A stage for stories the world hasn't heard yet.
Located in Burbank, CA, The Victory Theatre Center is an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to developing and producing new works and world premieres.
Founded in 1980 by Maria Gobetti and the late Tom Ormeny (1946–2023), the Victory has become a vital creative home for playwrights, actors, and audiences — where powerful storytelling sparks connection, conversation, and a deeper sense of shared humanity.
"New material is a bigger risk, but a bigger payoff." — Maria Gobetti, Los Angeles Times
About Us
Founded in 1980, The Victory Theatre Center is an award-winning nonprofit in Burbank dedicated to developing bold new work. With over 100 productions staged—more than 90% new American plays—the Victory has become a vital home for world premieres and emerging voices. Its honors include multiple Ovation recognitions, 2 LA Drama Critics Circle Awards, 4 NAACP Theatre Awards, and over 30 Backstage West/Drama-Logue Awards, among others. Intimate by design, the Victory delivers theatre that’s immediate, powerful, and deeply human—where artists and audiences connect in ways that last well beyond the final curtain.
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NOW PLAYING
To Be Announced
True stories told live. Personal. Unscripted. The kind of evening where someone on stage says something and you feel it.
WHAT WE OFFER
1. Our Productions
Over 104 productions built from decades of dedication to new American plays. Bold voices. Intimate stages. Real impact.
Come See Our Shows
2. Acting Classes
Meisner-based training led by Maria Gobetti. Small classes. Every actor works every session. For artists serious about the craft.
Join Classes
3. Theatre Rentals
Two fully equipped stages — Big Victory and Little Victory — available for productions, workshops, rehearsals, and events.
Rent Theatre
4. Get Involved
The Victory runs on people who care. Join our volunteer community and help bring live theatre to life — behind the scenes, at the box office, and beyond.
Volunteer Now
5. Support the Work
New plays don't produce themselves. Your donation funds world premieres, sustains artists, and keeps one of Los Angeles' most dedicated nonprofit stages alive. Every gift — at any level — makes the next opening night possible.
Donate Now
Gobetti/Ormeny Acting Studio
At The Victory Theatre Center, our Gobetti/Ormeny Acting Studio offers rigorous, professional training for actors serious about the craft. Founded by Maria Gobetti and the late Tom Ormeny, classes are small and focused, rooted in the Meisner technique, and designed so every actor works in every session.
“If you are called to act, you need a place where the commitment to the individual is total… A fine coach helps the actor get out of the way of their own talent.” — Maria Gobetti. Actors learn truth, impulse, and presence—skills that translate from stage to screen. Students go on to perform professionally, guided by decades of industry experience. Jeff Kober adds, “She helped me find and unleash the talent buried within.”
All prospective students are required to audit a class before enrolling. There is no charge. It’s the best way to see the work, understand the expectations, and decide if this is the right fit.
Founders
Maria Gobetti
Co-founder, Artistic Director, and one of Los Angeles’ most respected acting teachers and directors. Since directing the theatre’s very first production — the world premiere of Beth Henley’s The Miss Firecracker Contest — Maria has directed more than 80 productions, earned the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Lifetime Achievement, and built one of the most respected actor training programs in the city.
“The first and only name is Maria Gobetti.” — Fran Saperstein, The Brillstein Company “Her insights into human behavior were ever fresh and provocative.” — Beth Henley, Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright
Still teaching. Still directing. Still building actors.
Tom Ormeny (1946–2023)
Co-founder, director, teacher, and the heart of The Victory Theatre Center. Tom was born in Budapest, fled Communist Hungary with his family at age ten, and eventually made his way to Los Angeles — where he built a theatre with his own hands and spent over four decades filling it with work that mattered.
He and Maria got married on the stage they’d just built. The Victory was their church. Their child. Their life’s work.
He took productions from Burbank to Edinburgh to Off-Broadway. He served eight terms as president of the Los Angeles Theatre Alliance. He championed new plays when no one else would — and never stopped.
“We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve always done. We’re going to do new plays, good new plays, and we’re going to do them well.” — Tom Ormeny, 2020
His legacy lives in every production, every class, and every artist who has walked through these doors.
Tom and Maria building the theatre
Legacy
104+ productions. More than 30 Critics’ Choice honors. 90% new, unproduced American plays. From the world premiere of Beth Henley’s The Miss Firecracker Contest — which went on to Broadway, a major motion picture, and a Pulitzer Prize — to works that traveled to Edinburgh, Off-Broadway, and beyond.
Tom and Maria built this stage with their own hands. Every production since has been an act of faith in new stories and the artists who tell them. That stage is still right here in Burbank.
