patrons. Among the more distinguished productions of

345-600: The play. In 2002, Lynn Redgrave appeared in a production of The Mandrake Root . The company commissioned a locally based musical from Craig Bohmler and Mary Bracken Phillips for its 25th anniversary season. This resulted in The Haunting of Winchester , about rifle heiress Sarah Winchester and her Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. The musical premiered in September–October 2005. After Near's departure,

368-780: The prestigious Yale School of Drama; Elaine Avila, associate professor of theatre dramatic writing at the University of New Mexico; fingerstyle guitarist, singer, songwriter. Educator Stevie Coyle; Cecilia Pang, Associate Chair of Theatre and Professor at University of Colorado, Boulder; Kelvin Han Yee,American actor of Asian descent with a successful film, television and theater career, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Associate Artist, director and resident actor -James Edmondson; Oregon State Representative Peter Buckley (D-Ashland); and Kenneth Kelleher, artistic director of Pacific Repertory Theater. The arrival of Timothy Near as artistic director in 1987 signaled

391-562: The property. The building was designed by Binder & Curtis, in the Spanish Colonial / California Mission Revival style. The venue's naming rights were given to City National Bank in December 2013, with its original name being restored in May 2019. The west wing was a convention hall called "Parkside Hall". It opened on September 22, 1977, as the "San Jose Convention Center". It served as

414-431: The theater as he was in rehearsal for American Premiere of "Landscape With Weapon" by Joe Penhall . About the closing, Lombardo had this to say: I was in mourning, it was the same grief I felt when my parents died. The Rep started performing at the 500+ seat Montgomery Theatre, owned by the City of San Jose. The dream of building and performing in their own theater became reality in 1997 when they moved to their new home,

437-478: The theatre's commitment to produce plays that spoke to the city's diverse community both directly or by inflection. The Rep achieved this with modernized versions of the classics, contemporary works, and a commitment to developing new plays. In 1997 the company moved from the Montgomery Theater (attached to the San Jose Civic Auditorium ) into the Sobrato Auditorium, a new building in downtown San Jose that

460-442: Was built specifically for the Rep. No longer restricted by space or required to share their venue with other organizations, the Rep was able to offer a wider range of programming, produced to high artistic and technical standards. Since moving to the new building, the Rep has commissioned several new works and has produced World premieres, U.S. premieres, and West Coast premieres. Artistic Director Timothy Near's vision of reaching

483-677: Was completed in 1997. In June 2014, the San José Repertory Company declared bankruptcy and the building that is now the Hammer Theatre Center was shuttered. Efforts to reopen the venue resulted in a partnership between San José State University and the city of San José. The Hammer Theatre reopened in March 2016. The Hammer Theatre hosts the following seven categories of entertainment: San Jose Repertory Theatre The San Jose Repertory Theatre ( a.k.a. San Jose Rep )

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506-596: Was raised in the Santa Clara Valley . He returned home after having been the first employee of the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival (now California Shakespeare Theatre in Orinda, California) as business manager and general manager. San Jose Rep was formed as San Jose's first resident professional theatre (originally called San Jose Repertory Company), the Rep soon became the fastest growing regional theatre in

529-643: Was the first resident professional theatre company in San Jose, California . It was founded in 1980 by James P. Reber. In 2008, after the demise of the American Musical Theatre of San Jose , the San Jose Rep became the largest non-profit, professional theatre company in the South Bay with an annual operating budget of $ 5 million. In 2006, it was saved from impending insolvency by a $ 2 million bailout loan from

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