About TCOE Theatre Company

The goals of TCOE Theatre Company include:

  • providing every Tulare County student with early exposure to and participation in the theatre arts;
  • teaching solid fundamental theatre skills while providing high-quality training in acting, voice, and dance;
  • instilling professional discipline and work ethics through challenging and inspiring projects;
  • offering guidance for youth pursuing higher education or careers in the performing arts;
  • supporting theatre enrichment programs in schools and organizations throughout the County;
  • and giving young people a safe and encouraging place to create and express themselves.
The Theatre Company offers a constant stream of workshop and performance opportunities for students throughout Tulare County. Check out the Productions, Classes and Workshops, and OnStage Program links to the left or in the menu for more information. In addition, Theatre Company staff members are available as a resource and to visit school sites to work with existing classes and programs.

In the spring of 2022, the Theatre Company began increasing its number of workshops and spreading them throughout the county. In lieu of its former annual spring production, the group began focusing on providing more training opportunities. “This new direction for the Theatre Company has the potential to spark a passion for performing in more young people across the county,” said Tim Hire, Tulare County Superintendent of Schools. “I encourage district superintendents who want to bring our Theatre Company staff to their area to reach out to us.”

For more information, contact Theatre Company director, Bethany Rader, at bethany.rader@tcoe.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can participate in TCOE Theatre Company activities?

Any 1st - 12th grade student who either lives in or attends a school in Tulare County.

What kind of experience do students need in order to participate?

No experience is necessary. Join us!

Are scholarships available?

No student is ever turned away due to an inability to pay. Contact Bethany Rader at bethany.rader@tcoe.org for a scholarship.

When are your next auditions?

Check out our Productions and Callboard pages for more information.

I'm a teacher/administrator, can you come to my school site?

Yes! Please reach out to Bethany Rader at bethany.rader@tcoe.org so we can customize an activity that works for you.

How do I get more information?

Click around on this website and feel free to visit our Contact Us page for ways to get in touch!

History of the Theatre Company
Former County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak and former Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Sally Bakke created the Theatre Company in 1998. Inaugural staff members included director Brian Roberts, music director Charlotte Garcia Da Rosa, and choreographer Nicole Zweifel. Since then the company has produced over 60 full-length theatrical performances and served thousands of students. The company performed the world premiere of an original musical production, Rancho Tesoro, in 2010 which was written by Brian Roberts. More recently, our staff kept the Theatre Company going during the COVID-19 pandemic with online content including several virtual workshops, masterclasses with Broadway actors, online musicals, and another original piece: an adaptation from a book into a play by Nicole Zweifel. Our current director, Bethany Rader, took over the reins in 2016. You can find out more about her and the rest of our current staff by clicking Meet Our Staff.
List of Past Productions
  • Bye Bye Birdie – Summer 1998
  • The Sound of Music – Summer 1999
  • Peter Pan – Summer 2000
  • The Music Man – Summer 2001
  • Me and My Girl – Summer 2002
  • Annie Get Your Gun – Spring 2003
  • The King and I – Summer 2003
  • Regards to Broadway (Revue) – Winter 2003
  • The Wizard of Oz – Spring 2004
  • West Side Story – Summer 2004
  • Seussical – Spring 2005
  • Beauty and the Beast – Summer 2005
  • Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys (Recital) – Fall 2005
  • Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Winter 2006
  • Aladdin JR. – Spring 2006
  • The Secret Garden – Summer 2006
  • Jungle Fever (Troupe) – Fall 2006
  • Annie – Spring 2007
  • Cats – Summer 2007
  • High School Musical – Fall 2007
  • Les Miserables – Summer 2008
  • Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka JR. – Fall 2008
  • Beauty and the Beast Medley, Enchanted Medley, and Wicked Medley (Recital) – Spring 2009
  • Anything Goes – Summer 2009
  • Honk JR. – Fall 2009
  • The King and I – Spring 2010
  • Rancho Tesoro – Summer 2010
  • Meet Me in St. Louis – Fall 2010
  • Theatre Goes to the Dogs, 101 Dalmatians Kids, and songs from You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Recital) – Spring 2011
  • Hairspray – Summer 2011
  • Mulan JR. – Fall 2011
  • Fabulous 50’s Flashback featuring songs from Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, and Rock N Roll is Here To Stay Medley (Recital) – Spring 2012
  • Big River – Summer 2012
  • The Little Mermaid JR. –  Fall 2012
  • Britain on Broadway featuring songs from Mary Poppins, Oliver!, Sweeney Todd, and more (Recital) – Spring 2013
  • Shrek The Musical – Summer 2013
  • Oklahoma! – Fall 2013
  • My Son Pinocchio JR. – Spring 2014
  • Fiddler on the Roof – Summer 2014
  • The Phantom of the Opera featuring Frozen Preshow Revue – Fall 2014
  • Into the Woods JR. and Winnie the Pooh Kids – Spring 2015
  • Peter Pan – Summer 2015
  • Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Fall 2015
  • A Year with Frog and Toad Kids, School House Rock Live JR., and songs from Movin’ Out – Spring 2016
  • The Secret Garden – Summer 2016
  • Les Miserables featuring Matilda Preshow Revue – Fall 2016
  • James and the Giant Peach JR. featuring Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Preshow Revue – Spring 2017
  • Hello, Dolly! – Summer 2017
  • Elf the Musical JR.  – Fall 2017
  • Bye Bye Birdie – Spring 2018
  • Little Shop of Horrors – Summer 2018
  • Aladdin JR. featuring Disney Dazzle Preshow Revue – Fall 2018
  • Once on this Island JR. featuring Island Vibes Preshow Revue – Spring 2019
  • Newsies – Summer 2019
  • Frozen JR. featuring Let It Snow Preshow Revue – Fall 2019
  • The Show Must Go Online (Virtual) Incisor Cast – Spring/Summer 2020
  • The Show Must Go Online (Virtual) Molar Cast – Spring/Summer 2020
  • Super Happy Awesome News! A Virtual Musical (Virtual) – Fall 2020
  • Our Father’s Dragon (Virtual) – Spring 2021
  • Dream Roles Cabaret (Virtual) – Spring 2021
  • Little Women (Streamed) – Summer 2021
  • The Lion King JR. – Fall 2021
  • The Music Man - Summer 2022
  • Moana JR. - Fall 2022
  • Into the Woods featuring Once Upon A Time Preshow Revue- Summer 2023
  • The War of the Worlds (in collaboration with the Planetarium and Science Center) - Fall 2023
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer JR. featuring A Glee-ful Christmas Preshow Revue - Fall 2023
  • Freaky Friday featuring The Parent Trapped Preshow Revue - Summer 2024
  • Willy Wonka KIDS and Alice in Wonderland JR. - Fall 2024

Bye Bye Birdie 1998
Bye Bye Birdie 1998

The Wizard of Oz 2004
The Wizard of Oz 2004