PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX)- This month, the Singing River Little Theatre is celebrating a milestone. The organization is using what started 80 years ago to build a brighter future.
“What happened at the Little Theatre was front-page news back then,” Singing River Little Theatre historian Rick Roberts said. “We had the first community theatre production on the Coast, the first organized community theatre and the first community theatre.”
Along with being an active participant in the Singing River Little Theatre, Rick Roberts is the organization’s historian. What was originally called the Paspoint Little Theatre launched the first community theatre production on the Coast in 1945, just days after the end of World War II.
“Pascagoula had gone from a small fishing village of about 5- 6,000 people to over 40,000 people in four years,” Roberts said. “These people came from all over the country and world. That’s what the whole function of this theatre was originally, let’s bring everyone together, let’s get everyone an outlet for their creative energy, and their desire to perform.”
The theatre grew from there and performed plays in its own facility on Market Street for decades. Over time, the momentum slowed, and with the rise of home entertainment options, the Paspoint plays stopped entirely in the 80s.
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“We’ve kind of had a desert for theatre here for many years,” Singing River Little Theatre president Jill Sullivan said.
Sullivan teaches theatre at Pascagoula High School. A few years ago, she and others worked together to resurrect the theatre.
“This is just a revitalization, bringing back theatre, and it’s a renaissance for Pascagoula,” Sullivan said.
To celebrate the resurgence, the group is going back to where it all started, recreating the first performance of ‘Claudia’, the theatre’s first play.
“We’re doing the exact same play, working from the same scripts that they had, literally, I found a script from 1945 for ‘Claudia’,” Roberts said.
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On September 25, ‘Claudia’ will be performed at the theatre’s temporary location.
“We need to get our own home, right now we’re performing most of our plays at the assembly hall at the Jackson County Fairgrounds,” Sullivan said. “People are constantly asking when you are going to do children’s plays and musicals; we really need our own home for that.”
“I end up building sets on my front porch and carting them into the space,” theatre vice president John Kremm said. “It would be nice to have a home just to have a sense of this is ours and our space.”
If the theatre members’ wish came true, the new home would bring everything back full circle.
“The original production was done right here in the old Pascagoula High School auditorium on this very stage,” Roberts said.
Roberts is just in the initial phase of exploring the possibility of restoring the auditorium, which would need thousands of dollars and probably years of work before it could be used. The example of restoration is already in place next door to the auditorium; the old high school building was transformed into a senior living center.
While the search for a permanent stage continues, there is reason to celebrate the comeback that’s already happened in a short time.
“Pascagoula had this long history as a leader in the arts; it’s time for us to get back in that game,” Roberts said. “The Singing River Little Theatre has made great strides.”
In addition to ‘Claudia’ coming up later this month, the theatre is celebrating 80 years of community theatre on the Coast this Saturday, September 6, with the ‘Cheers to 80 Years Parade’. The parade starts at 2:00 at the La Pointe Krebs House and finishes at the old high school.
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