Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts is a community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...

 located at Allan Hancock College
Allan Hancock College
Allan Hancock College is a California public community college located in Santa Maria in northern Santa Barbara County. Approximately 11,000 credit and more than 5,500 noncredit and community services students enroll each semester.-History:...

 in Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...

. This institution on California’s Central Coast not only provides professional theatre year round but also trains acting and technical artisans for careers in the theatre. The two-year program is the only one of its kind offered by a community college. Unlike most university programs in partnership with professional companies, PCPA fully integrates its resident artists into the studios, shops, and classrooms providing each student with direct mentorship experiences in their area of specialization. The PCPA student learns from, and most importantly, learns with working professionals.

Degree

From onstage to offstage, PCPA’s Conservatory provides specialized training for its students. The two-year vocational certificate program combines lectures, labs and classes with the practical hands-on training which students learn when mounting a fully realized production. Conservatory students are mentored by practicing professionals in the classroom.

For actors, the comprehensive curriculum offers no elective subjects. It is a full-time, six- days-a-week commitment. Classes include Acting, Voice, Movement, Musical Theatre Ensemble, Shakespeare, Theatre History, Stage Combat and more. The technical theatre students examine all aspects of production enabling them to develop as designers, craftspeople and technicians. Their areas of study include Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound, Drawing and Rendering, Costuming and Scene Painting.

Internships

PCPA offers internships for aspiring theatre professionals. The Actors Ensemble Interns perform in PCPA’s Education and Outreach Tour acting and conducting workshops for grade levels K-12 in area schools. These performance interns also have the opportunity to appear in Mainstage productions. The Technical Theatre Interns hone their skills in a broad range of areas including Stage Management, Scenic Design, Sound Design, Scenic Artist, Carpentry, Lighting, Properties, Costume Design and Costuming Crafts.

PCPA presented 137 education and outreach performances to more than 25,000 K-12 students from Ventura to Paso Robles and was honored by the California State Senate and State Assembly for "10 years of dedication to bring the arts to students in the schools."

Alumni

Over the years, PCPA’s conservatory alumni have gone on to become distinguished theatrical professionals. Among the school’s alumni are a number of household names including Academy Award winners Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...

, Mercedes Ruehl
Mercedes Ruehl
Mercedes J. Ruehl is an American theater, television and film actor.-Personal life:Ruehl was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, the daughter of Mercedes J., a school teacher, and Vincent Ruehl, an FBI agent. She was raised Catholic. Her father was of German and Irish descent and her...

, and Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...

, as well as three-time Tony Award-winning stage actor Boyd Gaines. Bates, who was a summer intern in summers of 1968 and 1969, fondly recalled, “We ate, drank and slept theater. It was a way to work in a real Equity (the professional actors’union) Theater and really learn our craft.” Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...

, a Disney actor also appeared as a young performer in multiple PCPA productions.

Support

PCPA relies heavily on the generosity of its patrons and donors to continue its over four-decades of artistry. Coordinated by PCPA Foundation, its major campaign of the year "Act Now!" in 2009 raised over $272,000 for student scholarship.
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