A one-woman show featuring songs from five iconic artists will open at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria on Aug. 14.
In Songs for Nobodies, five famous singers meet five women in a “tour de force of inspiration and resilience,” according to the PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s description. Award-winning actor and singer Bethany Thomas is the sole cast member.
Despite the implication that the ordinary women are “nobodies,” by the end of the show Thomas may convince the audience that everyone’s story is worth hearing.
“Through small encounters and chance meetings they learn they are made of the same stuff,” PCPA director Rob Lindley wrote about the characters in the director’s note. “And we learn that the bathroom attendant, the spotlight operator, the librarian, the reporter, the nanny are just as important as the superstars that enter their lives.”
The play features music by Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, and Maria Callas with songs like “Amazing Grace,” “Ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do,” and “Crazy,” according to press materials.
Songs for Nobodies was written by Joanna Murray-Smith and released in 2010. The show is recommended for ages 12 and up.
After the show ends at the Marian Theatre on Aug. 23, it will run at the Solvang Festival Theater from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7.
More information about tickets and showtimes can be found online at pcpa.org or by calling the box office at (805) 922-8313. The Marian Theatre is located at 800 S. College Drive in Santa Maria, and the Solvang Festival Theater is located at 420 2nd St. in Solvang.
This article appears in Aug 14-24, 2025.