What's the Best Production You've Seen at the Center Rep?

You have to give the people what they want, and if you can throw in a bit of what you want, well, so much the better. This is the central lesson of running a suburban community theater in the age of Netflix and HBO Go, according to a profile of Michael Butler in the Contra Costa Times.

Butler, who is the artistic director of Walnut Creek’s Center Repertory Company, has doubled the company’s subscription base in seven years. The 59-year-old credits a blend of music and comedy on the stage over the years.

"I love comedy because it's so freakin' hard. And so gratifying. Comedy is the extreme motocross race of theater, a physically demanding event held in all-weather conditions,” Butler told the CC Times. “I think my audience and I are chasing the same kind of theater experience ... a mix of the playground, church and a Saturday night dance."

What’s the best production you’ve seen at the Center Rep?