Coal Creek Theater
of Louisville

Coal Creek Theater of Louisville (CCTL) is an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all-volunteer community theater company in Louisville, Colorado. Since 1990, we've been the founding resident theater company of the Louisville Center for the Arts, keeping live theater thriving across the Front Range. We celebrate local talent, stage bold and singular work, and develop new voices from our community. This is where your neighbors take the stage, and –

Where every seat is a front row seat

CCTL at a Glance

  • We Never Repeat *a* Show...

    …which means every season is something new, and every closing night is a final curtain.

  • Founded *in* 1990...

    …by a local dentist who gathered his neighbors to put this historic town's stories on stage.

  • *A* Storied Awards History...

    …including dozens of state and regional wins, capped by our 2009 AACT National Finalist run.

  • Louisville's Oldest Theatre Company...

    … dedicated to our hometown, beloved across the Colorado Front Range.

  • World *and* Regional Premieres...

    …each from a Colorado playwright, with more in the works through our playwrights showcase.

  • All Volunteer *since* 1990...

    … by neighbors who've found creativity and community with our merry band of players.

  • {cctl-shows} Productions *and* Counting...

    …across {cctl-years} years of opening nights, late-night strikes, and curtain calls.

  • Best Theater Company *in* Boulder County...

    …a title we owe to every Yellow Scene reader who picked us in 2023.

  • Home *of The* Front Range Playwrights Showcase...

    …Colorado’s home for new voices since 2007.

  • We Perform *in an* 1894 Schoolhouse...

    …today known as the iconic Louisville Center for the Arts.

Where We Started

In 1990, Louisville dentist Pasco Scarpella decided his town needed its own theater. He envisioned a space where local voices led, anyone could get involved, and the storytelling traditions already alive in this historic town could find their stage.

Louisville Community Theater's first production was Paul Sills' Story Theater, performed for free in Memory Square Park. Our second was Pasco's December in Louisville—1914, a series of vignettes depicting Louisville's part in America's defining labor conflict, performed at the Louisville Historical Museum.

In 1998, a newly named Coal Creek Community Theater moved into the Louisville Center for the Arts as its founding resident company. We have since staged over {cctl-shows} productions in our intimate, 55-seat house, including three world premieres and a regional debut—and we've never repeated a single one.

See Our Past Shows

The Why Behind the Work

  • Our Mission

    Coal Creek Theater of Louisville keeps live theater thriving in Louisville and across the Colorado Front Range. We celebrate local talent, stage bold and singular work, and create space for our community to perform, build, and participate. We know we've done our job when you come back for another turn in the front row.

  • Our Vision

    Our Louisville champions live theater, develops new voices, and honors the living tradition of storytelling.

  • Our Values

    We sustain community connection and legacy on a culture of openness and respect.

    We embrace and nurture collaboration to elevate potential and explore unwritten possibilities.

    We ignite and fuel creativity to develop singular work from bold, fresh ideas.

What We’re Doing

{cctl-years} years in, the award-winning Coal Creek Theater of Louisville is not slowing down. Curtains rise and fall, faces come and go—and the mission remains the same. Volunteers build every aspect of CCTL, from front of house to the Board of Directors. Those who start in one role often explore others, building skills and finding friendships, all while becoming part of what we build together.

And since 2007, CCTL’s Front Range Playwrights Showcase (FRPS) has developed new voices from across Colorado and beyond. Playwrights workshop new scripts with live audiences and professional adjudicators, then return the following year with fully staged one-acts. These productions account for much of our awards history.

Get Involved

The Wins Along the Way

  • 3rd Place Show

    2002
    Working

  • Best Theater Company *in* Boulder County

    2023
    Reader’s Choice

  • 1st Place Show

    2009
    The Organist’s Daughter (FRPS)

  • National Finalist

    2009
    The Organist’s Daughter (FRPS)

  • 2nd Place Show

    2015
    Dating Disconnect (FRPS)

  • 3rd Place Show

    2010
    Assisted Living (FRPS)

  • Excellence *in* Theater – New Playwright

    2015
    Karen Goodwin, Dating Disconnect (FRPS)

  • Best Supporting Actor *in a* Comedy

    2010
    Greg Christopher, The Last Night of Ballyhoo

  • Excellence *in* Theater – Directing

    2009
    Lynn Fleming, The Organist’s Daughter (FRPS)

  • Excellence *in* Theater – Acting

    2002
    Pasco Scarpella, Working

Where We’re Going

Some things in this town are built to last. This merry band of players is one of them. As your Board of Directors, our job is to nurture what {cctl-years} years of volunteers have built, to develop new voices, and to keep this theater open for anyone who wants to be part of what's next.

Like everyone else at CCTL, we're volunteers. We do this work because community theater is one of the few places left where the community gets to tell their own stories, in their own way. We show up because we love this theater, this town, and the people who keep both alive, season after season. From coal miners to curtain calls, Louisville has always had a story to tell. We're honored to play a part in the telling.

Meet Our Leadership