At 3,000 seats and a driving distance of only 22 miles from Downtown Auburn, the new Thunder Valley Casino performing arts center promises to ramp up the entertainment quotient in Placer County.

How major the scale of the performances will be is still a moot point but a comparison of other local entertainment venues, their capacities and who they’re now drawing gives a clear indication that the Lincoln-area theater will be a regional destination attracting further traffic off Interstate 80 and away from Reno and South Lake Tahoe.

Sleep Train Amphitheater in Marysville, the Arco Arena, and Sacramento’s Raley Field provide some perspective on what kind of locations top acts are seeking for summertime shows. The Police and Elvis Costello touched down on Sleep Train this past Thursday. It has a seating capacity of 18,500. Raley Field will welcome the Dave Matthews Band Aug. 25. Taking over the River Cats playing field, the ballpark can hold 17,000.

Sacramento’s Arco Arena provides an all-weather concert location, holds 17,500, and is playing host to Dolly Parton, New Kids on the Block and Neil Diamond in coming months.

Unless you’re willing to travel and burn up some of that $4.30-a-gallon gas, the options grow increasingly slim as capacity narrows. You have the Bay Area’s Shoreline Amphitheatre, with 22,000 seats, the Stockton Arena (11,000), Berkeley’s Greek Theatre (8,000) and the Fillmore in San Francisco (1,100) but they’re basically eating up a lot of time and gas.

So Thunder Valley sits in an enviable position of being able to catch some of the better casino-level acts, find some rising stars before they get too big for the hall, and provide a good space for some of the best comic talents.

It will be a step up in capacity from Sacramento’s Community Center Theater, which holds 2,452. That theater plays host to comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby, while welcoming touring Broadway shows like The Lion King.

By way of comparison, Kenny G will be at the downtown Sacramento venue on Sept. 26, Johnny Mathis rolls in on Sept. 11 and Jordin Sparks, with Jesse McCartney are performing Aug. 5.

That seems to be just about the comfort zone Thunder Valley will provide. Add in some rock road warriors like Styx, Journey and Cheap Trick, mix in some martial arts (seats can be pulled back to provide ring space) and we’re looking at one sizeable venue.

With a 6,000-space parking garage, locals as well as visitors from around the region will be well-served with a new entertainment destination in two years when construction of the expanded casino is complete.

MADE-IN-AUBURN FILM

“Claire,” a short-subject film made in the Auburn area this past spring, will get its first local screening this coming Saturday at the State Theater.

Replete with its new retro sign, the stately State will welcome director Jenny Lee and Auburn-raised Gareth Smith for a showing of the 19-minute film about relationships.

Lee and Smith provided the creative “oomph” for the credits to the hit indie film “Juno,” and were in Auburn in April to not only share some of the details of that movie’s creative process at the State but to film in locations like Old Town’s Mary Belle’s Restaurant.

Lee and Smith have returned from Los Angeles to provide a chance to view the film with local residents who helped or acted in the production. It's also open to the general public.

“Claire” will be shown at a free screening at 11 a.m. Saturday. A Q&A will follow, with Smith and Lee, as well as lead actors Fred Burks of Auburn and Lois Mills of Citrus Heights, and the film’s music composer.

Media Life’s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com or call (530) 852-0232.