THE MISSION
The Shreveport Little Theatre is committed to produce a broad variety of quality, live theatre with predominantly volunteer participation from the community, with the guidance of trained artistic and managerial leadership, for the entertainment, enlightenment, and growth of the audience and the volunteer participants, and to increase community awareness of and pride in the Shreveport Little Theatre.

THE HISTORY
The Shreveport Little Theatre & Academy celebrates its 90th consecutive season in 2011-2012. Shreveport Little Theatre, founded in 1922, is possibly the oldest CONTINUOUSLY producing community theater in America, as the theatre produced without interruption throughout the Great Depression and World War II, and after two fires, a longevity unprecedented in contemporary community theatre. From the first performance in the City Hall Auditorium in 1922, The Shreveport Little Theatre staged productions in the Jewish Synagogue, the Grand Opera House, the Auditorium of the Woman's Department Club until we built our own home and opened on March 14, 1927 at 812 Margaret Place.

SLT was once again a traveling troupe after two fires in 1986 and 2008 and performed at Theatre On Line, LSU-S, Performing Arts Center, Woman's Department Club, State Exhibit Museum, Anderson Auditorium & Marjorie Lyons Playhouse on Centenary College campus, and Southfield School. After each fire, a group of SLT patrons and members of the community, rallied around the idea that it was time to return to our original home at 812 Margaret Place and set out to raise the necessary funds to rebuild the backstage area and then the entire theatre, after the second fire of 2008.

This charming and intimate 170 seat theater is of Rural English architectural style and is completely handicapped-accessible. The playhouse has earned national recognition through the years, including LIFE magazine naming Shreveport Little Theatre as one of the nation's top three community playhouses.

David O. Selznick's infamous 1938 search for Scarlett O'Hara included auditions at Shreveport Little Theatre, discovering local actress Marcella Martin, who was cast as Cathleen Calvert in GONE WITH THE WIND. The theatre was among the first theaters to stage the Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt musical THE FANTASTICKS with music being duplicated and sent to Shreveport as it was completed and revised.

Comedian George Carlin first stepped onstage at SLT in DESK SET, in 1958, while a young airman stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base. John Wray and Margaret Mary Young served as the theatre's managing and technical directors from 1936 until their retirement in 1973. Mr. Young remains the most published author on the American Community Theatre and was one of the 1948 founders of the Southwest Theatre Conference.

Robert K. Darrow, current Managing and Artistic Director, began his service in 1998, overseeing the founding in 2008 of SLTAcademy for youth and a recent $3.3 million dollar renovation and expansion of this historic American theatre, which opened in January 2011.

THE COMMUNITY
Audiences for our ten annual productions come not only from the Shreveport-Bossier City areas, but also from East Texas, Southern Arkansas and smaller communities throughout Northwest Louisiana.

THE SUCCESSES
A fire from a welder's torch burned the theatre to the ground on November 18, 2008 and construction is underway to build SLT back bigger and better. The new theatre held a gala opening on March 3, 2011 with an award-winning production of Tennessee Williams’ A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE.

A capitol campaign is currently underway for the Phoenix Project x2, to complete the interior walls of the backstage areas.

DONATIONS MAY BE MADE BY CALLING 318.424.4439.