Chagrin Valley Little Theatre facts for kids

The Chagrin Valley Little Theatre (CVLT) is a fun community theater in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA. It started way back in 1930. This makes it one of the oldest community theaters in the whole country! Only the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre is older, by eight years.

The main building at CVLT has a big auditorium. It can seat 262 people. There are also two dressing rooms for actors. You'll find a small workshop for building sets. The lobby is where you enter. The second floor is called The Stuart & Roberta Sears River Room. This room is used for special events. People gather there before and after shows.

Right next to the main building is The River Street Playhouse. This building is super important! It stores all the theater's props. It also holds scenery and costumes. Plus, it has a smaller stage. This stage seats 65 people. It's used for smaller shows. Don Edelman and Steve Shields helped create this space. Mr. Shields gave the building to CVLT when he passed away in 2011.

CVLT's yearly season starts in September. They usually put on about eight big shows. Up to three of these are musical theater productions. The theater also has a busy Youth Theatre group. They perform their own shows. Special events happen too. One popular event is the Murder By The Falls fundraiser.

A Look Back: History of CVLT

How It All Began

The Chagrin Valley Little Theatre has a long history. It started small in 1930. Back then, Chagrin Falls was a quiet town. There wasn't much art or culture. Alfred Hill owned a local newspaper. He wrote an article suggesting people form a theater group.

The idea was a big hit! In November 1930, the group formed. They called themselves the Valley Players. Their first shows were three short plays. They performed them in the Federated Church gym. The first show was so popular. About 50 more people joined the Players. They quickly planned for a second season.

Finding a Home

The Valley Players opened their second season. They performed on the top floor of the Old Town Hall. This was their home for many years. But in 1943, a fire destroyed the second story. For the next few years, the Players moved around. They used schools and other buildings.

In the fall of 1948, things changed. The community held two fundraisers. After raising money, construction began. They started building the current Little Theatre. It's located on River Street. A famous architect named Frank Draz designed it. He also designed the Cleveland Play House.

Opening Night

The new theater opened in November 1949. The very first show was special. It was a new play called How's Your Hooper. Everett Rhodes Castle wrote it. Going to the theater became very popular. It was the social thing to do in the Valley.

The theater grew quickly. It added a youth theater group. It also started a ballet school. For many years, only local residents could act or watch shows. By the late 1960s, things changed. TV and movies became popular. More people stayed home. So, the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre opened its doors. They welcomed people from the wider community.

Famous Faces on Stage

Some well-known actors have performed at CVLT. They include:

• Tim Conway (a funny comedic actor)
• Howard Da Silva (a talented stage and screen actor)