WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — General Manager Emeritus and Director of Development Walter Mitchell flips through a program from 1954 – the first play he was a part of with The Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, at 8 years old.
"I wondered 10 or 20 years ago whether I would be here to actually celebrate the 100th anniversary," Mitchell said.
Backstage in the dressing room, Alicia Alaimo is getting ready for another opening night. Her first show at The Little Theatre was 25 years ago when she was 7 years old.
"This is my home theater. I've been here basically my whole life, and to be part of that legacy is amazing. It means something to be part of something so big. It's bigger than you are, and you get to say you're a part of it."
The stage Alicia is performing on now is in a different building from the one Walter grew up with in the '50s and '60s. Although the theater itself may have changed over the years – starting with reading plays in people's homes in the 1920s – the mission of bringing "Broadway to your backyard" has remained the same.
"The legacy is incredible. I mean, we go through programs from 1930. We look at photographs from the 1920s. And you feel that responsibility to be excellent all the time because of what those folks built," said General Manager David Parmelee.
That's why they're pulling out all the stops for a blockbuster season filled with big-name musicals.
Artistic Director Scott Colin was one of the people tasked with building the line-up.
"So we looked back at our biggest-selling shows over the past 100 years, and this is what we came up with. And these shows are not normally available. The rights companies kind of hold those properties really tightly to their vest."
Which is why we can't say the name of the theater's upcoming musical, but you can check it out here.
Opening night is Friday, and the musical runs through May 8. To buy tickets, click here.
Assistant stage manager Lily Abreu can't wait for that first round of applause after weeks of hard work. She, like most of the cast and crew, does this on top of her full-time job.
"We all just love it. We all come together even after a long day of work or a long day of work and classes, we can come let everything out in the theater, be with our friends, our chosen family. It's amazing. I love it here."
The Little Theatre is halfway to meeting its big goal of raising a million bucks for the 100th anniversary. The money will go towards renovating the decades-old building. To make a donation, click here.
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