The Torrance Theatre Company is a program of the Torrance Cultural Services Division, and performs at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, the largest arts complex in the South Bay area. The complex features the state-of-the-art, 502-seat James Armstrong Theatre, the George Nakano Theatre, which is a black-box theatre, and studio rehearsal space.
The City of Torrance Cultural Services Division, created in the late 1990's to further the arts in the community through classes and various programs. One of the most important components of this mission was to resuscitate the 'summer musical' which the City's Parks and Recreation Department produced for many years. After almost a decade absence, the Cultural Services Division brought back the musical to the James Armstrong Theatre in 1999 with a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Since 1999 the Company produced, Jesus Christ Superstar (2000), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2001), South Pacific (2002), and Anything Goes (2003). In addition to the summer musicals, the Company also produced several smaller-scaled, or black-box shows including, Antigone (2001), Our Town (2002), and The Fantasticks (2002).
In 2004 the Company presented its Inaugural Season, featuring 4 black-box shows and the summer musical. The line-up included, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged, The Odd Couple, The Sound of Music, The Crucible, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The shows were well-attended, and received great reviews from local and industry publications, including 2 spots on the Daily Breeze's Top Ten Shows of 2004 and several mentions in BackStage West recognizing excellence in theatre for the entire Southern California area.
In 2005 the TTC presented its second season, again with 4 black-box shows and the summer musical. The line-up was The Taming of the Shrew, The Nerd, Camelot, The Lion in Winter and The Pirates of Penzance. The final show of the season Pirates, sold-out entirely and ended the 2005 season with a bang. Once again, attendance and critical acclaim were impressive. The Taming of the Shrew was on the Top 10 list of 2005 shows in the local paper.
In 2006 the TTC presented its third season, including Biloxi Blue, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Cabaret and The Glass Menagerie in the black-box and Grease in the Armstrong Theatre. The company worked with 4 different directors during this season which made for a variety of approaches to the work, and 4 very different end results. Again the TTC enjoyed recognition in the best of 2006 in the local papers for the work done in The Glass Menagerie and Grease.
In 2007 the TTC celebrated another critically-acclaimed and well-attended season, with the line-up of Nunsense, Spitfire Grill, Proof, and Rumors in the black-box, and West Side Story in the Armstrong. West Side Story was the biggest undertaking for the TTC in the 9 years since the resurrection of the summer musical, with a 21-piece orchestra and the original Jerome Robbins choreography. With that show, the bar was raised for the TTC.
In 2008 the TTC presented its 5th annual season with the critically acclaimed production of Into the Woods, presented in the round at the Nakano, followed by The Laramie Project, Baby, and the sold-out production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever; the summer musical was a highly successful production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
The TTC Producer is involved with other arts programs based at the TCAC and other City facilities, including Shakespeare in the Park, StarLight Productions (Youth Theatre), the annual 4th of July celebration, the Torrance Civic Chorale, the Regina Klenjoski Dance Company, numerous dance and music recitals, theatrical classes, camps and other performance-based programs for the division, department and City.
