For teenagers, finding activities to do in Turlock and Modesto can be difficult. When going to the movies, out to dinner, and bowling start becoming redundant activities, people tend to look elsewhere for amusement. One fairly new activity to try is the Gallo Center. The Gallo Center for the Arts is located on I Street in Modesto and hosts performances from 10 to 6 PM on Monday through Friday, and 12 to 6 PM on Saturdays.

  The Gallo Center can hold conferences as well as host magicians, plays, comedians, musicals and kid plays. The Center holds both the Foster Family Theater and the Mary Stuart Rodgers Theater. The Foster Family Theater seats about 444 people and is used for smaller plays and performances. The limited seating keeps the audience closer to the stage and performance. The Mary Stuart Rodgers Theater seats about 1250 people and holds most of the performances.

  In spring of 1997, Marie Gallo was put in charge of assembling a research team to find out if they would be able to build a performing arts center. After years of trying to fundraise the money needed to be able to open the Gallo Center, it was finally completed in 2007. The Gallo Center has been held together by its array of volunteers, and works as a non-profit organization supported only by ticket sales and donations. Volunteers are essential as they run concessions, ticket sales and work as ushers. In fact, there are a lot of employment and volunteer opportunities available at the Gallo Center website.

  This spring, the theater is expected to host The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Mamma Mia, Jack and the Beanstalk, Romeo and Juliet, Stuart Little, The Man Who Planted Trees, Anything Goes and The Sound of Music. I encourage you to take a trip to the Gallo Center, especially if you have never seen a play. The Gallo Center has great customer service and a comfortable environment, even for people who have never experienced live theater before.