Lucille Ball Little Theatre

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The Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown, Inc. got its start in 1920 as “The Players Club”; a regional community theater group. In 1929, a young woman named Lucille Ball was cast in a play called “Within the Law”; this was Lucy’s first acting experience outside of school. In 1936, George and Harriet Warren came to Jamestown with experience from the Cleveland Playhouse and were hired as permanent, paid directors. The Warrens spearheaded the evolution of “The Players Club” into a new organization called “The Little Theatre of Jamestown”. The Little Theatre presented a full season of productions with revenue from annual memberships. From 1936 to 1945, membership grew from 1,100 to 5,400 Season Tickets; making Little Theater the largest membership theatre in the United States at the time. After continued growth and hugely successful seasons a permanent location was sought to house the organization. Jamestown's longest running entertainment facility, known as Shea's Theater, located at 18 East Second Street had recently become available. It was decided to proceed with the purchase of the historic building and to create a smaller theatre inside the old one. The ornate, Italian renaissance 2,000 seat auditorium was covered and scaled down to a 400-seat auditorium with a large front lobby area. A minimalist design approach was taken for the creation of the new home of the organization. The new theatre held its grand opening on April 19, 1969. In 1990, Jamestown’s most famous person, Lucille Ball, passed away. A formal dedication was held on May 24, 1991 to rename the theatre in her honor, with her daughter Lucie Arnaz and family in attendance. In December 2015, the Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown will enter its 79th Season of celebrating the performing arts through live theatre, entertainment, education and community involvement. The organization remains New York State’s longest-running community theater.The Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown, Inc. got its start in 1920 as “The Players Club”; a regional community theater group. In 1929, a young woman named Lucille Ball was cast in a play called “Within the Law”; this was Lucy’s first acting experience outside of school. In 1936, George and Harriet Warren came to Jamestown with experience from the Cleveland Playhouse and were hired as permanent, paid directors. The Warrens spearheaded the evolution of “The Players Club” into a new organization called “The Little Theatre of Jamestown”. The Little Theatre presented a full season of productions with revenue from annual memberships. From 1936 to 1945, membership grew from 1,100 to 5,400 Season Tickets; making Little Theater the largest membership theatre in the United States at the time. After continued growth and hugely successful seasons a permanent location was sought to house the organization. Jamestown's longest running entertainment facility, known as Shea's Theater, located at 18 East Second Street had recently become available. It was decided to proceed with the purchase of the historic building and to create a smaller theatre inside the old one. The ornate, Italian renaissance 2,000 seat auditorium was covered and scaled down to a 400-seat auditorium with a large front lobby area. A minimalist design approach was taken for the creation of the new home of the organization. The new theatre held its grand opening on April 19, 1969. In 1990, Jamestown’s most famous person, Lucille Ball, passed away. A formal dedication was held on May 24, 1991 to rename the theatre in her honor, with her daughter Lucie Arnaz and family in attendance. In December 2015, the Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown will enter its 79th Season of celebrating the performing arts through live theatre, entertainment, education and community involvement. The organization remains New York State’s longest-running community theater.