Beloved former East Bay outdoor theater, Cal Shakes, is now site of new concert series
File of the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, Calif. The East Bay Municipal Utility District owns the 9-acre amphitheater property and has leased it to the nonprofit Siesta Valley Foundation.
ORINDA, Calif. - A beloved outdoor theater and Bay Area landmark, with superstar Zendaya among those who had graced its historic stage, is set to officially launch a new chapter this week.
The long-running, former Cal Shakes, which shut down in 2024, after a 50-year run, will be the site of a concert series brought by its new operators, Siesta Valley Bowl.
What we know:
On Friday, singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Richman is set to take to the amphitheater nestled in the wooded, bucolic setting of the Orinda hills.
The legendary performer, who founded the 1970s proto-punk band, Modern Lovers and had a prominent musical role in the 1998 hit movie "There's Something About Mary," will mark opening night of Siesta Valley Bowl.
He'll be the first of more than a dozen acts scheduled into the summer and fall.
The backstory:
About a year after the California Shakespeare Theater’s dissolution and closure, Siesta Valley Bowl signed a 15-year lease with the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which owns the 9-acre amphitheater property.
"The plan advances EBMUD’s mission to manage public lands for cultural enrichment, community engagement and watershed education," the water district said in its announcement of the partnership last year.
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Siesta Valley Foundation was established to restore and operate the performing arts campus.
Its lease allows for 40 to 50 annual music, theater and community programming events.
"Our team’s experience in entertainment, hospitality and technology is focused on building a sustainable venue operation that serves local audiences and artists while contributing lasting cultural and economic value to the region," founder and chairman of Siesta Valley Bowl Inc. Tom Romary said in the announcement.
Cal Shakes' closure
Dig deeper:
Cal Shakes ultimately closed its doors due to "insurmountable" financial challenges, as it faced a steep drop in donations, grants and other revenue and simultaneous rising costs, including insurance premiums.
"A precipitous decline in ticket sales since 2008 coupled with rising production expenses, major shifts in funding trends, and our beautiful, off-grid, but expensive to operate location with significant staffing needs has brought us to this impasse," wrote Cal Shakes Executive Director Clive Worsley on Nov. 1, 2024 in the non-profit’s final social media post, a letter addressed to its "Beloved Bay Area Theater Community."
The end of the performing arts institution came after the COVID-19 pandemic and amid a wave of closures by other theater companies unable to bounce back from the decline in in-person attendances brought on by the pandemic.
It also came despite efforts and a major campaign to try and revive the non-profit.
California Shakespeare Theater had a 50-year run before closing in 2024.
Zendaya's ties
Donations poured in from supporters, including a sizable $100,000 gift in 2024 from two-time Emmy award-winning actress and Oakland native Zendaya, who began acting with the theater company at a young age.
"Zendaya started taking acting classes here and working with us," according to Worsley.
The mega-star has said her early exposure to the acting world came when she was as young as 2 when her mother, Claire Stoermer, an elementary school teacher, worked at Cal Shake, where she was a house manager for years.
Zendaya has remembered Cal Shakes as her "happy place."
What's next:
That space has now been reimagined with the same hope of promoting the arts widely for its local Bay Area audience.
"The Siesta Valley Foundation now honors that history while expanding its mission," the nonprofit said on its website. "By preserving the watershed, modernizing the amphitheater, and broadening programming to include music, film, dance, and education, we are writing the next chapter. "
List of shows for the 2026 season:
- June 5: Jonathan Richman
- July 2: Eddie Robers, Stanton Moore, Robert Walter (The Breaks) and The Headhunters
- July 23: DakhaBrakha
- July 25: Stanley Clarke
- Aug. 7: Jake Shimabukuro
- Aug. 8: Rebirth Brass Band and The Soul Rebels
- Aug. 21: Earthless and Primitive Ring
- Sept. 12: Beats Antique
- Sept. 19: Jerry’s Middle Finger
- Sept. 22: Cécile McLorin Salvant
- Sept. 26: Al Di Meola
- Oct. 16: Steep Canyon Rangers
- Oct. 24: Super Diamond
