The Little Theatre has been a cornerstone of arts in Leicester for 100 years.
Whether you’re wanting to take your first footsteps on the stage yourself, work behind the scenes, or simply watch some brilliant shows, The Little Theatre offers a wonderful experience for the arts scene in Leicester. Throughout this autumn season, you can see performances including the Miss Marple mystery, A Murder is Announced, the comedy of Stags & Hens, family fun with The School of Rock, Noel Coward comedy, Fallen Angels, and a Christmas spectacular with Nativity The Musical. That’s all in addition to the wonderful comedy and music programme too.
With a busy season ahead of them we caught up with Trustee, Tom Young, to find out more about the theatre, why it’s so special to Leicester and how you can get involved.
How you describe the Little Theatre to someone who’s never visited?
The Little Theatre is Leicester’s home of amateur dramatics. While De Montfort Hall brings theatre to Leicester, and Curve makes theatre in Leicester, it’s at The Little where Leicester makes theatre.
Everyone you see on stage at The Little is local and a volunteer, driven by a shared passion for what we do. Sometimes people who haven’t visited us before will hear the word “amateur” and assume it means “bad”, but nothing could be further from the truth. We always strive for professional standards and get to showcase the incredible talent within the city.
What’s your favourite thing about The Little Theatre?
The community. Because we want to produce the best possible shows – whether through Leicester Drama Society (LDS) or one of the operatic societies in our extended family – everyone is so dedicated to their craft and supporting each other. That could be the actors, front of house team, bar or office staff, the backstage crew, or even the audience members – everyone plays a key role in keeping us going.
How can aspired actors get involved in performances at the venue?
LDS plays are cast through open auditions – anyone can sign up (If you get cast, you need to become an LDS member – fear not, the first year is free). Audition notices are posted on our social media and website. If you’re interested in musicals, each operatic society has their own setup, but typically, you’ll need to complete a membership audition to join the society, before subsequently auditioning for a specific show.
Which show are you most looking forward to?
As the marketing trustee, I don’t think I’m allowed to pick favourites! What I will say is that we’ve got something for everyone this season. We’ve got murder mysteries, comedies, a ghost story, a couple of great musicals, and our annual family pantomime – and that only takes us up to the end of January! Even our patron, Sooty, is coming in November!
You can view the full listings at https://www.thelittletheatre.co.uk/whats-on
How important is it that people support independent theatres such as this?
Vitally important. Arts and entertainment are what got many of through the pandemic, but it’s in places like The Little Theatre that creative people train, develop, and hone their craft. Richard Attenborough got his start at The Little (and he used to drag brother David along too), as did playwright Joe Orton.
LDS is in its 101st year – there’s a century of theatrical and local history woven into every fibre of the building. We want it to continue for another 100 years (at least) so we can keep making fantastic theatre in Leicester, by Leicester, and for Leicester.
Keep up to date with everything from The Little Theatre on their Facebook page.
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