The Little Theatre on the Square facts for kids

The Little Theatre on the Square is a special theater in Sullivan, Illinois. You can find it right in the town square on Harrison Street. It's the only professional theater between big cities like Chicago and St. Louis.

History of the Theater

The building first opened in 1924 as a movie theater. It was called "The Grand Theatre." It showed movies all year, except during the summer.

In 1957, a man named Guy S. Little, Jr. had a great idea. He wanted to rent the theater during the summer to put on plays. This helped him start his dream of running a professional theater.

Little had just finished studying theater in New York. When he started, he called the summer shows "Summer of Musicals." In 1963, he bought The Grand Theatre. That's when he officially changed its name to "The Little Theatre on the Square." Mr. Little brought many plays and musicals to the small town for years.

After 22 years, Mr. Little said he couldn't run the theater anymore. It was too expensive to pay for shows and actors. But the theater didn't close! A group called Sullivan Theatre, Inc. stepped in. They put on five shows that season.

The theater then became a non-profit organization in 1981. This means it's run by a group of people, not just one owner. A board of trustees from Central Illinois helped manage it. Later, The Little Theatre on the Square Inc. bought the building from Mr. Little. They started making improvements to nearby buildings.

The year after buying the theater, the board bought more buildings. These new spaces became the ticket office, public restrooms, and offices. In 2000, they bought another building. This one was used for rehearsals, a dance studio, and apartments for actors. In 2001, they bought one more building for technical production.

Digital Archives

You can find old photos and programs from The Little Theatre online! Eastern Illinois University has a special collection called "The Keep". It's like a digital library for the theater's past shows.

More programs are also online through a project by Eastern Illinois University's Booth Library. They work with the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois to share these digital collections.

Outreach Programs

The theater started an education program in 1997. It began by teaching jazz, tap, and ballet dance classes. In 2000, they added drama and singing classes. Voice lessons were added in 2012.

This program is now called the Future Stars Program. It offers art classes for people from age three to adults.

In 2004, the program grew even more. They added a touring program. Students in the program could travel to schools and perform. Over 26,000 students saw these shows before the tour stopped. Now, The Little Theatre offers two shows each school year. Schools can bring their students to watch a live performance on the theater's stage.

In 2017, the education program became Future Stars Dance & Drama. It brings in professional artists to teach acting, dance, and voice. Students from over 50 miles away join this program. You can find out more at http://danceanddrama.org/home.

Adopt a Seat Program

After finishing renovations in 2004, the theater started a program called "Adopt a Seat." It lets theater fans support the theater. For a donation, their name or the name of someone they want to honor is placed on a special plaque. This plaque is in the lobby on the seating chart.

People who join this program donate $1000 to help the theater. They can pay this amount over three years. More than 100 people have joined! The money helps The Little Theatre pay for renovations and put on great shows.

Famous Performers

Many different actors have performed on stage at The Little Theatre in Sullivan. Some were famous, and some were just starting out. In 1959, the theater joined the Actors' Equity Association. This group helps professional actors. After that, the theater started featuring well-known stars who were part of this group.

Guy Little, Jr. would choose his actors from auditions in New York and Chicago. He usually had about 35 performers for each show. Some of the big names who performed there include Alan Alda, Ruth Warrick, Rosemary Prinz, Margaret Hamilton, Eddie Bracken, Joe E. Brown, Margaret Truman, Ann B. Davis, Annamary Dickey, Don Hastings, John Carradine, Dennis Weaver, Robert Reed, Cesar Romero, Betty Ann Grove, Patricia Morrison, Ron Ely, Betty Grable, Virginia Graham, Bill Hayes, Ann Miller, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Mickey Rooney, Kathryn Crosby, Kitty Carlisle, and Robert Newman.

After Guy Little left in 1978, fewer famous performers appeared. But in recent years, stars like Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka have performed there.

Actors and Their Appearances

• Rosemary Prinz was a regular summer actress at the Little Theatre. She performed many times between 1961 and 1982. She was also on the TV show As the World Turns.
• John Carradine performed twice, in 1965 and 1966. He was famous for appearing in over 200 movies, like The Grapes of Wrath.
• Jonathan Frid, known as the vampire Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows, performed in 1969. His show, Dial M for Murder, sold out!
• Ann Miller appeared on stage in 1973. She had been in 40 movies before that.
• Mickey Rooney performed in 1976. He had already been in many films and TV shows.
• Kitty Carlisle appeared in 1978. She was also a regular on the TV show To Tell the Truth.

In recent years, many performers at The Little Theatre have also appeared on Broadway in New York and in London's West End. These include Marisha Wallace (from Aladdin and Dreamgirls), J. Michael Zygo (from Once), and Alysha Deslorieux (from Hamilton). Many actors have also toured across the country in various shows.

In 2018, Colleen Zenk starred in Hello, Dolly!. She is best known for her role as Barbara Ryan on the TV drama As the World Turns for many years.

Then and Now

The first "Summer of Musicals" in 1957 had nine shows in nine weeks. Each show played four times, from Thursday to Sunday. Tickets cost between 90 cents and $2.20. The last musical, Guys and Dolls, sold out completely!

In 2009, The Little Theatre had two shows outside the main season. The summer season had five shows. Tickets cost $26 to $28 per show, or you could buy season tickets for $100. Each summer show ran for two weeks, from Tuesday to Sunday.

As of 2023, the summer season includes six musicals, one play, and three shows for young audiences. Ticket prices have gone up a little since 2009.