In the late 1930's and early 1940's, one of Covington's most active groups was the Little Theater of Covington. It brought together a large number of theater-oriented enthusiasts. This was 15 years before the coming of Playmaker's Inc.
It all started in December of 1938 when a frequent visitor to Covington decided to donate towards the building of a Fellowship House. This prompted the organization of a Little Theater of Covington to take advantage of the new location in which to present plays. Miss S. J. Reeder was a key founder in putting together the Little Theater group
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It's goal was to develop local talent. Tickets would be sold on a subscription basis.
The local newspaper began promoting the success of the group, encouraging readers to buy the membership subscriptions.
Interest in the endeavor continued to increase.
The first night at the theatre opened on February 27, 1939
The gala event brought in 200 people. Members of the cast included Mrs. J. L. Smith, Norma Addison, Eugene Matranga, Leo Matranga, and Harry O'Brien.
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The group started to offer one-act "Workshop Plays" to maintain interest in between big productions.
Directed by E. L. Ganucheau, the second production was quite popular. Cast members included Elsie Galatas, Wallace Bornet, David Elmer, and Jules Bagur, with Mrs. Dalton Barranger designing and painting a "beautiful" drop curtain for the production.
The Little Theater group met regularly to discuss upcoming plays and make plans for the future.
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First year closes with considerable success
Interest in theater activities was climbing, and even a "Children's Little Theater" was proposed for the area.
But the Little Theater organizers had to remind patrons that it was not in any way connected with the "Children's Little Theater" promotions.
To keep interest high, the Little Theater started bringing in productions by the Baton Rouge Community Theater Players.
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Members of the Little Theater of Covington began attending regional "drama festivals." The effort was well-received with Covington pleased that it was being so well represented.
Special acting classes were offered to those interested in taking part, helping them to develop their talents on stage.
Members of the Little Theater were called upon to contribute their talents to a community-wide benefit raising money for the USO Program.
Mentions of the "Little Theater of Covington" completely vanished in later editions of the newspaper, signaling perhaps that the start of World War II had caused it to disband.
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