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.
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