Los Angeles Pierce College Theatre has produced engaging, enlightening and entertaining productions for the community since its early days in the late 1940s.
For nearly 30 years, from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, Theatre Arts at Pierce College existed because of the hard work and dedication of its only theatre instructor, Eugene Francis Dow, and his wife, Ellen Albertini Dow. Using a small, borrowed, tin-roofed bungalow as a theatre, as well as an outdoor venue for regular Shakespeare productions, the Dows built a legacy of live theatre at Pierce and were instrumental in obtaining the funding that led to a beautiful, state-of-the-art Performing Arts Building, which was dedicated in 1981.
The Performing Arts Building, which is currently undergoing an $8 million renovation, with its 345-seat Mainstage Theatre and 100-seat, flexible black-box space (dedicated as The Dow Arena Theatre) serves as an important cultural venue for all manner of Theatre, Music, Dance and other community events. The building will re-open in 2013, and will be known as the Pierce Performing Arts Center.
By the time Eugene Dow retired in 1984, Theatre Arts had become a full-fledged academic department, with a new generation of talented faculty and staff, currently led by Department Chair Valorie Grear. LAPC Theatre students have competed successfully in acting and design categories in regional theatre competitions against 4-year public and private colleges.
LAPC Theatre continues to be a cultural focal point for the San Fernando Valley, showcasing a wide variety of contemporary and classic comedies, dramas and musicals.
Address: 6201 Winnetka Avenue
Woodland Hills, CA 91371
Phone: 818-719-6488
Website: https://www.lapctheatre.org
