OCCT Through the Years

 

2005 - OCCT founder, Michelle Leigh, solely mounted a full length production of Alice in Wonderland. The show consisted of 30 4th-6th graders from Beavercreek Elementary, including Michelle's nine year old daughter.

Everyone who registered was guaranteed a place in the show, regardless of experience. After a few weeks of after school rehearsals the show opened at the Barclay School House in OC.

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2006 - Following the first show's success Michelle was asked to partner with Oregon City Community Education (OCCE) to allow students from all districts to participate in the program. OCCT moved into the old Jackson campus building and mounted Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with 50+ students from Clackamas County. 

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2011 - The first show an open invitation for adults to audition and participate was announced. OCCT was mounting Into the Woods, a classic but musically difficult show by Steven Sondheim.
The age variance in the show created an unexpected comradery and overall experience. Once the show had closed the staff of OCCT made the decision to allow adult participation going forward, creating a community theatre style environment. 

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2015 - After several years, productions  OCCT mounted its last production at the Jackson campus. Staff and volunteers had rendered countless upgrades to the buildings theatre and had become a rentable space again. 
 

Parents, family and friend's spent hours following the closing performance of "the Jungle Book" loading the costume, prop and set storage into the back of a semi trailer. OCCT had no intention of closing it's doors, but had no where else to go. 

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2016 - After months of searching for a place to perform the Beavercreek Grange opened it's doors to the OCCT community. Grateful for a place to call home OCCT spent the next six years assisting the grange members at their monthly breakfasts and upgrading the building functionally and aesthetically.

Similarly to OCCT's first home, the building upgrades at the grange made the building rentable again. Staff and volunteers found the opportunity to mount shows and camps quickly fleeting, again. 

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2023 - OCCT renovated and moved into a studio space on Washington St. in the heart of Oregon City. The space gives OCCT a place to store costumes, props etc. and hold rehearsals, but it's not a place to perform. We are still looking for our forever home!

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