Mission Statement
The Very Little Theatre is a not-for-profit, volunteer powered, community theatre located in Eugene, Oregon, founded in 1929, whose mission is to produce plays that entertain, educate, and inspire its patrons, members and participants.
Description
The Very Little Theatre got its name on March 3, 1929, when eight Eugene theatre enthusiasts got together with the idea of joining the growing "Little Theatre Movement" that was sweeping the nation. One person said to the others, "There are hundreds of little theatre groups up and down the country, but this is certainly going to be a very little one!"
Born in the Great Depression, the Very Little Theatre survived difficult economic conditions, World War II, changing consumer tastes, and increased competition to become one of the oldest, continuously-operating community theatres in the United States.
The Very Little Theatre (VLT) presented its first production of "You and I" by Philip Barry on Thursday, May 16, 1929 in the Heilig Theatre, an early vaudeville house in Eugene, Oregon. The theatre made a net profit from this production of $4.51 and gained community-wide recognition and support. The following excerpt from The History of the Very Little Theatre in Eugene, Oregon 1929-1954, gives an idea of the grassroots beginnings of this small theatre group during that first production of "You and I".
