Welcome to MPC Theatre Arts

The Theatre Arts program allows you to gain skills sharpening your mind, body, and voice. The department offers a range of classes for those just getting started in performance and seeking general theatre appreciation all the way to more advanced specialized classes in physical theatre, mastering styles, or specific technical theatre study in stage craft, costumes, lighting, and sound. We currently offer AA degrees in technical theatre as well as performance, with specialized tracks in acting and musical theatre.

In Spring 2025 MPC is offering a full suite of classes, details on class offerings can be found here.

Additional details on upcoming productions and auditions will be posted on this page as information becomes available.

An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe (October 25 - November 3)

Prepare for a spine-tingling night of suspense and mystery with "An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe!"

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Adapted by Robert Mason
Directed by Todd Siff on the Morgan Stock Stage

Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.(www.playscripts.com)

Enter the wonderfully creepy world of Edgar Allan Poe with six faithful adaptations of some of his most haunting works. From old favorites such as The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart to lesser known gems like The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether, this collection of short plays represents Poe at his most horrifying.

Director Notes:
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most influential literary figures of the last three hundred years. His horror-filled works are part of our cultural consciousness. MPC Theatre Arts is excited to bring six of his classic tales to life on the Morgan Stock Stage for the Halloween season! Our production features stage adaptations of the following classic tales: The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether, and The Purloined Letter. An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe features over 25 MPC students, staff, and community members. The production will combine Poe's tales from the 19th century with modern lighting and projection to create a unique experience for the Monterey Peninsula theatre audience!

About the Director:
Todd Siff is a theatre practitioner, musician, and arts educator. He received his BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University and his MFA in Directing/Theatre for Youth from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Before his arrival at Monterey Peninsula College, he served as the Associate Professor of Theatre and Performing Arts Department Chair at Florida Gateway College for five years. He also served as a lecturer at the University of North Carolina Greensboro for two years.

Todd's professional career includes working for The Huntington Theatre (Boston, MA), The Zach Scott Theatre (Austin, TX), Triad Stage (Greensboro, NC) and The Australian Theatre for Young People (Sydney, AUS). Professional Theatrical Credits include: Entomo (Off-Broadway), Wolf Child: The Correction of Joseph (TIFLI International Theatre Festival, India), The Laramie Project (Australian Theatre for Young People), Hello Out There (Triad Stage), and The Road to Mecca (Huntington Theatre).

His current professional theatrical projects include an adaptation of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and a theatre-for-social change devised play series called The Acceptance Project.

Top Girls (November 14 - November 24)

Step into the bold and thought-provoking world of "Top Girls", where ambition, sacrifice, and success collide in one powerful play. Don’t miss this daring exploration of feminism and power!

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Directed by Laura Coté in the Studio Theatre

“Top Girls” is a hysterical, surrealistic, and groundbreaking play about who wins or loses when women put themselves first. Marlene has just been promoted to be Managing Director of the Top Girls Employment Agency in London, but at what cost? Her ascent from blue-collar roots to the executive suite required both personal and professional sacrifices. Famously using iconic female historical and mythological figures, the play explores the realities of being female and the potential price of achieving success in a patriarchal society.  Set against Margaret Thatcher’s Britain in the early 1980s, and the evolving complexities of modern feminism, this all-female cast of characters tackles the question of what it actually takes to succeed in today’s business world. First produced over 40 years ago this play was recently heralded as one of the top 100 of the modern era. Times change, or do they?
Recommended for 13 years + for mature content.

“Top Girls” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com