Don't Call It a Comeback: Mountain Play's 'Sound of Music' Is First Sold-Out Season Since 1999

The hills of Mount Tam have most certainly been alive this year, with the Mountain Play’s production of The Sound of Music closing Sunday with a sold-out season for the first time since 1999.

“It’s a total relief,” Mountain Play Executive Director Sara Pearson said. “I feel like we’ve been through the ringer and have come out the other end.”

It’s no secret that Mountain Play had been struggling in recent years. The musical theater nonprofit that is celebrating 100 years of hosting performances on Mount Tam’s outdoor Cushing Amphitheater has had its ups and downs – and was then devastated by three years of losses in 2009, 2010 and 2011 when the economy collapsed.

“We were in a dire situation during the recession,” Pearson said. “And now we’re the comeback kids, with wind in our sails.”

As a company that lives financially close to the edge anyway, Mountain Play thought about folding. But with the 100-year anniversary just around the corner they decided it would be too sad, and managed to hang in there.

“We were lucky to have enough community support,” Pearson said.

Organizers had their hopes set on the 2013 season. Knowing The Sound of Music would be popular they saved it for the centennial celebration. On opening day an astounding 3,400 - 3,500 people packed the theater, and the remaining five shows, including the final production this Sunday, have sold out the 3,750-seat limit.

“Everyone who’s a vet of Mountain Play comes in and says ‘this is just like the good old days,” Pearson said.

There’s also been a lot of discussion about how much the shows matter to the success of Mountain Play.

“There’s never just one thing,” she said. “There’s always a combination of factors.” In this case, she thinks it’s the fact that the recession is over, The Sound of Music is a much-loved production, and the 100th anniversary brought some additional visibility – such as a front-page story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mountain Play also self-published the book Marin's Mountain Play: 100 Years Theatre on Mount Tamalpais that captures the history of the organization and its performances.

Yet no matter the reason for success, Mountain Play isn’t taking any chances. Next year’s production will be South Pacific, “which a majority of our survey responders have been asking for for years,” Pearson said.

Hopefully, “barring any economic disasters,” this will propel the nonprofit back onto solid ground, she said. The first matter of business will be to build back up the reserve fund, which was decimated during the recession. 

“Because we know from experience how important it is to have that buffer,” she said.

With the season wrapping up, the Mountain Play is finally able to relax. Even with the sold-out shows, being an outdoor theater they were still worried about weather.

“Rain on one show takes out one-sixth of our revenue,” Pearson said. They also were particularly concerned about this year’s early fire season. At one point, performers lost an entire weekend of rehearsals because there was a red flag warning on a Saturday and then it rained on Sunday, she said. Organizers feared it was a bad omen.

But despite one show that was hotter than people would have liked, and another that was on the chilly side, the weather has been cooperating. And Sunday is shaping up to be a beautiful day, with temperatures around 62 degrees.

“It’s perfect,” Pearson said, “for a triumphant closing day."