The Portsmouth Little Theatre

By Audrey Stratton | Local Happenings

The Portsmouth Little Theatre is a local non-profit organization here in Portsmouth. They welcome all ages, and would love to have you a part of their next production!

The building sits on Lawson street, and was built in 1949. It used to house the Strand Movie Theatre and is also included in the Ohio Historic Industry. 

The theatre has a board of governors that choose which productions they put on. They always try to choose a well-rounded season that includes a variety of genres. They look for diversity in their actors, and are able to find many talented actors/actresses in our area. 

 Their very first production was the play My Sister Eileen, directed by Barbara Robinson Webb. She is the author of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The set for that first show was built by volunteers in their own homes, with auditions at the Portsmouth High School Auditorium. 

The first production at their new Lawson street location was Dirty Work at the Crossroads starring Harold Micklethwaite and Anna Louise Stanton. Audience members, Theatre patrons, and volunteers had familiar names like Oberling, Marting, Compton, and Gulker. Local businesses donated props; businesses like Kresge, Keystone Printing, WPAY and more!

I talked with them about upcoming productions, and how COVID was affecting them, and they have been deeply saddened by the effect that it has had. They had to cut their 2020-2021 season and will be using this time to work on the historic building and planning for an “unbelievable” 2021-2022 season. 

They told me how appreciative they are of the support of our local community. They told me that, “without community members boldly stepping out onto our stage or faithfully paying to watch from the house or without gracious donors and local businesses willing to partner with us for our productions. We thank you for all that we are and cannot wait to see what we achieve together next.” 

Be on the lookout for their 2021-2022 season; it will be one for the history books!