No curtain call for theater program at LTCC yet

After an outpouring of support from the community, Lake Tahoe Community College's Theater Arts program will continue as its vitality is evaluated and its future determined with the help of a community based task force.

Back in 2014, the theater arts program was evaluated for its vitality. The Student Senate found students couldn't complete the program in a timely fashion because the classes they needed in the major weren't offered often enough, there was an unprecedented decline in enrollment within the program, and there were decreasing or limited number of degrees and certificates award to those participating.

Based on those findings, the LTCC Academic Senate allocated resources to try and boost enrollment in theater classes but the program continued to see a drop in enrollment from 29.08 full time equivalent (FTE) students to 14.16 FTE.

During the fall of 2016, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Dean of Instruction made a recommendation to discontinue the Theatre Arts Program and a public meeting was held, bringing out a packed house at the LTCC Board of Trustees meeting on November 29.

With suggestions made by passionate community members at that meeting, a task force is being formed to look at what the future of theater at LTCC will look like. Will it be a community theater, or one the college runs? For now, the LTCC Board of Trustees has voted to have the only theater faculty member, Susan Boulanger, stay working at LTCC full-time, start teaching an online course to gather more students as well as teaching a speech class. For now there will be one production a year in the Spring.

Scheduling for the Duke Theatre will now be done through the scheduling office under the direction of Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Michelle Risdon.

A reduction of Boulanger's duties will be reconsidered in January of the 2017-18 academic year based on the progress of the program between now and then.

The task force will work with LTCC administration and staff to evaluate what the theater arts program will look like in the Fall Quarter 2017, and how the theater and performances will be run.

For now, the show must go on!