Bakersfield Community Theatre

Bakersfield Community Theatre (BCT), California’s oldest continuously operating community theatre, is seeking to raise $3 million for the development of a new, state-of-the-art performing arts facility in downtown Bakersfield.  Producing quality art each season since 1927, this “A Legacy Beyond” campaign seeks not only to expand the organization’s physical infrastructure from that of its current base on the outskirts of Bakersfield, but to amplify BCT’s 98-year mission: to create inclusive, accessible, and empowering opportunities through live theatre.  

Further future goals include:  a) Expanding the current youth program, mobile classroom programming, and an after-school program; b) Developing Peer Performance Groups for seniors to empower their voice and their place in the community; c) Training upcoming technicians in behind-the-scenes areas (light, sound, stage management, etc.) that can lead to careers in media, entertainment, and live events; d) Supporting the Bakersfield economy by making the “Theatre District” a tourist destination for all; and e) Developing a Bakersfield Performing Arts Archive to preserve scripts, photos, oral histories and original works.