Hammer Theatre Center

The Hammer Theatre was completed in 1997. It was built via a collaboration between the San José Redevelopment Agency and San José Repertory Theatre Company to provide a permanent home for that company. The Hammer Theatre’s name recognizes former San José Mayor Susan Hammer and her husband Phil Hammer, a San José Rep Board Trustee, who were instrumental in fundraising for the theatre.

Shuttered since San José Rep closed in June 2014, the Hammer Theatre reopened in March 2016 as a distinctive, high-quality performance venue in the heart of downtown San José. Operated by San José State University, the theatre serves the university and the community through high-quality programming expressive of the unique characteristics and diverse cultures that comprise Silicon Valley.

A partnership between San José State University and the city of San José enabled the reopening of the Hammer Theatre in March 2016 as a modern performance venue. The Hammer now showcases live theatre, music, dance, and film expressive of the city’s diversity and Silicon Valley’s innovations.