There’s nothing quite like the thrill of the theater—the moment the lights dim and the curtains rise, you know you’re going to partake in a magical experience unlike any other. From dramas to comedies to musicals, endless opportunities await you on the stage. Luckily, you don’t have to go far to experience all the theater has to offer—Loveland Stage Company is here to prove there’s no business like show business.
It began with Pat Furterer and 11 others in 1979, and with the help of locals volunteering their time, the Loveland Stage Company has now been around for more than 40 years. From the start, LSC has been a nonprofit endeavor. “We do the shows just to make enough money to maintain and do another show,” says Donna Treinen, who’s been with LSC since 2005 and has worn about every hat, from directing to dancing to being on the board. “And we’ve never lost money on a show, in all 40+ years,” adds Joshua Marcus, the current vice president of the board who’s been with the company since 2018.
But everything for the stage company came to a halt in 2020 when Covid-19 shook things up. “The last show that was up here was Gypsy,” Joshua remembers. “I believe they got one weekend in before they closed down.” Then the question became, how does a theater survive when large gatherings are impossible? The board continued to meet throughout the shutdown, and soon LSC Radio was born. Harkening back to radio shows of old, the stage company decided to turn to recordings.
In August of 2020, a recording of The Importance of Being Earnest was released. For October, it was A Midsummer Night’s Dream; December brought a holiday show. All the performances were recorded in two formats—audio or audio-visual. “We were behind plexiglass and separated so that we could emote without masks on,” recalls Joshua. From voice acting to old-school sound effects, these shows were a creative solution for the award-winning stage company to keep putting out productions in a safe way during a pandemic, and are still available on LSC’s website.
But the show must go on, right? The company has since enjoyed a nearly full season back since covid-craziness. Opening with their youth summer theater (a workshop that spotlights Loveland’s talented young thespians) and including three other productions, 2021 proved that the pandemic didn’t slow them down despite the challenges. “When we did Hello Dolly, we rehearsed solely with masks on,” Donna says of their most recent production.
“We did have a show where we lost half the cast in the middle of rehearsal, and our amazing volunteers were able to step up and put on an amazing show … the audience never realized that half a dozen of those people only had a week or two of rehearsal,” Josh adds.
And what can we expect from them in the future? “We need to continue to grow and evolve,” Donna remarks. From actors, singers and dancers to lighting, sound and costume crew, LSC is always looking to add new talent to their already amazing team. Despite a year of the unusual, LSC is still going strong with a full 2022-2023 season, and so far, can boast no drop in attendance in the way of performers or attendees. From their Saturday morning dance classes to their upcoming participation in Christmas in Loveland, the Loveland Stage Company is back in full swing.
LovelandStageCompany.org | 111 S. Second St, Loveland | 513.443.4572
Upcoming Shows
PUFFS, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic
November 4–20, 2022
Christmas In Loveland Holiday Special
December 17, 2022
Company by Stephen Sondheim
March 3–19, 2023
Twelfth Night—A Cabaret-Style Event
May 5–21, 2023
To purchase tickets for an upcoming show, visit LovelandStageCompany.org/tickets