In second grade, long before stepping into the role of Artistic Director at Imagination Theater, Lorin Torbitt’s first theatrical role was Baby Bear, in a production of “The Trial of Goldilocks”. Born and raised in Santa Rosa, California, Lorin grew up performing in both theater and choir, although her favorite was always a combination of the two: musical theater. It wasn’t until Lorin received degrees in architecture and business from Cal Poly before moving to Washington, D.C. for work that her life as a performer took an intermission.

In 2016, soon after landing a job at UC Davis and relocating to the Sacramento area, Lorin began looking for opportunities to get back into performing. In Imagination Theater, she found a community theater with a true emphasis on community. After her first play at Imagination Theater, a 2016 production of “A Christmas Story”, she knew she had found a theatrical home. “I love the community, the people involved here, the quality of the productions they put on, the passion and commitment of the volunteers,” Lorin explains. “Personally, it had such a huge impact for me. I didn’t know anyone locally and I hadn’t performed in a long time, and so having a theater be so welcoming, receptive, inviting, and inclusive was a really positive way for me to start to establish my life in this area.”

Lorin recognizes the positive impact of Imagination Theater for the larger community, as well. “It’s so important to have this outlet, to give people access to a safe space to be creative and try things out—whether to perform or to design sets or lighting or costumes. There are so many different aspects of creativity that go into making a whole production happen.” There are benefits for audiences, too: “I think theater gives people a way to kind of escape. For two hours they’re sitting in that seat, and if we’ve done our job well, they’re transported into a story, and they can forget about the troubles of the world or personal troubles and just be in the moment… It can be a really powerful experience both for the people in the performance and for the community watching it happen.”

Imagination Theater was founded by Peter Wolfe and Lanny Langston in 1999. Lorin was able to work with Lanny Langston before he passed away in 2019, and was mentored over the past few years by Peter Wolfe. In 2023, Peter, who has since retired, stepped into the role of Vice President at Imagination Theater, and the board elected Lorin to be the theater’s Artistic Director. “I felt very honored… There was also some intimidation, because Peter and Lanny were very successful for 25 years running this theater,” Lorin says. “But they also did a great job laying the groundwork for a transition... I feel well-positioned to support the continuation of the theater’s operations as Artistic Director.” Since starting as Artistic Director, she has not deviated from Peter and Lanny’s original mission for the theater: to tell good stories well in an atmosphere of trust, respect, personal growth, and challenge. “It’s important to me to stay focused on what the mission of the organization is, and on the community that it serves. I want to stay true to those fundamental principles while the theater transitions into this next generation of leadership.”

For Lorin, her favorite part of being Artistic Director is the people—the people who make the productions come to life, and the people who come to enjoy the show. “It’s a combination of two things: seeing the actors—whether they’re kids going on stage for the first time or seasoned actors—being so excited to share their hard work and creation with an audience… And then being out in the audience, and seeing the reaction of the people who are there to enjoy the experience.” Lorin is especially grateful for the community of volunteers at Imagination Theater. “It’s a very powerful and special thing for people who have that kind of shared interest to come together and make something like Imagination Theater work, and work well. I feel very privileged to be part of it.”

[For information about tickets and upcoming plays, such as “The Importance of Being Earnest”, which runs May 3-25, visit www.itplacerville.org]