In 1926, a group of culturally-minded citizens met in the fashionable San Carlos Hotel and elected a Board of Managers to provide the community theatrical talent. The Opera House was gone, and the new Saenger Theatre was a professional house. Local performers, technicians and writers combined their efforts and produced their shows at the local high school for several years.

After a few difficult years, a new group was formed in 1936. In the depression recovery, the Works Progress Administration created numerous theatre companies across the country. The Civic Drama Players were created in Pensacola, and incorporated one year later as Pensacola Little Theatre (PLT).

PLT’s first performances were held in the old Chamber of Commerce auditorium before moving to Pensacola High School. The first recorded production was a one-act titled “On the Park Bench.” Rehearsals continued in the Chamber’s auditorium until 1950, when the rear of the building collapsed. This created a problem for rehearsal space and storage.

In 1949, the Board of Directors began discussions on the need for a home of its own. They initiated a fund drive, drew up plans and in August 1951, with a $20,000 matching loan, obtained permission from the Federal Government to build an auditorium. By February 1952, “The Glass Menagerie,” the first production in the Quonset, opened to the public. Three years later, the Board procured a $15,000 loan for additional
construction adding two new dressing rooms; a rehearsal hall and stage; costume and prop storage; rooms for paint and electrical equipment; and a new shop.

Through the American Red Cross and the Recreation Department and Pensacola NAS, seats were made available to patients at the Naval Hospital. Then, as now, many theatre participants, both backstage and on stage, were active duty personnel and their families.

During the early 1970s, the Quonset deteriorated to the point the Fire Commission demanded installation of a sprinkler system and several other major improvements, requiring a sizable capital outlay. Purchasing land and erecting a new building was also prohibitively expensive. In 1977, the building that had so faithfully served as PLT’s home was sold and the old Florida Movie House at 186 North Palafox reopened as Pensacola Little Theatre.

PLT still needed a permanent home. Through a commissioned study, the group found that 24 nonprofit arts organizations in the community had similar needs. Convincing the Escambia County Commissioners that a central location with space and facilities for existing and new arts groups was needed, PLT was deeded the Escambia County Court of Record Building and Jail. Built in 1911, the abandoned land mark was to be
readapted to become the Pensacola Cultural Center.

With local contributions along with state, county and city matching funds, the Pensacola Cultural Center was renovated in three phases. Construction began with the assistance of Carter Quina, an expert in historical renovations, serving as the architect and Greenhut Construction Co., as the contractor. Phases 1 and 2 saw completed renovations in April 1992. Original building tenants included Kaleidoscope/Ballet Pensacola with dance studios and office space on the third floor; West Florida Literary Federation with offices and a community library on the second floor; and the African American Heritage Society and the Pensacola Children’s Chorus, both with offices on the second floor.

In the spirit of the building intention, the Pensacola Children’s Chorus grew and moved to its own facility in 1997 and the Pensacola Opera moved into the Cultural Center. Then the Opera grew and moved to its new facility in 1998 and Communities In Schools, a state-supported non-profit organization, moved into the vacated space. In August 2000, the African American Heritage Society moved into their newly renovated building in downtown Pensacola and another organization dedicated to the enhancement of children’s education, the National League of Junior Cotillions, moved into the space.

Also construction was completed on the Rehearsal Hall, dedicated to the memory of one of the key players in PLT’s acquisition of the Cultural Center, Mr. Lew Taylor. Additional rooms included the M.C. Blanchard Courtroom, Gallery, Boardroom, Atrium Lobby and Green Room.

In January 1996, Phase 3, the Theatre, was complete and PLT had a glorious home of its own. That month PLT celebrated its new home with performances of “The Wizard of Oz.” The state-of-the-art theater has 474 seats over three floors, each with an unobstructed view of the stage. The theater now features at least five performances during the Mainstage Season. Local high schools also perform major productions in the Schools on Stage program. In 1999, a children’s theater was established under PLT called the Treehouse Theatre, which has a season of its own.

In an effort to expand PLT’s programming, the Courtroom serves as a theater for a third season of plays under the PLT umbrella. Acting classes as well as all rehearsals are held in the Rehearsal Hall. As part of the outreach program, PLT sponsors POP Tour, a community performance outreach group and an acting program at the Pensacola Boys Base, a facility for at-risk youth.

It is important to recognize the thousands of volunteers who make up PLT, but special recognition goes to the PLT Guild. With service to PLT for more than 20 years, the Guild members volunteer their time in the box office, stuffing programs, ushering, holding fundraisers and spreading the word about PLT. They were instrumental in initiating the plan to have a Green Room in the Cultural Center. With many fundraisers and the assistance of local interior designers, the Green Room became a reality - beautifully decorated and serving as a highlight of the facility.

PLT has long been the area’s leader in quality community theatre. Volunteers from all walks of life banded together across generations to bring Pensacola the very best PLT has to offer. Theatre cannot die because it has the ageless appeal of magic. The stage is a magic mirror in which life is reflected in a manner closer to our heart’s desire than reality.

Historical information provided by historian and former PLT Board of Trustees member, B.J. Miller.

These programs are sponsored by grants from the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources; The Florida Arts Council;  the National Endowment for the Arts, and funded, in part, by donors to the United Arts Funds of the Arts Council of Northwest Florida.

Florida Arts Council

Arts Council of Northwest Florida

  The Pensacola Little Theatre is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre