For nearly a decade, 3Below Theaters has been offering a smorgasbord of family-friendly theater and movies in its three venues on the ground floor of a downtown San Jose parking garage.
But now its movie singalongs, parodies, drag brunches, musicals and classic film screenings are coming to an end. Its current production of “The Bardy Bunch” – which combines “The Brady Bunch,” “The Partridge Family,” Shakespeare and musical theater – will be its last. After the run concludes on April 26, the company plans to vacate the space, which is owned by the City of San Jose.
Scott Guggenheim, who with his wife Shannon Guggenheim owns 3Below Theaters, cited an ongoing landlord dispute as one major factor in what he called a “difficult” decision, announced on March 17.
“There were … specific issues – particularly around construction, signage, and commitments that were not fully realized,” he told the Chronicle in an emailed statement.
Most immediately, he blamed “the installation of a new sign 6 stories tall on the exterior of the building directly in front of the theater.”
3Below’s “The Bardy Bunch” will be the company’s final production. (3Below)
“During that process, our existing theater signage – which is critical for visibility, wayfinding, and audience awareness – was impacted and ultimately removed without permission,” he continued.
Guggenheim also cited high utility bills, an elevator that didn’t work for “nearly two years” and a decades-old HVAC system “that was supposed to be replaced in 2018.”
Vicki Day, a spokesperson with the San Jose City Manager’s office, lamented the closure but contended, “The City has operated fully within the bounds of the existing lease agreement with 3Below.”
“We are saddened that, as 3Below owners describe, the business was unable to gain its footing following the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said in a statement to the Chronicle.
Day added that the city has no comment on future tenant opportunities for the site.
Julia Wade as Red Martin, left, and Susan Gundunas as Bubbie in “The People in the Picture” at 3Below Theaters and Lounge. (Kersh Branz Photography/3Below Theaters and Lounge)
The disagreement compounded broader challenges common to many theater companies that have closed in the pandemic’s wake, including changing audience behavior and increased costs.
“We worked hard to find solutions and remain in the space, but ultimately, it became clear that continuing was not viable under the current conditions,” Guggenheim said.
Still, he continued, “Our focus right now is on the positive – celebrating what 3Below has meant to the community and inviting people in during these final weeks.”
It’s also selling off its physical assets, including lighting, sound and projection equipment; musical instruments and popcorn machines; and show-specific sets, props and costumes such as gold nesting trunks from “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.”
The company, which launched in 2017, has faced challenges before. In 2021, the Chronicle reported on backlash 3Below weathered after casting a production of “Into the Woods” with only white actors in a city where white people make up only a quarter of the population.
3Below’s “The Bardy Bunch” will be the company’s final production. (3Below)
The company – part of a group of entities all tied to the Guggenheim family, including Guggenheim Entertainment and San Jose Playhouse – joins a growing list of theater closures. Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Aurora Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, PianoFight, Bay Area Children’s Theatre and the Exit Theatre’s Eddy Street venue have all shut their doors in recent years.
For Lisa Mallette, executive artistic director of City Lights Theater Company, which is located just two blocks away from 3Below, that list is “staggering.”
“My heart goes out to the staff, the artists, and the patrons who loved this company,” she said in a statement.
This article originally published at This Bay Area theater is closing. Its owners blame a dispute with the city.
