Our Mission
Lyric Theatre honors the past while shaping the future of musical theatre. Building on a legacy rooted in Gilbert & Sullivan and light opera traditions, we create dynamic productions that celebrate musical excellence, inclusive storytelling, and artistic discovery. Through accessible programming and community collaboration, we empower local artists and invite audiences of all backgrounds to experience the joy and connection of live theatre.
It is our priority to engage our local San José/ Bay Area community by:
• Providing local, non-professional artists a chance to develop and use their talents — opportunities that are essential to the vibrant life of any community.
• Cultivating a welcoming, inclusive organization that gives local artists from all backgrounds opportunities to collaborate on musically complex, well-designed, exciting stage productions
• Introducing new audiences to comic light operas and newer musicals with educational and social value
• Upholding principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in casting and all other operations
• Providing affordable and accessible programming that our entire Santa Clara Valley community can enjoy
Our Core Values
Community
Lyric Theatre has always been a haven for Bay Area light opera enthusiasts. We are taking steps to build and sustain diversity and equity at all levels of our organization, and are excited to grow our community!
Creativity
In addition to producing traditional interpretations of classic shows, we enjoy upending expectations and reimagining both historical and recent works in new ways. We seek fresh ideas and perspectives in all aspects of design, direction, performance, and programming.
Stewardship
We aim to give contemporary audiences the same joy and thrill experienced by original audiences of older works. In addition to large-scale staged productions, Lyric Theatre's Discovery program focuses on researching, reconstructing, and performing semi-staged concerts of previously lost musical works from the 19th and early 20th centuries.