Community Involvement
In 1959, the St. John's Lutheran Church burned down. KWLT donated space to house their Sunday schools, etc. KWLT is also believed to have helped The Stratford Festival of Canada in their first season. On the wall of the stairs of the original Princess Street building was a mural painted by members of Stratford as a thank-you to the theatre.
In the past, KWLT has had joint productions with local groups, including a musical with More Notes Productions. Improv comedy has also been a large part of KWLT over the past many years, with organizations such as Theatre on the Edge and the Royal Waterloo Ballet, and events such as Lip Service and The Dog Ate My Script. KWLT has a history of supporting local Canadian talent. KWLT tries to work with Canadian authors whenever possible (many previous One-Act plays have been Canadian authors - many of those have been local to the KW region).
A volunteer board and volunteer staff have always run KWLT. Over the years these volunteers have continuously provide opportunities for theatre involvement for anyone who came. Philosophically, KWLT sees itself as the entry point to the theatre experience. Auditions are open to anyone, and a large number of actors within KWLT performances within any year are having their first acting experience.
KWLT introduces people with no experience at all to producing, directing, and stage-managing productions. KWLT provides the opportunity to experience the technical side of theatre in lighting, sound, and set design to anyone who is interested. This willingness to open doors to neophytes sets KWLT apart from most other theatres, which will not take that risk. Their motto, 'one of the little people', directly addresses that grass roots philosophy. KWLT primarily draws its talent from the Waterloo region, although actors and directors have traveled from Hamilton, Cambridge, Stratford and other locales to participate in KWLT.
Each year KWLT runs three or four main productions that run for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night for two weeks each. Behind these are many weeks of preparation - rehearsals, set building, promotion, etc. Between these events, KWLT runs one-act play weekends (3 one-act plays in one night) and other, smaller scale, events. These require less commitment and provide an opportunity for those people who want to 'dip their toes' in theatre rather than 'dive in'. Volunteers are recruited individually for each event, maximizing the opportunity for involvement for everyone. The number of people involved range from 4 in the smallest one-act to 25 or more for a main stage production. KWLT's current season can be seen on the website.
Read more about this topic: Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre
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