Ephrata Performing Arts Center (EPAC)

EPAC is a nonprofit community-based theatre located in Northern Lancaster County. Since 1980, EPAC has been committed to providing high-quality volunteer-driven theatre to our community. Offering a diverse selection of performances, ranging from show-stopping musicals to dramatic plays, EPAC fulfills its mission of creating exceptional theatre that engages and resonates with our audience. We focus on outstanding storytelling and top tier production values, while fostering an inclusive environment, so that all audience members may experience and enjoy live theatre. Our vision is to be a beacon of creativity in the region that reflects our community’s diversity, offering a safe and welcoming space for artistic expression and collaboration.

Each year, EPAC provides 7 Mainstage Productions including two fully produced Young Performers productions, a Queer Voices Staged Reading Festival, special events, and our Center Stage Theatre Camp. All of these are fully produced with professional production teams, while our casts are primarily volunteer actors from our community. Each year, EPAC has over 200 community members audition for shows, ranging in age, diversity, and careers – truly making us a theatre built on community.

Our productions provide a unique theatre experience unmatched in the region. Our thrust stage and limited-capacity seating provide an intimate experience, pulling you further into the performance. Audience members experience the moment alongside the actors, fully experiencing the show in never-before-seen ways.

EPAC can trace its roots to nearly 70 years ago, when it was originally known as the Legion Star Playhouse; the first theatrical productions in our community took place in a pavilion in Grater Park. In 1953, Broadway producer John Cameron started summer stock productions and continued to produce theater in Ephrata for almost twenty years in what became known as “The Playhouse in the Park.” After Cameron left the area, a group of volunteers continued to produce plays, expanding to become a not-for-profit organization in 1979. The first season presented under the name Ephrata Performing Arts Center was in the summer of 1980. Since then, EPAC has broadened its season from traditional summer productions to present plays, musicals, special events, and other performances throughout the year. EPAC has seen and continues to see many talented individuals on its stage, with many current Broadway actors crediting the theatre for their early experiences, including Tony-Award winning actor Johnathan Groff, Drama Desk Award winner Elisio Roman, and Catherine Walker.

Ticket sales only cover about a third of the cost it takes to operate year-after-year, which means we depend on generous donations to ensure that we are able to continue to produce high-quality, impactful, and diverse theatre that you have come to expect when walking through our doors.