San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

The American Musical Theatre of San Jose today announced that it is ceasing business operations, effective immediately. The theatre’s upcoming productions of Tarzan and 42nd Street have been cancelled although the touring production of Chicago will be performing as scheduled, all tickets will be honored. We are currently in communication with the producers of Avenue Q, to achieve the same result as Chicago.

“We received a telephone call a few days ago from our co-producer for Tarzan, which was the Theater of the Stars in Atlanta, Georgia basically telling us that they used the funds that we had paid them towards the production for other things,” said Michael Miller, CEO and Executive Producer of AMTSJ. “In essence, they cancelled the show without giving us any warning, and we discovered that the funds we had paid for Tarzan were spent on another production of theirs, which lost a significant amount of money,” Miller continued.

Added Robert Nazarenus, AMTSJ’s Chief Financial officer: “The cancellation of Tarzan meant nearly a two million dollar loss to us. The disappearance of the six figures that we paid to Atlanta’s Theater of the Stars in good faith coupled with the huge loss of revenues we anticipated from Tarzan was just too much to overcome, particularly in these economic times.” Nazarenus went on to say “Despite the harsh economic times, we were operating prudently, and had a solid strategic plan in place. We have always found a way to succeed, with quality productions, patron loyalty, and community support. This season was no different. But, when you in essence lose nearly two million dollars, it is impossible to recover. What makes this even more frustrating is the fact that this is caused by the wanton actions of another theater company.”

AMTSJ’s local attorneys, coupled with strong legal representation hired in Atlanta, are pursuing aggressive action against Atlanta’s Theater of the Stars. Miller and Nazarenus indicate that they will pursue AMTSJ’s claim to its successful conclusion. “We are devastated for this community, our staff, and most of all for our loyal patrons,” Miller said. “It is especially frustrating because of how hard we have worked, how sound our plan going forward has been, and because of the history and heritage of the American Musical Theatre of San Jose. This is a sad moment for all of us. We will aggressively pursue our claim against the Theater of the Stars to recover whatever money we can to pay the City of San Jose, our vendors and our loyal patrons for their good faith investment in AMTSJ.”

I love this venue!
Its amazing to watch performances but even more amazing to perform in!

I will be in there soon, with San Jose Dance Theatre Presents The Nutcracker Ballet.
We are not a pro company but please come out and support us.

This is a good venue but if you sit too far back, you won't be able to see.

And one of the best on the West coast for that matter. I have been a season ticket holder here for the past 5 years, and will continue to be for years to come no doubt.

Pro-Tip: Order your food and drinks before the show and pick them up from the table during intermission to avoid a line during those precious 15 minutes you get.