The Little Theatre Of Walla Walla (1944-Present)
It all began with volunteers.
The year was 1944 – a war was in progress and entertainment nearly non-existent in a town crowded with Air Force and military hospital personnel. In such an atmosphere the Little Theatre of Walla Walla was formed by a group of dedicated Walla Wallans. Mark Reed’s play, Yes, My Darling Daughter had been presented on July 1 for the military air base personnel and on July 5 at McCaw Military Hospital. On September 10, 1944, a group of about 40 volunteers met to discuss how to proceed with the Little Theatre. It was decided their prime objective was a single one: PRODUCE GOOD PLAYS WELL. The following is taken from meeting notes: “Members should be admitted on one basis only, that of willingness to work for that end . . .This is to be an organization for those to whom the theatre is fun. We do not want the fun spoiled by people who would try to inject other purposes into the organization. We are not a Civic, Social or Service Club of any kind.” Each person contributed $15.00 toward membership for the purpose of furthering this dream.
Fifty years later a letter received from an early member reads, “A principle that characterized the Walla Walla Little Theatre was that whoever swept the floor, vacuumed the seats, made the coffee, or washed the dishes was as important as any member of the cast of a play or the director. There was no star system, no actors’ awards. We scrounged for the necessities and made every dollar count. Thus, enthusiasm and excitement were maintained at a continuously high level. These are probably the reasons why the Walla Walla Little Theatre has been kept alive and thriving for these fifty years.”
These principles continue today.
To attract public interest in the Little Theatre, for three consecutive weekends in October 1944 the group put on an additional six performances of Yes, My Darling Daughter at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. These were done in penthouse style (in the round) as a pre-season production and by the end of the run, the theatre had netted about sixty dollars! By November the group had rented an old storage room in the upstairs of the Barrett Building at 23-1/2 E. Main Street. The room was up a long flight of steep stairs and had not been used for at least 15 years. The entire membership spent long periods of drudgery cleaning, plus building a stage with a proscenium arch and wiring. Park benches were loaned by the City Park Board for use during the winter months. Walls were painted, drapes were hung, and watercolor portraits of the actors adorned the lobby. Then on December 1, 1944, the first official season opened with The Old War Horse. The group played on a 15-foot stage to an audience capacity of 95. The admission cost was $1.00 and a season pass for the five productions was four dollars. The popularity of the Little Theatre was evident as there were often S.R.O. signs out on those early performances and the fourth play of the season, Night Must Fall, was held over an additional weekend due to popular demand.
On May 22, 1945, the Articles of Incorporation were signed and the name officially became the Little Theatre of Walla Walla.
Following the 1946-1947 season, the Little Theatre learned their Main Street location would no longer be available. They vacated the downtown site and no plays were produced during the 1947-1948 season, although the membership continued to meet. The building that currently houses the Little Theatre of Walla Walla was built as a WPA project started in 1938 and finished in 1939 as the World War Memorial Building at an approximate cost of $20,000. It sits on property owned at that time by the City of Walla Walla and was constructed in partnership with the Walter C. Lee Post of the American Legion. Funds were provided by the federal government and by sponsors which included donations from the community.
On February 13, 1948, the building and property were sold to the Little Theatre of Walla Walla. In April the first meeting was held and a small ensemble of the thespians entertained the group with a Greek play by Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis. The following month an old-fashioned basket social was held in the building, complete with square dancing, Virginia reels, and a basket auction. Work on remodeling the building started in June and continued until the first opening night October 15, 1948. High Tor was the first play produced in the new home of the Little Theatre at 1130 Sumach, which at that time was referred to as the Garden City Heights neighborhood.
Within three years, through hard work and continued community support, the original expenditure of $22,500 had been reduced to a mortgage of $6,000. The early transformation included the installation of seating for 200 patrons and decorating a space downstairs that came to be called the Mural Room. As 1952 rolled around, new sound equipment was installed in February, the proscenium arch was widened in June and by October the exterior had been painted its iconic red barn color with white trim. Next came the addition of the back annex resulting in further enlarging the stage, adding a workshop and excavating below to provide dressing rooms and storage areas.
In the summer of 1953, a group of women decided it was important to start a Children’s Summer Theatre program. The children were divided into 3 age groups, each performing a play. The four to six-year-olds did Little Black Sambo, the six to eight-year-olds did The Coins of Lin Foo, and the older children performed two scenes from Tom Sawyer. The program opened with a puppet show for which the children had written their version of Jack in the Beanstalk and had made and operated the puppets.
By 1965 the financial aspect of the Little Theatre had reached a near crisis point due to a variety of reasons. A plea was sent out to the membership and to the community at large. That June a group of volunteers formed the N.T.P. Guild (affectionately known as the No Talent Players). This hardworking group of creative thinkers worked to raise funds to retire the mortgage and cover expenses. Some of their many projects to raise money included the annual Haunted House, rummage sales, style shows, variety shows, and sales of handicrafts. The additional money was also used to add carpet, recover the auditorium seats, and paint the foyer and the auditorium. The Guild disbanded in May 1969 when the Theatre was back in the black and the extra funds were no longer required for special projects.
Throughout the decades the Little Theatre of Walla Walla has served as host for three state-level One-Act competitions. Twice it has sent one-acts of its own to the American Association of Community Theatre National Competition: first in 1977 with Spoon River Anthology and again in 1985 with The Subject Was Roses.
In 1985 funds were raised for the back addition to increase costume, equipment, and furniture storage.
In 1987, with funds provided by her sister, the Mural Room was redecorated and renamed in honor of Mildred Stewart, one of the founding members. This room has served as a gathering space for refreshments during intermission while showcasing the artwork of local community artists, as well as a place for board and committee meetings and an alternate practice stage.
Other improvements since 1987 have included metal siding, A/C and furnaces, a new roof, a new stage floor, acquisition of a portable round turntable, new grand and stage drapes, updated sound and lighting systems, the addition of a handicap ramp, fire suppression system and in 2023 new seating and auditorium lights.
In 2010 the Little Theatre was a beneficiary of the Henry Pope Estate and with the assistance of a Sherwood Foundation Grant was able to purchase the Pope property immediately east of the theatre building. Henry’s House was used for additional rehearsal space, costume construction, and storage. Due to the substantial increase in property values, the decision was made in 2023 to sell the house and invest the proceeds to be used for future expansion of the theatre building.
In the spring of 2020 the final two shows of our 75th season were canceled due to Covid, as well as the entire 2020-2021 season, leaving our stage dark for 15 months. During that time the downstairs dressing rooms were refurbished, costumes organized, and the fire suppression system was installed. Not to be deterred, once again the volunteers banded together and produced several Alfresco Reader’s Theatre “Radio Show” productions for audiences in the parking lot. These were free of charge, keeping in line with making theatre fun for all, especially during a time of national crisis when access to entertainment was limited. The following summer the Theatre moved back indoors (socially distanced and masked) with a summer festival that presented 13 short productions over 9 weeks. Finally, by October 2021 the 77th season began with See How They Run.
Since its inception in 1944, the Theatre has offered the public a full spectrum of live theatre, everything from Broadway musicals and serious dramas to sophisticated comedies and thriller mysteries. Each season has four main stage shows plus occasional special fundraiser productions such as Holiday Reader’s Theatre and summertime musical revues, melodramas, and children’s programs.
The Missoula Children’s Theatre has been providing a week-long experience on the LTWW stage for local young children for nearly three decades. Since 2021, the Little Theatre has expanded its offering of children's programs to include one for young school age (Spotlight Kids) and another for teens (Upstage Teens).
The Little Theatre continues to be an all-volunteer community asset. It is currently managed by a 13-member Board of Directors and an Executive Director. It actively welcomes all people regardless of race, income, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical ability, veteran status, marital status, or education level and encourages them to participate both on and off the stage.
The Theatre has conducted several workshops to train more volunteers in ushering, set building, costumes, props, directing, and lights and sound. Lastly, the Events Committee has sponsored several in-house activities to build camaraderie and show appreciation for its many volunteers.
Future plans for the Little Theatre include a capital campaign for a major expansion that will provide increased storage, improved workspace, and handicapped access to restrooms.
For eight decades the Little Theatre of Walla Walla has been an integral part of the ever-widening arts scene in Walla Walla. It continues to showcase the talents of local volunteers to entertain and enrich our community by producing GOOD PLAYS DONE WELL. Volunteers have been, and continue to be, the lifeblood of the theatre. Participating at the Little Theatre of Walla Walla still follows the founding members’ dream of a theatre for those to whom theatre is fun.
