Marin Voice: Many reasons to get back in habit of going to Mountain Play

Parents of young kids: There’s magic to be found on Mount Tamalpais — and you might not know about it yet.

I’m the mom of a 5-year-old kid. Much of my life involves interacting with other adults who are also raising 5-year-old kids.

We bump into each other at the playground, at school events or at the Marin Country Mart koi pond. In those moments, perfect strangers will exchange pleasantries and anecdotes about our offspring. Parents will often compare which activities we’ve discovered to be “hits” with our kids and what local swim class might have the ever-elusive availability. (Who am I kidding? There will be no availability in swim class until my child is old enough to drive himself there.)

Determined to keep our kids engaged and well-rounded, nearly every caregiver is looking for the scoop on what to do with children, and Marin County is overflowing with very cool options. But I’m amazed at how many of my fellow parents and neighbors don’t know about the old-school Marin traditions that I grew up with — namely the Mountain Play.

As my parents did before me, I left the thrills of San Francisco behind and moved to Marin when I started my family. This is the community I was raised in, and one to which I’m grateful to return, especially because I can introduce my son to the creeks, the hikes and the traditions of my long-ago youth.

Full disclosure: I grew up with the Mountain Play. Our family has volunteered at this annual event since the 1980s and, as a young adult, I worked in the Mountain Play offices. Now, back in the ‘burbs as a middle-aged mom and Broadway show nerd, I’m surprised when new friends are unaware of the century-old tradition we’re so lucky to have here in the Mountain Play.

With that in mind, please allow me to make a case for why we should care about this 111-year-old Marin County treasure:

First of all folks, there is a 4,000 seat amphitheater on top of Mount Tam. It’s a cool as it sounds. The Mountain Play, which is organized by a group of community actors, crew and devoted staff, as well as volunteers, is an annual large-scale Broadway musical up there in the late spring. There have been picnic and costume contests, wine tastings, sing-alongs and some very thrilling lizard sightings by a lot of little kids who can handle about 20 minutes of a play before they’re off to explore the area.

The experience is more of a community bonding activity than it is a show – although the shows are terrific. Big sets, colorful costumes, local performers (who might include your dentist in the chorus) – it’s always mesmerizing.

Inclusive access and commitment to preserving the sacred space of the mountain are as important to the Mountain Play folks as putting on a really terrific show. Shuttle buses are provided to get hundreds of folks up and down the mountain, lessening the impact on the environment and creating a sense of community (which is often lively) before attendees even get to the ampitheater.

Ticket prices are kept as low as the organization can manage – in fact, they’re too low. But getting as many people to the play as want to be there is what this tradition is all about.

Finally, we are witnessing a nationwide crisis in live performing arts. In 2022 and 2023, Mountain Play ticket revenue averaged only 40% of projected sales. That’s disappointing. Shows used to sell out.

Here in Marin County, the funding problem is especially severe. The Mountain Play’s generous supporters have historically contributed more than half of the annual budget, but its time to get back to showing up. Let’s pack our picnics, slap on our sunscreen, hop on those funky shuttles and support the region’s oldest (and most-elevated) community theater.

In doing so, we all win. Our friends, families and, in my case, my kid, will be rewarded with a connection to the arts, to nature and to the community – all in one sunny afternoon tradition. I hope all of you will join me in buying tickets, championing this century-old nonprofit organization and singing along (way too loudly) to this year’s show.

I’ll see you on the mountain.

Beth Spotswood, of Novato, is a former member of Mountain Play staff and a lifelong admirer of the event. Learn more at mountainplay.org.