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5 0 DRAMATIC YEARS
Bay St. Louis Little Theatre was organized in 1945 by a group of enthusiastic people who gathered in the livingroom of Mary Cannon Bell to plan a new cultural outlet for the community. The organization had 25 charter members; Bell was its first president. But membership soared to 248 during the first year.
The group's first production was a one-act play, "The Twelve-Pound Look," presented at what was then the Bay High School auditorium .
Soon, the group established temporary quarters in a vacant wooden building at the edge of the Bay High athletic field on Carroll Avenue, opening there with a three-act play, "The Male Animal."
For BSLLT1s third season, the board of directors took a giant step and purchased the theatre's current site on a lot at 3 01 Boardman Avenue. The board then bought two war-surplus buildings which were brought to the site and'reassembled. Members pitched in with paintbrushes. Voila — the Playhouse was born.
The rustic, barnlike atmosphere remains today as it was then, but ceiling fans and air-conditioning have been added and the lobby and restrooms have been refurbished. Further renovations are planned as funds allow.
On April 30, 1970, The Sea Coast Echo published a special edition entirely devoted to the theatre's first 25 years.
Early on, the theatre gained a reputation for tackling tough productions, adding new plays to its schedule as soon as they left Broadway and production rights became available for community theatres.
In the mid 1980s — suffering from financial and manpower problems — the theatre went dark. Productions came to a halt and there was talk of tearing down the theatre, selling the property and disbanding. But a nucleus of theatre-lovers refused to let the theatre die. They turned to the community for help, and the community responded.
During the last 50 years, thousands of people — actors, directors, set builders, costumers, makeup/lights/sound technicians, props gatherers and stagehands -- have contributed their time and talents to bring laughter and tears, song, dance and enlightenment to BSLLT's audiences. The playbills in the theatre and the scribbled names and initials backstage provide tangible evidence of their desire to leave their marks as a lasting reminder that the "amateur" in amateur theatre has nothing to do with quality. It simply means that what we do, we do for love.
We encourage you to join us — onstage, backstage or in the audience. Membership forms are available from any board member.
Or write to: Bay St. Louis Little Theatre, P.O. Box 2103, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520.
Audition and production dates are publicized in The Sea Coast Echo, The Sun Herald and The Hancock Reporter.