Olde Coloma Theatre

This rating is for the theatre as good clean fun at $ 10 or less per person, and I think a dollar or two for hot chocolate, snacks etc … I wouldn’t compare it to a New York stage show but more like one of the dinner theatres where you just relax and appreciate a light evening of entertainment. We’ve seen two different plays here, most recently the adorable Christmas play. The sheer fun of going to a light hearted audience participation play (boo-​ing the villain and optional singing along to the Christmas carols with the live pianist)… watching the littlest kids perform their lines (quite well, actually) and all of us singing along was uplifting… this has become a little family tradition for us.

Nice little theater. Great fun. Worth stopping by for a show the next time you are up in Coloma. The entire staff was polite and very fun to be around. Great way to lighten up a stressful world. I have to say it would be well worth your hour drive in from Sacramento to see this part of CA history. The surrounding areas looks like scenes from the Newheart Show back in the 80’s beautiful area and even an old bridge. Great way to spend a day. They also have picnic areas.

I have been to the Olde Coloma Theatre many times over the past 15 years.
Although this venue seems a bit out of the way, realistically it is only about 15 minutes outside of Placerville. (20 minutes from Cameron Park) It is located on the outskirts of the Coloma Gold discovery park, in a very quaint and historical log cabin.
Walking into the theatre is like taking a refreshing step back in time. While the theatre doesn’t boast cutting edge technology, you can tell that it is well loved.
The first time I attended, I was not aware of what a melodrama was. (Not surprising, as it is one of only a small number of remaining theatres of its kind.) I wasn’t prepared to have the opportunity to not only be included in the show (through lack of a fourth wall) but to also be able to talk to the characters on the stage. They even handed out foil balls to be thrown at the villain at the end of the show. It was a huge amount of fun!
The acting was not Hollywood quality, but once I realized what a melodrama was, I could tell that it was as intended. The actors come out to the lobby and greet the guests at the end of every show. I feel that is an especially personalized touch that, combined with the fact that they are all unpaid volunteers, shows how much they appreciate the patrons and love their theatre.
They have several different drinks (hot and cold), candy, and snack items, including freshly popped popcorn for sale. There is also a mini store where they sell hand crafted, old timey toys to raise money for the theatre. I will say this though, be sure to bring cash– as last time I went, they didn’t accept credit/​debit.
I have joined their e-​mailing list so that I don’t miss any shows. They have a clipboard they keep in the lobby for that.
I would recommend this theatre for a fun night out. Kids are welcome, as are people who enjoy heckling the characters on the stage.

My family and I go to Olde Coloma Theater every year and just love the small family feeling and fun with this Melodrama theater. The shows are always fun. In fact my kids ended up being part of some of the shows since we enjoyed their shows so much. I recommend everyone go to a show or two. You won’t be disappointed.

A few weekends ago my boyfriend and I took a trip to Apple Hill for wine tasting and apple picking. One night we decided to check out Hilda’s Haunted Hiltop at the Olde Coloma Theatre. Boy did we have fun! I mean the performance wasn’t Broadway, but it was quaint and engaging. We felt a connection to the characters and enjoyed cheering alongside the audience. The jokes were funny and you could tell the actors were having a blast. Vlad and Wolfy were our favorites by far, but how could we forget the hilarious ad ‘libs’ of the zombie. This is definitely an off the beaten path place to check out; a wonderful escape where you can feel part of a community and enjoy watching people do what they love.

There is something charming about this place — like either you stepped back into time, or are into the twilight zone. I’m giving this a 3 stars, but not because the show we saw here was good, but rather because it was so painfully awful, that it has become a story that I tell all my friends whenever I get the chance. If I were to rate based only on performance, it would get 1 star.
This tiny, old, rickety theatre is in the middle of nowhere, and is equivalent to seeing a stage production in a barn. The actors — bless their hearts-​you could tell they were really into the production, really into acting and really into «the theatre,» but man, they were awful. It was like the plays my sister and I used to make up and produce for our parents/​the neighborhood when we were 10 yrs old.
They call their productions «melodramas» — which means they are both funny and over-​the-​top dramatic (and it’s neither). The audience is invited to yell out comments, boo (there was a lot of that), and throw popcorn (you can buy popcorn at concessions for a buck or 2). The problem with the whole throwing popcorn thing is, people had terrible aim, and I ended up with a lot of popcorn in my hair. There were also a lot of annoying audience members, who, when given the opportunity to talk in the middle of a show, made it so that you couldn’t hear anything but their peanut gallery comments.
During intermission, after after struggling with sleep, we decided to leave. Unfortunately, our car had been blocked in (there’s barely any parking, get there early), and it took us about 15 minutes to get our car out of the wedge. Meanwhile, the audience members crowded onto the theatre’s front porch, watching as we tried to maneuver our way out, and cheering and clapping when we finally did.
Something tells me that watching our car get out of that tight spot, was the best entertainment for the evening.