Long Beach City College built its theatre offering a new home: a $75 million, 67,000-square-foot Performing Arts Center opening for classes in spring 2026, housing theatre alongside music, dance, and broadcast programs. Few community colleges anywhere hand acting students facilities this new.
The curriculum stands out for its industry-facing tracks: beyond the AA-T transfer degree and a general theatre AA, LBCC offers an AA specifically branded the Acting Academy, plus a certificate of accomplishment in media with emphases in commercials, film acting, or voice-over, camera-and-microphone credentials most peer colleges do not attempt. A production season of roughly fifteen shows a year, including a mainstage musical, keeps stages busy, with a $60 season pass pricing the whole year like two movie tickets.
Open enrollment, $46 a unit for residents, and named full-time theatre faculty round out the picture. For South Bay and Long Beach actors, this is the region's structured starting point, and the media certificate emphases make it a rare budget path into commercial and VO craft that otherwise lives in private studios.
Techniques taught
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
Open enrollment community college; 'Acting Academy' is a degree track, not an audition-gated conservatory per published pages. Duration: AA/AA-T typically 2 years full-time (60 units).
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| CA resident per-unit enrollment fee | $46/unit | source 路 2026-07-16 |
| 2025-26 Theatre & Music season pass (15 shows) | $60 | source 路 2026-07-16 |
Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.
Instructors
- Anthony Carreiro, Faculty
- Collin Bressie, Faculty
- Yuri Okahana-Benson, Faculty
Location
Questions actors ask
Where is Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department) located?
What acting technique does Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department) teach?
Is Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department) suitable for beginners?
Does Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department) offer on-camera training?
How much do classes at Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department) cost?
Does Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department) teach children or teenagers?
Is admission to Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department) by audition?
Who teaches at Long Beach City College Theatre Arts (Performing Arts Department)?
When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- Theater Arts, General & Acting Academy - Long Beach City College, accessed 2026-07-16
- Department: Performing Arts - Long Beach City College, accessed 2026-07-16
- CA Resident Fees - Long Beach City College, accessed 2026-07-16
- LBCC Breaks Ground for New $75M Performing Arts Facility, accessed 2026-07-16
Researched 2026-07-16, last verified 2026-07-16. Facts above come only from these sources. Anything we could not confirm is simply not shown. Report incorrect information or claim this listing if you represent the school.
Nearby schools
California State University, Long Beach, Department of Theatre Arts
Cal State Long Beach's Theatre Arts BA with an audition-gated Performance: Acting option and the California Repertory Company as its producing arm, at CSU-resident tuition.
Norwalk, southeast Los Angeles CountyCerritos College Theatre, Film and Television Department
Cerritos College's theatre and film department in Norwalk: an acting-emphasis AA gated by a jury, graduated performance credit up to lead roles, four productions a season, at $46 per unit.
South BayEl Camino College Theatre Department
El Camino College's South Bay theatre program: AA and transfer degrees, five to six productions a year including a musical with live orchestra, and master classes with visiting artists, at $46 per unit.
Related by technique
La Crescenta-Montrose3-2-1- Acting Studios
On-camera school for ages 2 to adult in La Crescenta, founded 2007 by Mae Ross and now under new ownership, with tiered TV commercial and scene study classes, published package pricing, and a free trial class.
Sherman OaksThe Acting Center
Sherman Oaks school founded 2006 teaching its own proprietary technique in a strictly no-criticism classroom, with published 2026 session dates and pricing for scene study, intensives, and improv.
Culver CityThe Actors Circle
Culver City workshop founded 2003 by Marcie Smolin teaching film and TV craft with improv as half the curriculum, in a positive-feedback-only room serving ages 5 through adults at published per-class rates.