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Timeline:
1976
Official Opening of our theatre at 62 Russett Ave.
1951
OLT returns!
1932
Temporary break!
1928
Foundation of the OLT
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History
Oshawa Little Theatre History
Oshawa Little Theatre owes its existence to a wonderful lady named Verna Conant. Verna was the wife of lawyer Gordon Conant, the Mayor of Oshawa in 1916/17. Conant later became Attorney General in Mitchell Hepburn's provincial Liberal government. Hepburn resigned in 1942 following a feud with the then Prime Minister, William Lyon McKenzie King and named Conant, despite party objections, as his successor. As a result, Conant became the unelected premier of Ontario in 1942 & 1943.
Mrs. Conant was very involved with many initiatives in the Oshawa community and was responsible for founding a number of organizations that are still active today, not the least of which is our theatre.
In 1928, Verna had a vision to create a community theatre and decided to start the process by hiring a professional director, John Craig from Winnipeg, to instruct local actors. Their first play was "The Private Secretary" that played for 2 nights (October 18th and 19th, 1929) followed a few months later by "Alice-Sit-by-the-Fire", both directed by Mr. Craig. The shows were performed at the Collegiate Auditorium and tickets were sold for $1 at The Arcade or Mitchell's Drug Store.
As a result of the Great Depression, they could no longer afford to pay Mr. Craig's fees and he left but the group had sufficient expertise to continue productions for a few more years. Unfortunately, the theatre was dissolved in 1932.
Verna never gave up the idea and re-started the group in 1950 with two productions at O'Neill Collegiate, "Angel Street (Gaslight)" and "John Loves Mary", both directed by Sarah Quinn.
It's hard to compare today's facilities with those used by the original OLT. Members rehearsed in each other's homes and in rented church halls and sets were built just about anywhere. Many times, the sets had to be manhandled (sometimes carried down the street) to the production or rehearsal venue (also rented). One of these venues was the old, unheated Rotary Hall which, according to one of our members, was so cold and draughty that the actors had to huddle over heat vents while awaiting their cues to go on stage for rehearsals.
Dr Glazier kindly offered OLT space to build their sets in the coach house behind his offices on Simcoe St. This was also unheated and sometimes it was difficult to get the paint on the flats before it froze.
Later, for an annual fee of one dollar, the City of Oshawa rented OLT a heated Quonset hut at the airport. This was a dream come true in those days. Members at last had their own clubhouse where they could meet, party, store props and build sets. But the dream was short-lived because they soon found that props and sets inevitably expanded to fill the available space.
In 1956, the problem of sets, props and costumes was solved when a suitable space for a workshop and meeting place became available in the shape of a vacant factory, previously owned by Tripp Construction, located at 62 Russett Avenue. However, the membership had to raise $171,000 to pay for repairs and refurbishments. $30,000 came from the theatre's building fund and Wintario agreed to give us $57,000 providing the membership could raise the rest. So, a huge fundraising campaign was started. Member support was incredible with fundraising committee members donating an average of $555.00 each. Frank Verwey, owner of Owasco Volkswagen donated a new Beetle which was raffled to the public and almost every member contributed something to the total effort.
In 1976 the renovated facility opened. It comprised the workshop and rehearsal rooms that we use today. The rehearsal room was equipped with theatre lighting and a lighting booth (now filled with costumes) although it was not used as a real theatre apart from a few performances during Oshawa's Fiesta Week in the late '70's and for some youth group productions. We continued to rent facilities for the shows themselves (O'Neill Collegiate, McLaughlin Auditorium and Eastdale Collegiate exclusively between 1966 and 1983) but the company thrived.
In the early 80's the membership decided to attempt to raise funds to build their own theatre and, once again, obtained a Wintario grant. This, together with some amazing contributions from businesses and individuals, set the wheels in motion to build today's 360-seat facility adjacent to the old rehearsal room and workshop.
Architect Peter Smith, designer of the Shaw Festival Theatre, was hired, and in 1983 the new building at 62 Russett Avenuewas formally opened with a gala performance of "The Music Man".
For many years after, OLT rented the parking lot at the back of the building. Then, an opportunity arose to purchase the land. So, another huge fund raising effort was launched which culminated in the purchase of the land but it took a few more years before we could afford to have it paved.
So, as you can see, what we have today is a fabulous legacy from Verna Conant and hundreds of amazing members.
Enjoy.
Where We Are Today
Oshawa Little Theatre has been entertaining Durham for almost 70 years. Run by dedicated volunteers, the theatre provides an artistic outlet to hundreds of Durham residents as actors, artists, administrators and technicians. With the support of close to 1,800 subscribers and hundreds of active members, OLT board members and members are participating in a cooperative period of rejuvenation which will see improvements and enhancements to all aspects of our community theatre experience, including on-line box office access, an expanded season of shows, an educational and mentoring project, and new marketing plans, including our new logo seen on this site. Our building at 62 Russett Ave is owned, operated and maintained through the efforts of our members and your continuing patronage. If you would like to get involved please contact one of our directors listed on this site.
The "Play"s the Thing!
Our season's slate is selected more than a year in advance by our play reading committee. Every effort is made to provide a balanced season of entertainment, combining drama, comedy and music. The future will see us expanding our season, perhaps offering a summer series or other types of entertainment. Do you have some great ideas? A burning desire to be on stage? To direct? To design sets? Costumes? Lighting? Would you like to get involved backstage or marketing tickets? Contact one of our directors listed on this site!
Our Actors
Our Actors consist of a complimentary mix of veterans from theatre, film and television along with new-comers that have offered their wonderful talents and commitment to our stage. We encourage anyone with a passion for theatre to come out and audition for our plays. Our community is full of extraordinary talents! Oshawa Little Theatre is committed to encouraging that talent to become a part of our family and bring our stage to life for the enjoyment of our audiences.
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