Bruka Theatre of the Sierra

Small intimate theater. Friendly bar staff. Tickets are a little pricey, but keep it local right?!? The play we saw was not stellar but it was an enjoyable experience. Have also seen their children’s theater preform and that was fun!

I realize how important local theater is, especially for the up and coming youg actors involved. And I applaud their mentors. Bruka is critical to this community, and we enjoyed one other production there this year.
However, we just saw *The Buttcracker* and I realized that my expectation of parody is that it be nearly as polished as what it mocks, with elements of surprise in its timing.
This production seemed like a free-​for-​all, tacky and juvenile.
The Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot distinguishes between the parody and the burlesque, «A good parody is a fine amusement, capable of amusing and instructing the most sensible and polished minds; the burlesque is a miserable buffoonery which can only please the populace.»
Lastly, the couch seating is a great concept, but truly, they need replacing to avoid injuring backs. Ouch! And bah humbug!

Bruka Theatre is the tops when it comes to local theatre. Is it because every production is flawless? Not at all! But really, does any theatre company produce ONLY flawless, amazing shows? And who decides what makes a show «good»? When it comes to theatre and storytelling, there is a lot of grey area and subjectivity involved. Bruka does not necessarily pick shows that have broad commercial appeal. You will probably never see «Oklahoma!» or any Neil Simon play here, but your perception of the world is likely to be challenged (intellectually, emotionally, philosophically, etc). Depending on the show, you may or may not be comfortable in what you just saw, and other times, you might just smile and laugh your booty off.
Why does Bruka get more stars than any of the other local theatre companies in my eyes? Well, truly, Bruka has set the bar for Reno theatre. This is the theatre company that all the most talented performers in town aspire to work with. If it wasn’t for Bruka, the strong work that is coming out of GLM and RLT would not occur. From its inception, Bruka has always aimed to push the envelope in whatever way the company could. In its early days, that involved a great deal of what I call «alienation theatre», attempting to be edgy for the sake of edginess and innovation (which reeks of pretense, IMO). In those days (late 90’s), no one else in town was even attempting that kind of storytelling. It wasn’t always fun to watch. Oftentimes, it wasn’t fun at all. But the folks involved were giving every ounce of their passion and creativity to their endeavor, which at the very least, translates into a degree of watchability for me. In recent years, under the direction of Mary Bennett, Bruka has evolved past «alienation theatre». They still do edgy, contemporary theatre that has less commercial appeal than what some of the other companies do, but it’s in line with their mission («to create and share the experience of innovative theatre»). There is less alienation and more laughter at Bruka these days…“Bruka” means «bridge» in German. The aim of this company is to take the audience on a journey to some new, uncharted territory. You might not like every single show at Bruka, but you will likely be challenged in a non-​preachy way without being too uncomfortable and hating what you just saw. I have a lot of respect for this artistic philosophy, because every theatrical production (and artistic creation, for that matter) is a gamble. For me, it’s not about firing on all cylinders all the time (which is unsustainable and impossible when dealing with subjective media). Bruka keeps pushing forward and trying to evolve, which makes other companies follow suit. I have a lot of respect for that.
They have an awesome children’s workshop during the summer, and have been offering ongoing theatre training through their «Artist In The House» series. They also offer a wide variety of productions in their Sub-​Bruka space (downstairs), where you may see a dance performance, live music, original play (or play reading), or their popular «Late Night TV Show” — an innovative, locally written take of a classic sitcom. «Late Night TV» shows are frequently performed about a half-​hour after a mainstage show has ended.
To the casual audience member, I suggest taking a little time to do a little research online before selecting a show to attend. It’s not so much that you need to do homework as an audience member, but because you will have a better contextual idea of the story you are about to see and you will know whether or not it will appeal to you. When Bruka is at its best, it is powerful, infectious and undeniable. Other times, there is much more gray involved. Creating and performing art is risky business, but the rewards an audience can take home from quality theatre are immeasurable and well worth your time and money!

Saw «Wonder of the World» last night. It was a GREAT show. The acting and directing was incredible. If you have not been to Bruka it is time to catch one of their shows and this would be the perfect first time show. Once you see one you will be hooked and will settle for nothing less than season tickets.

I love this theatre! Perfectly intimate with little black loveseats (very comfortable!) positioned so theres not a bad seat in the house! The staff are lovely and good fun. Watched Wonder of the World and had laughed my ass off.
The only reason i didn’t give 5 stars is for the 1 stall bathroom which can make for long waits. Again, this theatre is itty bitty, but well worth your time!

Wild oats. Fabulous!!! What a great show.. Fun, entertaining, great acting. What a great evening Bruka!

cozy little theatre with a fabulous group of volunteers. A lot of good local talent that puts on an eclectic selection of productions. All of them good! Beer, wine, and some hard drinks are available. Limited snacks. Long lines for bathrooms.

Great local theater on comfortable couches. All seats are good. Local actors/​actresses are very talented. We are always impressed with the acting and the sets– great value too. I do wish they had better snack choices at the snack bar.

I have seen two shows of the 2014 fall season.
Impressed by the quality of volunteers.
Impressed by acting talent and the theater itself. Intimate and not a bad seat in the house. As a patron you are taken care of and invested in. The choices of theater have been under four cast members and makes the quality of acting, sound, lighting, and stage craft all the more evident.
The only complaint I can even muster would be something completely out of the companies control. The walls are thin and street noise comes in. However you will most probably be caught in the rapture of the humanity spilling out in front of you to notice.

This great company has delivered some of the best arts entertainment and education to the Reno community. I’ve never been underwhelmed with any of their shows. REEFER MADNESS THE MUSICAL was especially hilarious, and they presented one of the best renditions of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW ever. I follow them on Facebook, and I’m looking forward to catching their reenactments of late-​night TV shows the next time I’m in town.

Saw Shirley Valentine here last weekend. It was one of the best live performance experiences I have ever had.
Fantastic venue, great staff.

I saw Buttcracker here in December. The breakdown of my experience:
Tickets: Purchased online. Easy-​peasy. A little pricey, but that seems to be the trend in this area for community theatre, and I’ll happily pay for quality art and entertainment. Support the local arts!
Arrival: It was COLD outside, and I arrived a bit early because I had seen on facebook that the event was sold out, and I wanted good seats. They had someone directing patrons to their seats, which I guess is better than open seating for getting that many people in a tight space without wasted seats, but it was SLOOOOW going, and I did NOT enjoy my time in the cold outside waiting for the line to move! Still, not a deterring factor – just something I’d like to see streamlined a little more in the future.
Staff: The folks working here were FABULOUS. Ticket-​takers, handing out programs, greeting and directing us to seats… All wonderful! So many smiling, welcoming faces. Almost made me forget about the long wait outside.
Seating: OUCH! No, literally – OUCH! They have a great, unique approach to seating, offering clean, modern-​looking couches instead of hard chairs or standard auditorium fare. I was looking forward to that. However, they apparently calculate seating assuming four people to a couch, and that is NOT realistic! Three people, absolutely, but four is more than a stretch. I was physically in pain for the entire performance. Maybe they oversold tickets and were trying to accommodate everybody who wanted to see the show before it closed, but they sacrificed the comfort of those who purchased tickets in advance and came with larger groups to accommodate those who missed the deadline. Tricky line to walk, and I was on the lousy end of it.
Performance: Hmmm… I don’t want to badmouth an original production that clearly took a lot of time, energy, and LOVE to put on, but I didn’t love watching it. The choreography was fun, the music was from the Nutcracker ballet and not to be poo-​pooed, but the sound quality through the speakers was painful at times, and the voice-​over was very inconsistent in terms of volume (sometimes ear-​piercingly loud, sometimes almost impossible to hear). The lighting was good, the set was effective, the performers were clearly having a great time… I guess that’s it. The PERFORMERS were having a great time. I wasn’t. I felt like I had just paid a pretty penny to watch people goof around with their friends on stage. It reminded me of neighborhood kids getting together to put on a skit for their neighbors. The concept was cute – zombies! Who doesn’t love that?!? And adding humor to what I find a long and dull ballet to watch year after year was a stroke of brilliance! Just… It wasn’t very polished. Dancers were not in sync, actors were giggling and laughing and breaking character…
HOWEVER! I seemed to be the ONLY person in the audience having this sort of reaction! That is IMPORTANT – if ONE person out of an overcrowded house isn’t loving it but thinks it’s cute and EVERYONE ELSE is rolling with laughter… Well, I’m thinking this just wasn’t the show for me.
I look forward to seeing more productions here. I’ve seen several of their stock actors performing elsewhere, and I know them to be very gifted. I hear wonderful things about this company, and the venue and people are fantastic! Maybe I’ll just stick with something a little less «original» next time?

Love this venue! Comfy couches to cuddle up with your loved one while you watch some great plays. Staff are a delight and you’ll never know whom you might see there!

My Giant and I went to go see the «Buttcracker» which was super original and fun. The seating were comfy couches and well placed. The music was set to the actual Nutcracker… which was fun to see a different turn on the actual ballet. I had a great time. Lots of convenient parking all around the facility.

We have been to a number of shows here and I am feeling really mixed about Bruka. The staff are friendly, they are accommodating and make the patrons feel totally welcomed. Definitely 5 stars. Buying tickets is a breeze — we have done it both on line and by calling the box office directly — again 5 stars for customer service. The seating in the theater is comfy (Wow, couches!) and for every show I have been to sight lines are good. With the arena type seating, there is never the tall person in front of you blocking your view. Again, 5 stars. Sets and costumes have always been good. This is community theater so I don’t expect Broadway (or even Las Vegas) sets and costumes. They do well with what is a non-​theater space. Costumes are authentic even for period pieces.
Where I feel I need to mark them down is the over all production especially for the last show. I did not like the musical «Wild Party» at all. I am not marking them down for the content or the subject matter. I am marking them down for the quality of the execution of the music. Much of the time the music sounded very off key. The performers had strong voices, enunciated well and seemed to know their parts well. Musically, it did not work. The discordant music was very jarring and made the show almost unbearable.
Some of the shows I have enjoyed very much, but others, not so much. I will continue to attend performances. I am hoping that I will be able to up my rating in the future

This is such a tiny place, but they can do a lot with it. I just saw 39 Steps. The atmosphere was great. The tickets are reasonable ($ 18 online). Be sure to get them online, they can sell out quickly. The couches are comfortable. The draft Ichy was $ 4. I’ll definitely be back.

I hereby resolve to come to these productions more often.
When I heard they were doing «The Book of Liz,» written by two of the most hilarious people in the Universe according to me (David and Amy Sedaris), I jumped at the chance to see it, and I’m so very glad I did. To be honest, I hadn’t been to Bruka since elementary school field trip days, and that’s a shame. It’s small, friendly, down-​to-​earth, full of talent, and comfortable. The seating consists mainly of large, plush couches – AWESOME. And the bar downstairs serves Great Basin Icky, our proudly local brew of choice.
This place deserves your support!

The Bruka is a nice little theatre. The performances are thought-​provoking and often times quite funny. The talent of the actors is consistently good. Staff are always helpful, courteous, and even entertaining! The seating is nice. I’ve sat in different parts of the main (upstairs) venue, and have never had a problem seeing or hearing what was happening on stage. There are regular seats, but I opt for one of the sofas — very comfortable. Downstairs there is a walk-​up window that sells beverages, including wine/​beer. The presence of Bruka really enhances the Reno artistic scene.

Darling little black box theatre. Its not really fair to review this place based on a single performance, so I’ll try to touch on the non-​performance aspects.
Seating was comfortable, on IKEA-​esq sofas, with clean black slip covers (th front row had typical theatre seating). I was surprised there were not more sugglers/​loungers, like we were. However, the sofas may cause drowsiness.
We had no problems with sightlines, or acoustics. Never did we strain to hear what was being said, or jostling around to get a better view of the stage.
Bathroom is downstairs and a single stall, so lines can get long. There is also a small bar downstairs, and another small intimate stage. I can’t imagine that they ever do 2 shows at the same time (it would be too noisy I think), so not sure what the other stage is for. Maybe just rehearsals?
Lighting, costumes, set pieces/​props all looked great. Certainly not as extravagant as a Broadway show, but very much inline with a good community theatre play.
Next time I’m in Reno, I will be sure to check out the Bruka again.

Bruka Theatre is a long-​running local community theater that presents a wide variety of plays and musicals each season. I’ve been there many times, and it’s a fun, quirky place to support local theater.
Inside, the seating is all on ratty, secondhand couches, from loveseats to big sectionals. If you’re in a group of two or three, you’ll probably get your own couch, but if you’re by yourself or arrive late, you sit wherever there’s room, so arrive early for the best seats. There are a couple of rows of movie-​theater-​type seats in the front for those who don’t want to lounge on musty, funky couches.
Drinks (including beer and wine) and snacks are sold downstairs, which is also where the bathrooms are (beware, the ladies’ room is a scary one-​seater, so it’s best to go before you go). Some productions are also presented downstairs, where there’s a small stage and some café-​style table seating.
You don’t receive actual paper tickets — call in advance to book seats or pay at the door. They will validate parking at the nearby parking garage at 1^st and Sierra, but you have to remember to bring your ticket along.
While the quality of the material, acting, and sets varies, an evening at Bruka is usually entertaining, if nothing else. But beware — if the play you’re seeing is a yawner, those comfy couches make it all too easy to fall asleep. And yes, the audience and the actors can hear you snore.