Tacoma Little Theatre

This page is a profile of the theatre company. Venue profiles forthcoming.

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Tacoma Little Theatre is one of the oldest operating community theatres in the country.

Founded: 1918

Artistic leadership: Chris Serface (Managing Artistic Director)

Website: www.tacomalittletheatre.com

Primary venue: Tacoma Little Theatre

The below information is provided by the theatre company. (All material is condensed & edited for clarity.)

Overview: Mission / Vision

Tacoma Little Theatre enriches the community through all types of quality, live theatre experiences.

Key Initiatives

Tacoma Little Theatre presents seven mainstage shows each season, made up of comedies, musicals, classics, contemporary works, dramas, Shakespeare, and mysteries. In addition, TLT produces seven staged readings each year, three murder mysteries, several events, and a year-round education program.

TLT has partnered with The Gritty City Sirens, Fools Play Improv, Muh Grog Zoo, and several local schools.

History

In October of 1918, a group of civic minded community members founded the Tacoma Chapter of the Drama League of America (known as the “Tacoma Drama League” or sometimes as the “Civic Drama League”). The Drama League of America sought to promote theatre and the study of theatrical literature and culture as a means of community building as well as individual enrichment. Many such chapters were started across the United States. The Tacoma Chapter was comprised of the Civic Drama School and the Tacoma Little Theatre (TLT). The Drama League provided oversight, governance, and promoted the two subsidiary wings. While TLT’s first fully realized production was not until December of 1919, a production of George Bernard Shaw’s You Never Can Tell, the time from 1918 to 1919 was filled with classes, play reading and study. That commitment has been the hallmark of TLT’s history. While some gaps may be found in its production history for various reasons, including the Great Depression and World War II, records show that organizational activity has never ceased since those early days in 1918.

Today, TLT is the surviving entity of the original three. As such, it has inherited the responsibilities and goals of all three: Governance, Promotion, Education, and Production. TLT is governed by a volunteer board of directors, and is managed by a small professional staff. TLT hires professional directors and contracts designers and other production leadership positions from among those with professional or other significant experience. The actors, crew, ushers, and all other theatre functions are accomplished by over 250 volunteers from a four-county area, giving over 10,000 volunteer hours a year to provide their friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and community with some of the best amateur theatre this area has to offer. This puts Tacoma Little Theatre among the largest volunteer driven organizations in Pierce County.

Recent and upcoming shows include:

2018/19 season:

The Foreigner

Bell, Book and Candle

Scrooge

A Doll’s House

A Little Night Music

Laura

Hay Fever

2019/20 season:

Calendar Girls, September 13-29, 2019

Evil Dead: The Musical, October 25 – November 10, 2019