Like many community theatre companies, Vallejo Music Theatre grew out of a project. In 1967 the Vallejo Arts Council hired a Producer and a Musical Director to produce the wonderful musical "Oklahoma". Funds raised by the musical were used to buy lighting equipment for Hogan High School Auditorium.

The show was a success, made lots of money, and the lights were bought. A non-profit company, the Group Theatre, was formed and the wheels started rolling for "South Pacific". Again, they had a hit on their hands and so the Company's seasons began.

In 1975 the name was changed to Vallejo Group Theatre and in 1982 changed again to Vallejo Music Theatre.

The Company now produces three musicals a season opening in July with a large family-oriented full-scale Broadway show; a Young Audiences Production in December; an adult oriented musical in February; a large concert or cabaret series and has many fundraising activities throughout the year. In 2007, the 41st Season, we will add an opera production in October.

At present all productions are held at the Fetterly Playhouse for the Arts, 3467 Sonoma Blvd., Suite 10, Vallejo, CA.

The Company hires professional Directors and Designers for each production and they help fulfill the goals of not only teaching the performing arts to local students and adults but also help to bring artistic integrity to the productions. Training is on-the-job and many "graduates" are now performing arts professionals. We give students an opportunity to give their education the depth of experience needed in a profession which is hard to break into.

The Company is governed by a Board of Directors which has grown from five to thirty-five at its peak, with half the Board a Working Board and the other half an Advisory Board. At present the board numbers eighteen with two high school student-interns on board for training purposes. The goal is to reach the maximum now set by the corporation bylaws at twenty-five members. A Managing Director handles the day-to-day operation of the Company and works with the Board on programming and fundraising.

Beginning in 2002 the Company began a Young Audiences Program, producing an original musical based on well-known fairy tales. The program has continued to grow from a small budget production to a full-scale production held each December for children of all ages. Lincoln Elementary school children are bused to two special performances right before Christmas vacation. Patterson Elementary school children are given complimentary tickets to attend any regularly schedule performance.

A long-time dream of the Company is to provide a pipe-line from the schools into the performing arts and to build future audiences. A Conservatory for the Performing Arts is being developed in the 2006-2007 season with the hopes of holding acting workshops for children and teens in grades 3 through 12. As the program is developed updates will be posted on our website.

The Company offers many services besides musical performances. Costumes, sets and properties are loaned and rented to other performing arts groups and many local service clubs, as well as colleges in the area. We also "loan out" our volunteers who help groups with lighting and sound. We instruct the youth in the community of the technical side of the theater... It's not only just on stage. The business side of theatre, including, but not limited to, stage management, lighting, sound, special effects, are just some of the things people learn at VMT.

Each year the City of Vallejo awards the Company a grant which provides seed money to begin the various productions and projects. Donations are also sought from businesses and private individuals. Fifty to sixty percent of the budget is covered by ticket sales.

Join...become a member...become a donor! We are always looking for volunteers, actors, actresses, technicians, etc. The students we train move on to bigger and better things in the performing arts field, or they go on to college and to other careers. So, we continually need new people to keep the organization moving along. Send us your name and address and let us know what you'd like to do to help. Give us a call - any time - we always have a message machine hooked up when no one's in the office - 707-649-ARTS.

The Current Mission of Vallejo Music Theatre is to:
• Renovate the Vallejo Historic Post Office (HPO) as a performing arts center/historic landmark;
• Produce a minimum of three (3) full scale musicals per year;
• Provide educational performing arts outreach programs to underserved local students/families.

The long-term vision of VMT is to expand the mission to include:
• Showcase excellence in the performing arts via 4 to 5 full scale musicals per year;
• Encourage, sponsor and produce new playwrights' works;
• Provide educational outreach programs for underserved Vallejo students and families;
• Provide a venue for rental by local non-profit/for-profit community organizations/businesses;
• Maintain and preserve an historic twentieth (20th) century landmark (HPO).

VMT mission to be accomplished via strategic plan for 2006 - Goals & Objectives:
• Planning Phase: completion of final construction plans for HPO capital renovation project;
• Fundraising: silent phase of capital campaign; annual fundraising (Galas, appeals, etc.);
• Increase Board;
• Public Relations: Newsletter to subscribers, website, press/media;
• Musical productions; "Meshuggah-Nuns" in February; "The Sound of Music" in June and July which opens the 41st season; "Hansel and Gretel" • Young Audiences Program in December; Outreach: Lincoln & Patterson Elementary schools, provide transportation to performances, free tickets and drama workshops.