The Complete History of TLT (abridged)

Tallahassee Little Theatre was established on February 10th, 1949. The first play that was produced under the name of Tallahassee Little Theatre was Boy Meets Girl presented on May 17th.

Just three short years later, TLT incorporated to become a non profit organization whose mission was: To further and promote a community understanding of the dramatic arts.

In 1957, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Winthrop, along with Mr. Winthrop's sister Evelyn Randolph, donated 3.1 acres of land near the corner of Thomasville and Betton Roads to TLT. A building fund was begun, life memberships were established, and little by little Tallahassee Little Theatre began to have a more permanent physical home.

By the end of 1961, TLT had a Stage House that included rehearsal space, workshop and property storage as well as a stage, seating area and heating. In 1974, air conditioning refined the theatre goers experience even further.

Although TLT experimented over the years with various numbers of plays and formats; the five play Mainstage season has remained since 1982. In years since, the amount of theatrical activity has been greatly increased through summer productions, Reader's Theatre, a Coffeehouse series of blackbox theatre (begun in 1994 in the east lobby) and other special events.

In 1991, TLT again expanded its borders. Thanks to the dream of then-president Lois Sojat, her board of directors and private donors who matched a grant from the Knight Foundation, as well as a major grant from the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, the theatre grew to include an enlarged west lobby, a new east lobby (the Magnolia Room), a new scene shop/rehearsal area, and a 259-seat auditorium featuring an enlarged stage and improved lighting and sound features. The new building was dedicated on May 1, 1994, almost forty-five years to the day since the theatre was first organized.

With all of this constant growth, TLT has had a need to hire not only a full-time Executive Director, but also a Resident Designer/Technical Director and a Marketing and Development Director.

Fifty-five years after its inception, TLT is bursting with pride over its accomplishments and its ability to expand its original mission of promoting a community understanding of the arts.