History

Dalton Little Theatre, DLT, held its first documented performance in 1869 with the stage production of “The Green Mountain Boy.” Our official birthday, October 4, 1869. For the next thirty years, the Dalton Amateurs, as we were known, regularly performed with many shows at the old Dalton Opera House on Hamilton Street. Productions included “Peck’s Bad Boy”, “Under the Gaslight”, and “Julius Caesar”. According to Gertrude “Tut” McFarlanda, longtime member of DLT, “the theatre started as the Dalton Amateurs, they changed names several times over the years, but always with the same nucleus of people.” So, The Sophoclean Dramatic Club and The Dalton Players continued on until officially becoming Dalton Little Theatre in 1955. One of the first productions under the new name, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” starring Emily Davies and Janice Meadows. Bill and Emily Davies were instrumental in shaping Dalton Little Theatre under its new name, leading to the organization’s formally incorporating in 1958. For years, we had no home and were a nomadic group performing in various local venues. In 1981, DLT found its first home 1981 when it converted the historic firehouse, built in 1888, into The Firehouse Theatre. The Old Firehouse has been home to DLT and the Janice Meadows Stage ever since.

The theatre has performed continuously except for breaks during WWI, WWII, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you to Jennifer Jones, DLT volunteer, for maintaining the theatre history. If you’d like to learn more about our history, email dlt@optilink.us