History

The theatre also continued its participation with the larger theatre scene in Canada.

In 1952 KWLT was awarded a trophy in the Goderich one-act play festival, to which they returned in 1954 a mere three days after the opening of the new building.  The play that opened the 1954 season was from a community theatre in Hamilton; in the early days it was quite common for groups to tour their productions around to other nearby theatres.  Most excitingly, in 1955 KWLT’s production of Arthur Miller’s “All my sons” was selected as the best show at the WODL festival, winning the (21 member) cast and crew the opportunity to perform at the Dominion Drama Festival in Regina.  The trip was ultimately funded by the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo as well as by KWLT itself.

The building had started out in the late 1800s or early 1900s as a carriage shed; it was purchased around 1909 by a veterinarian and renovated to become both his home and office space.  Over the next forty years, the building would serve as a dairy, a private home, a garage, a butcher’s shop, and a welding shop that also repaired motorcycles.  Since 1948 it had been owned by the Kuntz family as the home of what became Kuntz Electroplating; the business was successful enough that in 1952 they needed to move to larger quarters in Kitchener.

KWLT bought the then-empty building from the Kuntzes in 1953, following a fundraising drive.  A key part of the funding for the building came in the form of $300 loans from individual members (both active and subscribers) that were paid back over the course of the next few years.  Donations were also gathered from more than 60 local firms and individuals.  On October 7th, 1954 the KWLT building opened its doors as an office, rehearsal studio, and workshop.

In 1963, a membership drive with the aim of signing 2000 subscribers ended up netting the theatre around 1500 instead, and the numbers would continue to fall.

Work on the building continued, however.  In 1964 a fundraising campaign brought in $10500 for additions and renovations; this paid for the expansion of the building to the rear, building up the workshop area (which is now the theatre space).  The building also served as the venue for receptions, workshops, and meetings of the various interest groups within KWLT.

At this point, KWLT was well established as an innovator in the realm of community theatre.  With 1977’s production of “Godspell”, we became the first amateur theatre in Canada to have produced all of the “Big Three” musicals of the day, having mounted productions of “Hair” in 1974 and “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 1975.

By the late 70s, most of KWLT’s plays were being mounted at the Pavilion in Victoria Park, a trend that would continue through the 1980s.  Tackling modern musicals, broad farces, and serious dramatic works with equal aplomb (and generally good reviews), the company’s membership nonetheless continued to decline.

Victoria Park Pavilion was the principle venue, but some of the smaller shows began to use the rehearsal studio space at 9 Princess Street East for their performances. A typical season would feature three or sometimes four major productions, one of which was geared towards children.

One notable production of the era was 1984’s “Waiting for the Parade”, written by Canadian dramatist John Murrell.  Set in Calgary during 1939-45, the drama focuses on the women waiting at home and supporting the war effort.  All five characters are women, and in KWLT’s production so were the director and all of the major members of the production staff.  Mounted on the weekends surrounding Remembrance Day, the KWLT production received some of the strongest praise of any of our shows in the local media.

1985-86 marked the 50th anniversary season of KWLT, which was celebrated with an evening of dinner theatre at the Walper.  Many of the guests were former presidents of the organization, including founding president Fred Dreger himself who gave the keynote address.  While membership in the 80s was nowhere near where it had been in the heyday of the 50s, the overall feeling was that KWLT continued to serve a niche and would become more active as new blood came into the organization.

First was the rehearsal area on the second floor of the original building; dubbed “the Studio”, it became the home for smaller productions, including children’s theatre and some edgier experimental works.  The current tradition of regular one-act play weekends began with the Studio.

Shortly afterward, the workshop area (the back part of the building that had previously been used for set construction) was renovated to create a black box theatre space, and “Stage One” was born.  For the next decade, essentially all KWLT shows would be mounted in our own spaces.

The development of our performances spaces created significant opportunities for collaborations and partnerships with other local arts and culture groups.   Local improv group Theatresports (now Theatre on the Edge) frequently used the Studio both for performances and workshops.  Following a CD release concert by local musician Jack Cooper at KWLT, musicians Matt Osborne and Craig Cardiff started the Woodsounds concert series of singer-songwriters presenting their music in an intimate atmosphere.

A typical season in the late 90s would include three or four main-stage productions, two or three one-act play weekends, plus monthly performances of the variety show “Lip Service” and occasional collaborations with other local theatre groups, many of which were offshoots of KWLT itself.

The damage was largely confined to the original structure, however; the workshop turned Stage One expansion was mostly untouched.

The Board of the time was faced with a difficult choice: rebuild at the Princess Street location, or look to put down stakes elsewhere?  The decision came down on the side of rebuilding, and for the next seven years the focus of KWLT was on just that: raising capital through grants and donations, bringing in contractors for some of the work and volunteers for the rest.

In the meantime, there were still shows to run.  During the rebuild KWLT returned to the nomadic ways of its earlier days, renting out spaces like the Registry Theatre in downtown Kitchener and the (now former) Church Theatre in St. Jacobs for our productions.

KWLT reopened its doors at 9 Princess Street East in July of 2009 for its production of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”; the 2009-10 season was the first since the fire to be housed entirely within our own space.

It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two rivals (and ex-lovers) who use seduction as a weapon to humiliate and degrade others, all the while enjoying their cruel games and boasting about their manipulative talents. It has been claimed to depict the decadence of the French aristocracy shortly before the French Revolution, thereby exposing the perversions of the so-called Ancien Régime. However, it has also been described as an amoral story.

The biggest feature of the old building that we miss is the Studio. The second-story space served many roles: a secondary performance venue, a rehearsal hall, extra storage for our costumes and props, office space… It’s been the dream for us to build a new second story atop the front of the current building, and as we look forward we’re beginning to put the pieces together to start that process.

Our membership and administration continue to skew young for community theatre, as we are fortunate to pick up a great many new volunteers from among the local university students and new graduates.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1962 play by Edward Albee. It examines the breakdown of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive an unwitting younger couple, Nick and Honey, as guests, and draw them into their bitter and frustrated relationship.

Thank you to everyone who makes Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre happen. KWLT =100% volunteer-run. The good news is Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre continues not to go anywhere. Thanks to the fiscal prudence of the last several boards, KWLT has the financial reserves to make it through an extended closure if we need to.

However, we continue to be uncertain about what re-opening will look like. We can’t say at this time when our next production will hit our stage.

Fortunately, the rights-holders of two plays that were delayed, Cock and The Last Resort, are happy to be flexible under the circumstances; likewise, we’ve contracted the rights for five shows for what would have been the 2020-21 season, and those rights-holders are also allowing us some flexibility. We’re working through contingencies right now. When we reopen the theatre The Last Resort and the 2020-21 shows will then be scheduled.

In the meantime, we’re working on some new projects that you can participate in from your own home!