California Musical Theatre is the largest nonprofit arts organization in the state, and the city of Sacramento’s oldest professional performing arts organization. Its summer stock theatre, Music Circus, has been producing musicals since 1951. Among the performers who appeared in Music Circus shows as unknowns and later achieved fame were Madeline Kahn, Joel Grey, and Eileen Brennan.

In 2002, Music Circus produced its final summer season under its famed canvas big-top. The following year, CMT opened the Wells Fargo Pavilion. Built over the original concrete tent foundations, the arena is covered by insulated, space-age fabric but was designed to emulate an old-time circus tent in order to continue the canvas big top tradition. Among the shows presented here during the theater’s 60th anniversary season in 2010 were Monty Python’s Spamalot, Oklahoma!, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and 42nd Street.

In non-summer months, CMT produces shows at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, located at 1301 L Street.  Recent titles have included Spring Awakening, Legally Blonde, and Rent.