For Margaret Kane, the story of Sacramento’s Music Circus isn’t just history. It’s something that needed capturing before it slipped away.
Her new book, “Broadway Sacramento: 75 Years of Theater Magic,” is the result of that urgency. What began as an idea in 2023 grew into a two-and-a-half-year labor of research, writing, design and production.
“I felt a real urgency to preserve these stories while the people who lived them were still here to tell them,” Kane says.
Her sense of timing defines the book. It’s not simply a retrospective. It’s a living record shaped by the voices of those who built and sustained one of Sacramento’s most beloved cultural institutions.
Kane’s connection to Music Circus began soon after she moved to Sacramento in 1984. Like so many in the audience, she was drawn by the immediacy of the experience: the intimacy of theater-in-the-round, the energy of live performances, the tradition of summer nights under the tent.
What started as admiration evolved into involvement, including her service as board chair of Broadway Sacramento, the nonprofit that runs Music Circus. Over time, she came to understand not just what happens on stage, but what it takes to keep a theater company thriving.
That perspective shaped how she approached the book.
Kane began with the archives and widened her lens. She spent countless hours combing newspaper records and reading more than 1,000 articles documenting the company’s evolution. But the most meaningful material came from people.
“I interviewed about 45 artists, staff members and leaders,” she says. “Their voices became the heart of the book.”
The result is a narrative that feels personal and immediate, less like a formal history and more like a conversation across generations.
The process required discipline that mirrors a theatrical production: steady, daily work, with the final shape emerging over time.
“It was a lesson in persistence,” Kane says. “I worked on it every day and let the structure reveal itself.”
One moment reassured her she was on the right track. A writer friend with no theater background read an early draft and called it “a page-turner.”
From that reaction, Kane says, “I realized the story could reach beyond theater people.”
Still, the scope presented challenges. Chronicling 75 years of productions, personalities and turning points meant making choices—what to include, what to leave out.
“That was one of the hardest parts,” Kane says. “There’s just so much history.”
Beyond the writing, she navigated the complexities of publishing—photo permissions, design decisions and assembling the right creative team. It was a second education after an accomplished career.
Kane holds a Ph.D. from Harvard and spent years in business leadership, but this project reflects something more personal: a lifelong love of theater and a deep respect for the role it plays in community life.
That sense of community is central to Music Circus and her book.
“It’s for theater lovers, Sacramento history readers, longtime Music Circus audiences,” she says. “And anyone interested in how an arts organization survives and thrives over time.”
The story is about more than performances. It’s about resilience, reinvention and the people who keep showing up, on stage and off.
For generations, Music Circus has been a shared experience, a place where memories are made. Kane’s book captures that continuity, preserving not just productions, but the spirit behind them.
In doing so, she has ensured that the story of this theater—its risks, triumphs and community—will endure.
For information on “Broadway Sacramento: 75 Years of Theater Magic,” visit margaretlkane.com.
Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
