Your World Can Be a Stage
By Jack Desrosiers
What is Community Little Theater?
It is a professional theater organization with an 83-year old history. It is also a community stage venue that invites anyone and everyone to try their hand at “putting on a show.” It is a tremendous opportunity for anyone to get a little crazy and try something new in front of an audience that will appreciate your daring nature.
During its humble beginnings in 1940, starting out at the old Edward Little High School, Community Little Theater didn’t have any shows that were presented to the public. But in 1941, the group had its first open performance, and the people loved it. A lot of people started coming to see the shows and pretty soon CLT needed money to keep producing shows and make the building better suited for theater..
In 1981, the group started a fundraiser, hoping to make some money for some improvements to the operation. The cities of Lewiston and Auburn donated $10,000 each, making it so CLT could revamp almost everything. In 1983, it reopened, and started doing shows almost immediately. However, around this time, the cities faced budget cuts, and they agreed that they were going to tear down the building entirely.
The people rallied to save Community Little Theater. In a way, it became theirs.
When local theater lovers heard about the planned demolition, they immediately teamed up and tried to come up with a plan to keep the theater alive. People from Edward little high school, The Dance Center, Mudroom Pottery and other organizations helped. They had originally wanted to save the whole building, but the city rejected that idea, offering the idea of just keeping the theater portion of the building open, and tearing the other side down. Now, CLT is up and running, waiting for its next shows to be under way.
For the 83rd season, there will be four shows. In January, you can participate in “It’s Only A Play,” directed by Eileen Messina. In April you can participate in “Little Women” directed by Brandon Chaloux. In June you can participate in “Picasso At Lapin Agile,” directed by John Blanchette. And in August you can participate in “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Becca Tinkham.
I asked Tessa Hayashida, an actor at CLT, what goes into deciding the next season and this is what she had to say:
“A tremendous amount of work from volunteers goes into every single season. What props can be used, how sets will work, what’s possible, what’s not. Not to mention meeting after meeting about what shows will even happen, the dates of said shows. CLT’s job is to put on an incredible show that looks effortless but really requires hours and hours from every person involved.”
I also asked what it was like to be an actor at CLT. “Being an actor can be stressful, but fun! It can get competitive like anything else,," she said. "But there’s always a sense of companionship between everyone. Not to mention the rush of performing.”
There is a lot of time, effort, and sweat equity that goes into every single show, and there are ways you can help out, regardless of your theater experience, of lack of theater experience. You can volunteer to help out with set building, costume designing, tech work, or even just being an actor in the show.
Why join Community Little Theater?
Why shouldn’t you join? It’s fun, you learn things, make friends, develop skills and connect with your community.
By Jack Desrosiers
What is Community Little Theater?
It is a professional theater organization with an 83-year old history. It is also a community stage venue that invites anyone and everyone to try their hand at “putting on a show.” It is a tremendous opportunity for anyone to get a little crazy and try something new in front of an audience that will appreciate your daring nature.
During its humble beginnings in 1940, starting out at the old Edward Little High School, Community Little Theater didn’t have any shows that were presented to the public. But in 1941, the group had its first open performance, and the people loved it. A lot of people started coming to see the shows and pretty soon CLT needed money to keep producing shows and make the building better suited for theater..
In 1981, the group started a fundraiser, hoping to make some money for some improvements to the operation. The cities of Lewiston and Auburn donated $10,000 each, making it so CLT could revamp almost everything. In 1983, it reopened, and started doing shows almost immediately. However, around this time, the cities faced budget cuts, and they agreed that they were going to tear down the building entirely.
The people rallied to save Community Little Theater. In a way, it became theirs.
When local theater lovers heard about the planned demolition, they immediately teamed up and tried to come up with a plan to keep the theater alive. People from Edward little high school, The Dance Center, Mudroom Pottery and other organizations helped. They had originally wanted to save the whole building, but the city rejected that idea, offering the idea of just keeping the theater portion of the building open, and tearing the other side down. Now, CLT is up and running, waiting for its next shows to be under way.
For the 83rd season, there will be four shows. In January, you can participate in “It’s Only A Play,” directed by Eileen Messina. In April you can participate in “Little Women” directed by Brandon Chaloux. In June you can participate in “Picasso At Lapin Agile,” directed by John Blanchette. And in August you can participate in “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Becca Tinkham.
I asked Tessa Hayashida, an actor at CLT, what goes into deciding the next season and this is what she had to say:
“A tremendous amount of work from volunteers goes into every single season. What props can be used, how sets will work, what’s possible, what’s not. Not to mention meeting after meeting about what shows will even happen, the dates of said shows. CLT’s job is to put on an incredible show that looks effortless but really requires hours and hours from every person involved.”
I also asked what it was like to be an actor at CLT. “Being an actor can be stressful, but fun! It can get competitive like anything else,," she said. "But there’s always a sense of companionship between everyone. Not to mention the rush of performing.”
There is a lot of time, effort, and sweat equity that goes into every single show, and there are ways you can help out, regardless of your theater experience, of lack of theater experience. You can volunteer to help out with set building, costume designing, tech work, or even just being an actor in the show.
Why join Community Little Theater?
Why shouldn’t you join? It’s fun, you learn things, make friends, develop skills and connect with your community.