With a new Performing Arts Center on the horizon, Laney is reimagining how students create, collaborate, and connect with Oakland's cultural community.
As construction continues on the new Odell Johnson Performing Arts Center, projected for completion in Fall 2027, Laney College is envisioning something much larger than a new theater building.
For Theatre Arts Director Michael Torres, the future facility represents an opportunity to transform a corner of campus into a vibrant arts hub where theatre, film, music, visual arts, culinary arts, and community partners come together to create new opportunities for students.
"This is really about collaboration," Torres said. "The theater can be the catalyst that brings together so many of the creative programs we already have at Laney."
Located just steps from Lake Merritt BART, across from the Oakland Museum of California and the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, the new facility is positioned to become a cultural destination for both students and the broader Oakland community.
Theatre Arts: Learning by Doing
Laney's Theatre Arts Department offers both an Associate of Arts degree and an Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T), providing students with pathways into professional theater and four-year university programs.
The program emphasizes hands-on learning through productions, performance opportunities, internships, and partnerships with Bay Area theatres. Students regularly gain practical experience on stage and behind the scenes, with some building professional resumes before they even transfer.
The Mothership by Grace Montas
Many former students have gone on to perform professionally, secure agents, appear in commercials, and continue their studies at leading universities.
One recent success story is Alejandra Elizondo, who earned San Francisco State University's prestigious Toni K. Weingarten Youth in Theatre Scholarship. The competitive award recognizes talent, academic achievement, and commitment to theater.
"Alejandra is the kind of student who can do it all," Torres said. "Comedy, drama, tragedy, musical performance. She's someone with a very bright future."
From Edinburgh to Oakland
Torres, who joined Laney in 2004, has long expanded opportunities beyond the classroom.
In 2010, Torres and his wife Jackie Graves, a former Laney English faculty member, raised more than $73,000 in eight months to bring Laney students to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, the world's largest performing arts festival.
Laney was the only community college invited.
The production earned three out of four stars from reviewers and established a relationship that remains in place today, with Laney continuing to receive invitations to return.
A New Era of Creative Collaboration
While the current Odell Johnson Performing Arts Center undergoes modernization, Theatre Arts classes and performances continue in Eagle Village Buildings 6 and 7.
When the new facility opens, students will gain access to a more intimate main stage theater, a flexible black box performance space, sound production facilities, and expanded opportunities for interdisciplinary work.
Torres sees endless possibilities.
A theater production could become a filmed performance through Peralta TV. Commercial Music students could compose original scores and soundtracks. Photography students could create professional headshots and promotional materials. Dance students could contribute choreography. Cosmetology students could design hair and makeup for productions.
The opportunities for collaboration extend well beyond the stage.
Professor Alex Echevarria's printmaking students recently gained international exposure through Shared Impressions: Printmaking from Laney College, now on display at San Francisco International Airport's Harvey Milk Terminal. The exhibition features work from 15 student artists and demonstrates the caliber of creative work being produced at Laney.
In the future, Torres hopes to create stronger connections between Theatre Arts and the Art Department, giving student artists opportunities to design posters, create installations, exhibit artwork, and help shape the visual identity of productions and events within the new Performing Arts Center.
Dinner and a Show
One collaboration Torres is especially excited about involves Laney's Culinary Arts Department and the Laney Bistro.
Led by Chef Chantal Martin, a fourth-generation chef trained in England and France, Laney's Culinary Arts program has earned a reputation as one of Northern California's premier culinary training programs.
Torres imagines theater performances paired with prix fixe dinners at the Bistro, creating a true "Dinner and a Show" experience that showcases student talent in both programs while attracting new audiences to campus.
"The restaurant is theater too," he said. "There are so many opportunities for our students to learn from each other."
Looking Ahead
The future facility will feature a highly visible marquee facing BART and nearby senior housing developments, helping establish the area as a recognizable destination for arts and culture.
It's about creating a place where students from multiple disciplines collaborate the way creative professionals do in the real world—where a play can inspire a podcast, a museum exhibit can become a performance, and students can build portfolios that prepare them for careers across the creative economy.
As Laney looks toward Fall 2027, the new Performing Arts Center represents more than modernization. It represents a new chapter in the college's commitment to creativity, collaboration, and community.
And in the heart of Oakland, that stage is just beginning to take shape.
Whether your goal is to perform on stage, work behind the scenes, transfer to a four-year program, or pursue a professional career in the arts, Laney's Theatre Arts Department offers a pathway to get started. Learn more at laney.edu/theatre-arts.
To explore renderings and updates on the future home of Theatre Arts, visit Build Peralta and follow the progress of the Odell Johnson Performing Arts Center as it takes shape.