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California Theatre

For a time known as the Fox, the California Theatre was a 1927 vaudeville and film house that closed its doors 30 years ago. Now, the theatre has been under reconstruction and restoration for more than five years. Its original name has been restored along with the elaborate interiors, and important additions for audience comfort and theatrical production have been added. The California Theatre will soon be one of the region’s most important performance facilities.

The 1,100-seat auditorium, slightly smaller than England’s Glyndebourne and Venice’s historic Teatro la fenice, joins the select ranks of the world’s most intimate opera houses. There are only 20 rows of seats in the orchestra section, five rows in the grand tier, and six in the mezzanine. Each seat offers close proximity to the stage, essential for engaging theatre.

Other important advantages for music-theatre lovers are a stage opening that is nearly 50 feet across and 30 feet high, a stage depth of 50 feet, and an orchestra pit (beneath the stage and modeled after Wagner’s festival theatre in Bayreuth) that can accommodate a full orchestra. Most important to opera lovers, all acoustic tests indicate that the hall is absolutely perfect for opera.

The intricately restored gallery-foyer and auditorium are surrounded by entirely new conveniences and comforts, including elevators, ample restrooms upstairs and down, coat-check, intimate lounges as well as the magnificent gallery, and even a courtyard complete with fountain.

The California is at 345 South First Street, between San Carlos and San Salvador. There is ample parking on S. First St, which is supplemented by additional parking lots and garages in the surrounding area. Excellent restaurants encircle the building, including Agenda, Arcadia, Eulipia, Il Fornaio, and Original Joe’s, and within easy walking distance are Palermo’s, City Grill, Pagoda, Grill on the Alley, Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar, E. & O. Trading Co., Bella Mia, Stratta, and others.

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• Contact Info

  California Theatre

  345 S. First Street
  San Jose, CA 95113

  Phone: 800-SAN-JOSE

  Fax: 408-277-3535

  Website

  Full map and directions

• Parking Info

  Parking is available on South First Street in back of Eulipia Restaurant. You can access this lot from South Second Street. Parking garages are also available at the San Jose Convention Center accessible from both Market Street and North Almaden Avenue. Other parking options include the garage above the Camera Cinemas accessible from Second or Third Streets, and a lot at the corner of San Carlos and Market Streets.

• Accessibility Info

  • Wheelchair Access

• NOTE: We do our best to ensure all information is accurate, however it's a good idea to visit the website or call the venue to verify the information.

• Video & Image Gallery

  Video | Images Images

• Upcoming Events

  01/15/09- 01/18/09	A Nakamatsu Premiere
  02/07/09- 02/22/09	Cosi Fan Tutte
  03/14/09- 03/15/09	The Organ & the Great C
  03/26/09- 03/29/09	Brahms Violin Concerto
  04/18/09- 05/03/09	Carmen
  05/07/09- 05/10/09	Spring Symphonies
  05/30/09- 05/31/09	The Little Mermaid - Children's Series
  06/06/09- 06/07/09	Lord Nelson Mass

• Member Reviews

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• Past Events

  12/27/08- 12/28/08	Winter Movie Series Presents Mary Poppins
  12/25/08- 12/26/08	Winter Movie Series Presents Swiss Family Robinson
  12/24/08	Winter Movie Series Presents It's a Wonderful Life
  12/22/08- 12/23/08	Winter Movie Series Presents The Music Man
  12/22/08- 12/23/08	Winter Movie Series Presents The Polar Express
  12/19/08- 12/21/08	Winter Movie Series Presents White Christmas
  12/19/08- 12/21/08	Winter Movie Series Presents A Christmas Story
  12/17/08- 12/18/08	Winter Movie Series Presents Home Alone
  12/17/08- 12/18/08	Winter Movie Series Presents Funny Girl
  12/14/08	Holiday Concert - Senior Symphony Orchestra
  12/08/08	You-Sing-It-Messiah
  12/07/08	Carols in the California with SSV Chorale
  12/06/08- 12/07/08	Beyond the Score, Classical Music Exposed - Tchaikovsky's 4th
  12/06/08	Winter Spirit
  11/29/08	Unwrap the Holidays with Voices in Harmony
  11/08/08- 11/23/08	The Elixir of Love
  10/19/08	1st Anniversary Concert with Melvin Chen
  10/16/08- 10/19/08	Mendelssohn & Beethoven
  10/11/08	Dingdong and Jessa – Laging Ikaw the Concert
  10/05/08	Mua Thu Cho Em - VNHelp
  10/04/08	For the First Time
  09/27/08- 09/28/08	Dances at an Opening
  09/06/08- 09/21/08	Eugene Onegin
  08/16/08	A Very Special Love - Movie Premiere
  08/14/08	West Side Story
  08/07/08	True Grit
  08/03/08	Midsummer Mozart Festival - The Abduction of Seraglio II (Semi-Staged Opera)
  08/01/08	Midsummer Mozart Festival - The Abduction of Seraglio I (Semi-Staged Opera)
  07/24/08	ET: The Extra Terrestrial
  07/17/08	Jaws
  06/29/08	Nor Cal Dance Arts
  06/22/08	Caregiver Movie Premiere
  06/14/08	9th International Russian Music Piano Competition
  06/07/08- 06/08/08	SVV Finale - Mendelssohn & Rachmaninoff
  06/01/08	A Warm Summer Evening
  05/31/08	Irene Dalis Vocal Awards Competition
  05/24/08- 05/25/08	Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
  05/16/08- 05/18/08	StarQuest International Dance Competition
  05/10/08	Chinese Opera Concert
  04/19/08- 05/04/08	The Magic Flute
  04/09/08	Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
  03/27/08- 03/30/08	SSV Late March Concert - Beethoven’s 9th
  03/22/08	Hat Cho Tuoi Tho 5
  03/15/08- 03/16/08	SSV Early March Program - Simple Gifts
  03/15/08	Spring Classic Concert
  03/09/08	Cinequest Film Festival Closing Night Screening and Party
  03/08/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  03/07/08	Special Silent Film Screening: October (Russia, 1927)
  03/07/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  03/06/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  03/05/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  03/04/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  03/03/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  03/02/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  03/01/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  02/29/08	Special Silent Film Screening: I was Born, But...(Japan, 1932)
  02/29/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  02/28/08	Cinequest Film Festival
  02/27/08	Cinequest Film Festival Opening Night
  02/09/08- 02/24/08	Rigoletto
  01/17/08- 01/21/08	SSV January Concert - Violins & Enigmas
  12/28/07- 12/30/07	My Fair Lady
  12/25/07- 12/27/07	The Sound of Music
  12/24/07	It's a Wonderful Life
  12/22/07- 12/23/07	Miracle on 34th Street
  12/21/07- 12/23/07	The Wizard of Oz
  12/18/07- 12/20/07	Singin' in the Rain
  12/16/07	Holidays with Voices in Harmony
  12/15/07	Peter and the Wolf
  12/10/07	You-Sing-It Messiah
  12/10/07	An American in Paris
  12/09/07	Carols at the California
  12/08/07- 12/09/07	SSV December Concert - Pictures at an Exhibition
  12/08/07	Winter Spirit Concert
  11/17/07- 12/02/07	Werther
  10/25/07- 10/28/07	SSV October Concert - Cleve Conducts
  10/20/07	San Jose Wind Symphony Celebrates 50!
  10/19/07	Campus MoviesFest Bay Area Grand Finale
  10/13/07- 10/14/07	Malan Flower
  10/07/07	VNHELP presents Mua Thu Cho Em 12
  10/06/07	Bijan Mortazavi Live in Concert
  09/29/07- 09/30/07	This Land Is Your Land - An American Anthem
  09/08/07- 09/23/07	Lucia di Lammermoor
  07/21/07	Bijan Mortazavi Live in Concert
  07/20/07	10th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Finals
  06/13/07- 06/16/07	National Association of Hispanic Journalist’s 25th Anniversary Convention a
  06/10/07	Lu Siqing Violin Concert
  06/08/07- 06/17/07	International Russian Music Piano Competition
  06/03/07	Season Finale
  06/02/07	Philharmonic Orchestra
  06/01/07	Irene Dalis Vocal Competition
  05/26/07- 05/27/07	King Lear
  05/24/07- 05/25/07	Farewell, My Concubine
  05/19/07- 05/20/07	The Tinderbox
  05/13/07	Songs from Two Continents: A Celebration of Music of the Americas
  05/12/07	Scenic Seasons Concert
  05/10/07- 05/13/07	Double Concerto, Triple Threat
  04/21/07- 05/06/07	Madama Butterfly
  04/04/07	SJSU Sesquicentennial Symphony Concert
  03/29/07- 04/01/07	Verdi's Requiem