The Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre (KWLT) is a community theatre

Community theatre

Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...

 located in the Kitchener

Kitchener, Ontario

The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...

-Waterloo

Waterloo, Ontario

Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 area of Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It was established in the late 1920s or the early 1930s as a place for amateur acting.

9 Princess Street

In 1954, KWLT purchased the building at 9 Princess Street in Waterloo, Ontario

Waterloo, Ontario

Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 as a rehearsal and workshop space. Later, in 1994, this facility was converted into the main performance area for the theatre. The conversion included building the lobby, office, dressing rooms, and the main stage area. Developed as a black box theatre, the facility allowed for an intimate and flexible performance space.

On July 19, 2002, the Princess Street Building burned down with damage to props, costumes, scripts, records, historical notes and memorabilia, some dating over 70 years old. The rebuilding of the theatre, with the theme "The Show Must Go On," was embraced. Since the fire, KWLT has produced its shows in rented spaces - the Registry Theatre in Kitchener, the St Jacobs Church Theatre in St Jacobs and even in a Dollar Store in Waterloo Town Square.

On July 9, 2009, the rebuilt theatre opened its doors.

For the 2009-2010 season, Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre will be celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Community involvement

In 1959, the St. John's Lutheran Church burned down. KWLT donated space to house their Sunday schools, etc. KWLT is also believed to have helped The Stratford Festival of Canada

Stratford Festival of Canada

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival is an internationally recognized annual celebration of theatre running from April to November in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario...

 in their first season. On the wall of the stairs of the original Princess Street building was a mural painted by members of Stratford as a thank-you to the theatre.

In the past, KWLT has had joint productions with local groups, including a musical with More Notes Productions. Improv comedy has also been a large part of KWLT over the past many years, with organizations such as Theatre on the Edge and the Royal Waterloo Ballet, and events such as Lip Service and The Dog Ate My Script. KWLT has a history of supporting local Canadian talent. KWLT tries to work with Canadian authors whenever possible (many previous One-Act plays have been Canadian authors - many of those have been local to the KW region).

A volunteer board and volunteer staff have always run KWLT. Over the years these volunteers have continuously provide opportunities for theatre involvement for anyone who came. Philosophically, KWLT sees itself as the entry point to the theatre experience. Auditions are open to anyone, and a large number of actors within KWLT performances within any year are having their first acting experience.

KWLT introduces people with no experience at all to producing

Theatrical producer

A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...

, directing, and stage-managing

Stage management

Stage management is the practice of organizing and coordinating a theatrical production. It encompasses a variety of activities, including organizing the production and coordinating communications between various personnel...

 productions. KWLT provides the opportunity to experience the technical side of theatre in lighting

Lighting

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...

, sound

Sound design

Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...

, and set design

Scenic design

Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...

 to anyone who is interested. This willingness to open doors to neophytes sets KWLT apart from most other theatres, which will not take that risk. Their motto, 'one of the little people', directly addresses that grass roots philosophy. KWLT primarily draws its talent from the Waterloo region, although actors and directors have traveled from Hamilton, Cambridge, Stratford and other locales to participate in KWLT.

Each year KWLT runs three or four main productions that run for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night for two weeks each. Behind these are many weeks of preparation - rehearsals, set building, promotion, etc. Between these events, KWLT runs one-act play weekends (3 one-act plays in one night) and other, smaller scale, events. These require less commitment and provide an opportunity for those people who want to 'dip their toes' in theatre rather than 'dive in'. Volunteers are recruited individually for each event, maximizing the opportunity for involvement for everyone. The number of people involved range from 4 in the smallest one-act to 25 or more for a main stage production. KWLT's current season can be seen on the website.

Funding

KWLT is a registered Non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

, and funds its operations through audiences. The main stage area in the old theatre could seat 50-75 people depending on the theatre configuration used for the performance. Depending on the time of year and the show, the audience can be as small as 10 and as large as 'sold-out'. In several years before the fire, no production held at the Princess Street facility lost money. Both the City of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener provide grants to assist with the non-production operating costs and with the rebuilding efforts.