A Brief History of the Little Lake Theatre
By Dave Disney
It was Summer of 1947 when Will Disney and his mother, Edith, headed South on Route 19 from Mt. Lebanon toward Washington PA. Their goal was to, hopefully, find an area conducive to starting a summer stock community theatre. As they passed Donaldson’s Crossroads and viewed Canonsburg Lake, they thought they found their ideal spot because in addition to the lake (which is responsible for the Little Lake name) the area also had a huge red barn across the lake. They stopped to talk to the farmer who was tending to his livestock and in what had to have been a most bewildering conversation, they explained their reason for stopping and wondered if the barn was available to be converted into a theatre. After several meetings, they learned the gentleman was open to the idea of renting out a small parcel of his property. Will started to work out the details.
In summer of 1949, their dreams were realized, and Little Lake Theatre was established. The upper part of the barn was now a theatre-in-the-round with folding chairs for the audience. The lower level of the barn housed the public rest rooms, actor’s rest rooms and dressing rooms, green room and snack bar. It also still had a somewhat bovine-like aroma. The structure had a tin roof which. In addition to retaining the heat within the barn, posed a major problem when storms occurred. The noise of the rain hitting the tin roof made it impossible to hear the actors and forced a delay in the performance until the storm clouds trailed off. To help rectify the heat, a six-foot portion of the wall overlooking the lake could now be rolled to the side to help with ventilation.
After two years, a “new” stockade-enclosed theatre was constructed. A portion of the original stockade can be seen in the hall of the current theatre. It delineates the size of the theatre. The rehearsal area was now moved to the upper floor of the barn, the snack bar moved from the barn to the shed, and the ticket booth and main entrance now occupied the area now housing the light booth.
The next expansion a few years later provided a building to house the relocated box office, snack bar, public restrooms, and an actor’s green room and dressing rooms. This was a most welcomed addition by all as it eliminated the necessity of actors and patrons having to venture from theatre to barn to visit the snack bar or use the restrooms. This also saw the elimination of the valuable “umbrella-patrol” that enabled the actors to get between the two structures when raining.
Throughout this history, the theatre’s most valuable commodity – its audiences – continue their gracious support enabling Little Lake Theatre to continue to serve the community. For this, we humbly say, THANK YOU!
