In 1934, the Soap Box Derby races for the first time. Bonnie and Clyde are killed. Actress Florence Henderson is born. And it’s the year the Little Theatre of Alexandria begins.
Celebrating 90 years this month, the nonprofit theater, a staple in the Northern Virginia theater scene, continues to grow.
The Little Theatre of Alexandria started as a play reading group, but the passion to perform quickly grew into full productions. By the 1950s, the theater moved into its permanent home and is now the oldest award-winning community theater in the Washington, DC, metro area.
Kim Smith-Salmon, the theater’s business manager, credits board members, volunteers, and members with helping the Little Theatre of Alexandria thrive. “It’s making sure we’re doing shows that audiences want to see, and people want to perform in, and people want to work on,” she says.
Since forming, the theater has held over 450 productions, from Send Me No Flowers to Into the Woods. Some of those shows have hosted famous faces in the crowd, including former presidents Harry Truman and George W. Bush and his family, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, and Sen. John Warner.
The famous faces don’t stop in the audience either. Plenty of now-familiar names have graced the stage, with alumni including Marcia Gay Harden, Ethan Slater, and Brittany O’Grady.
“We’ve had so many people come through and perform on our stage who have gone on to bigger and better things,” says Smith-Salmon. “I think that’s another testament to the way the organization is and how it fosters people and their love of the arts and theater.”
The anniversary season kicks off on July 20, and the theater plans to celebrate.
“We wanted to do a happy season,” says Frank D. Shutts II, president of the theater’s Board of Governors, about the 2024–25 season. “We chose not to do dramas this season; they’re all fun and light shows.”
The theater will host a variety of opening-night receptions, a fall gala, and a sale of books, scripts, props, and costumes accumulated over the years.
With 90 years of history, Shutts knows the importance of younger generations. The Little Theatre of Alexandria’s junior memberships and educational and mentorship programs make the arts accessible to kids and teens and help to grow their affection into adulthood, he says.
“We encourage young adults with a passion for theater, respect for an established organization and its budget, to come in and join us and be with us for the next 40 years.” 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria
2024–2025 Season
Memphis (July 20–August 10)
The Explorers Club (August 31–September 21)
Jekyll & Hyde (October 19–November 9)
A Christmas Carol (December 7–21)
Matilda (February 8–March 1, 2025)
Much Ado About Nothing (March 29–April 19, 2025)
The Play That Goes Wrong (June 7–28, 2025)
Feature image courtesy The Little Theatre of Alexandria
This story originally ran in our July issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
