As we continue our Year of the Arts this month, we’re highlighting an organization that has been operating in the Lebanon Valley for over 60 years! Founded in 1962, Lebanon Community Theatre (LCT) is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that is all about entertaining, enriching, and educating the community through theatrical productions.

This December, LCT will put on a performance of the holiday classic White Christmas. Ahead of the show’s run, we had the chance to speak with two longtime LCT board members, and on-stage performers, Hugh Rooney and Todd Snovel.

Why should I attend a show at the Lebanon Community Theatre?

Hugh: LCT is all that community theatre is supposed to be. We are all volunteers. We put on really good, and sometimes great shows! You get to experience, support, and encourage people to discover and share their talents. It’s very rewarding!

Todd: One of the things that we hear time and time again is, “You can’t tell me these are local people, where did you get these actors?” And the truth is, we don’t use an equity or New York actors, we put out marketing to the local region to say “who is interested in our show?” So, our patrons get the win-win of seeing and experiencing local talent while also supporting the theatre and keeping the arts thriving here in the community… and that is the beauty of what community theatre is intended to do.

Hugh: It really is a barn! It is my understanding that it was part of a movement at the time to turn barns into theatres and this is one of a handful still in operation.

I have been involved with LCT since I moved to the Lebanon Valley in 1996. Initially it was as a spectator. I remember falling in love with its intimate space and feeling. You get to be so close to the performers it becomes almost personal. Back then I remember holding my shoe over a hole in the floor because a mouse was peeping out. We’ve since gotten a new floor, along with many other improvements to the “old barn”… but it’s still a barn at its core.

How is the theatre able to operate with just volunteers?

Todd: It’s not easy! Everything is on a volunteer basis, so we do everything we can to continue the pipeline of volunteers. We love when we have intergenerational families that come to the theatre together, where this person is on stage, their mom is painting a set, their dad is moving set pieces, their cousin is doing this—it’s been great to watch families grow up in the theatre and stay a part of LCT. It shows you there is a strong community here that keeps people coming back.

As has been one of the missions of the performing arts, LCT is a place where whoever you are, with whatever identities you bring, we are thrilled to have you, there is no stigma, no resistance, come as you are as long as you have a willingness to pitch in and work hard and laugh along with all of us when we make our mistakes.

What do the arts mean to you?

Hugh: With so many challenges and obligations in life and in the world, the arts are an opportunity to free yourself and indulge in something that moves you, inspires you, makes you smile, lifts your spirits, and invigorates your soul. We need that in our lives to give us balance and purpose.

Aside from being a parent, being involved with the theatre is one of the most rewarding activities I am involved in. It is a labor of love! Seeing performers develop and share their talents, many of them over many years of participation, is inspiring. Knowing that the effort I am putting in benefits my community exponentially is rewarding and gratifying. Watching people work hard and then reap the rewards with accolades is gratifying beyond compare.

Todd: I think if you look historically, the arts have always been, broadly, an extremely powerful tool showcasing storytelling. As an actor, you have both the unique privilege and the unique responsibility to tell someone else’s story… and to share a story that is potentially far outside of my own is a powerful experience and a powerful tool.

I think the other thing that the arts allow us to do is express ourselves in so many ways… they can be a very strong voice and advocate for social change and for topics that people are experiencing. To sit and at times enjoy comedy and the ability to laugh, to feel pain with someone, to feel grief with someone, to feel heartache, to feel all of these emotions that flood the human experience, theatre gives us a way to bring our audience with us in that journey.

Do you have a favorite experience in the theatre?

Hugh: There is something alluring about being on stage working with a group of other people, who start out sometimes as strangers, and bringing a show to life from scratch. It is challenging, many times frustrating, but almost always rewarding in the end. And when a show is over you experience a kind of sadness that can only be cured by doing another one. I also would be remiss if I didn’t mention the bonds and friendships that I have made with my fellow performers, which have been life-enhancing and priceless.

I have also been in three shows with my daughters Lani and Emily, however my favorite was Hair Spray where I played the role of Tracey’s Dad, Wilbur.

Todd: The treasure that I take out of the theatre are the relationships that I’ve built. Not just with people who I enjoy the theatre experience with, but my literal friends that I see outside of the theatre, that are some of the people that I call first when really great stuff happens.

A number of year ago we started a summer fundraiser cabaret, some of those have been so much fun, but by far the thing that I am most grateful for is the relationships I’ve formed there.

What’s in the future for LCT?

Hugh: Hopefully to grow, so that everyone in our community can say that they have experienced the theatre in one way or another!
We have had our challenges over the years, people come and go and keeping continuity is a struggle as we are all volunteers and have “day jobs” that sometime come first. That being said, we are losing a couple of board members this year, which we will need to try to replace. And they are “big boots” to try to fill but I am confident that there is so much talent in our community that we will carry on and continue to make great community theater here in Lebanon.

If you or someone you know are interested in getting involved with the theatre in any way, now is your chance.

Todd: The number one commitment is for the theatre to maintain and thrive. That said, we are in a time of some real capital needs and projects—we know there are areas of the roof in need, our lobby is quite small for the amount of people coming to our shows… I think what the theatre sees are some improvements to its footprint, but also continuing to increase our pipeline of artists, professionals, directors, and patrons by telling the LCT story in the way that people say, “What is my way of interacting there? Do I want to go and be entertained and enjoy myself? Do I see myself as volunteering in any number of ways? Do I see myself at 70, coming out and auditioning for my very first time on a stage?” We have had all of those happen and we embrace everyone, whether they come with 35 years of experience or 30 seconds of experience.

About Todd

Todd Snovel has been involved in the world of theatre—whether that’s being on-stage, back-stage, or in the audience—since his first performance in junior high. After performing on the Lebanon Community Theatre stage for the first time 15 years ago, he has since been in over 10 productions with LCT and has served as the treasurer on LCT’s Board of Directors. Most recently, Snovel portrayed Dr. Frank-N-Furter in LCT’s 2024 performance of The Rocky Horror Show.

About Hugh

Hugh Rooney has been attending shows at the Lebanon Community Theatre since 1996. He first performed on the LCT stage in a showing of Almost, Maine around 2007. Shortly after that performance, he joined the theatre’s Board of Directors and has been in over 13 productions since his debut, with musicals being his favorite. Throughout his time with the theatre, Rooney has also enjoyed having the opportunity to perform in three shows with his daughters, Emily and Lani (who is also our social media coordinator, Hi Lani!).