Lake Tahoe Community College

At Lake Tahoe Community College, theatre has historically been part of a broader liberal arts environment. Students exploring acting, performance, or technical theatre could engage through electives embedded in the Arts & Humanities emphasis within the Liberal Arts Associate degree. This structure provides flexibility—allowing learners to mix courses in acting, improvisation, voice, and theatre history alongside other humanities disciplines. Such a setup is particularly suited to students aiming to transfer to a four-year institution with a theatre-related major.

The heart of LTCC’s theatre activity is the Duke Theatre—a 192-seat black-box performance space that anchors productions, workshops, and community engagement. While the institution has hosted plays like Godspell, A Christmas Carol, and other one-act revues, much of the performance work involved local and regional talent, often featuring faculty, students, and community actors.

However, the future of the formal Theatre Arts program has been uncertain. Due to declining enrollment—evident in the low number of theatre degrees granted over a span of years—administration has considered discontinuing the credit-based academic program. Instead, there's been discussion around shifting to a “community theatre model,” where external groups, such as local arts organizations, would partner with the college to continue using the Duke Theatre. This model would focus less on curricular instruction and more on regional performance opportunities.

Despite the academic challenges, the theatre scene at LTCC remains vibrant in spirit—driven by community involvement and student interest. Even as credit course offerings may wane, productions continue to take place, and creative opportunities still surface. This environment offers a hands-on, grassroots experience within theatre, even if in an extracurricular or community-led form.

Ultimately, LTCC’s Theatre Arts presence has shifted from a structured educational program toward a more collaborative and community-centered model. For students interested in theatre, the path may lie through electives in liberal arts, transferable general education, and extracurricular participation in performances at the Duke Theatre.

Academic Pathways and Opportunities Related to Theatre at LTCC:

• Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts — Arts & Humanities emphasis (includes theatre-related courses such as Introduction to Theatre, Acting, Voice & Diction, Improvisation, History of Musical Theatre, etc.)

• Theatre participation and production opportunities (primarily through extracurricular or community-partnered performances rather than structured degree or certificate programs)