Happy birthday, Sofia: B Street Theatre complex celebrates one-year anniversary

B Street Theatre is celebrating one year at the midtown performing arts complex known as The Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for Performing Arts.

The center opened in February 2018 and features two state-of-the art theaters: one 350-seat theater dedicated to children and a 250-seat main stage theater. The complex also has several practice spaces, a full-service restaurant, an open-air courtyard and a rooftop deck.

The new complex has allowed the company to host more people than its old performance space. B Street spokesman Blake Gillespie said the amount of students who saw performances on field trips rose from 18,500 students per year to 30,577 across four productions in 2018.

In addition to serving students, the complex has drawn visitors from across the state who flock to the complex to see concerts. Ticket receipts in 2018 showed that concert attendees are coming from all over California to see shows in Sacramento, including visitors from the Bay Area and Stockton, according to Gillespie.

In total, concerts at the Sofia have grossed roughly $560,000, Gillespie said.

The company moved from the former B Street Theater at B and 28th streets, which was home to the production company for 30 years.

B Street originally received the land where The Sofia stands — a block from Sutter Medical Center — in 2005 as a donation from Sutter Health. It took more than a decade to raise money and complete construction.

To celebrate the birthday, B Street will host a birthday party Feb. 10. Tickets can be purchased here.

This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Happy birthday, Sofia: B Street Theatre complex celebrates one-year anniversary."