ACTION! For 50 Years

By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau

SLIDELL — When considering how Slidell Little Theatre began 50 years ago in Slidell, and the incredible contribution to the community’s social scene for five decades, it would seem one or two heroes would stand out.
Certainly there must be several special individuals who deserve to stand on a pedestal of acclaim, garnering most of the attention for making SLT what is has become 50 years later.
But looking at over 250 plays in 50 years by the SLT adult cast, and adding hundreds of productions performed by the Young Actors Theatre (YATs) since the youth program began in 1977, one thing is clear—Slidell Little Theatre has been about a family of Slidell theater lovers providing untold hours of joy for those involved in the plays, as well as those who attend them.
Now in 2012, Slidell Little Theatre is in the midst of celebrating its 50th year in the community, but rather than spend the year patting themselves on the back, the leadership at the theater moves forward with a the well-known adage of “the show must go on.”
That is still what Slidell Little Theatre is about at its Nellie Drive theater, always working on the next production and always providing a wonderful place for young and adult actors to perform their craft—whether for the fun of it, or with an eye towards a possible career.
“If I say what has been the one driving force to keep SLT going for 50 years, I would say it has been the friendships everyone has developed from being a part of this,” longtime actor and director Allen Little said. “People are so funny. When you suggest to them to try out for a play, they are always so evasive. What, me? Oh, I could never do that.
“Then once they come here, they never want to leave,” he added.
Little moved to Slidell in 1970, seven years after the 1963 start to Slidell Little Theatre, and immediately got involved due to his serious acting interests, when he performed at La Petite Theatre in New Orleans.
“We’re all here because we can’t go to Hollywood,” he said with a laugh. “But seriously, it has been the wonderful people here and all the friends that keep us all coming back. It’s very contagious once you get involved, and after all, there is nothing like applause. Everyone loves applause.”
John Perkins got involved in SLT in 1968, coming to Slidell after a national singing career with the Crew Cuts, but never having acted.
“I was cast in the Music Man since I could sing and from the beginning, it was so much fun,” Perkins said. “Even though it’s on a local level, SLT gives everyone a taste of Hollywood. You learn so much about what it takes to put on a play, and it’s a lot of fun to do it.”
Phil White was among the very early founders of the theater, and said it was longtime Slidellian Virginia Madison, along with Richard Throckmorton, who were among those who actually started the organization.
“The first plays were performed in a local church and at the Slidell Auditorium,” White said, now looking back on 12 plays he performed in, and five plays he directed. “I was like so many others in that I had never done theater, but once they pulled me in, I loved it.”
White remembers being the only male role in a play called “Seven Nuns in Las Vegas,” where he played a Jewish nightclub owner.
“We changed the church to a stage for our Saturday night show and had small crowds, then had to clean everything up and put it back together so they could have church the next morning,” he said. “But little by little, the crowds grew.”
White said the theater was one of the top social functions for Slidell in the earlier years, and has never lost that appeal.
“It was THE event to go to when we had a play since there wasn’t any other major social functions in Slidell at that time,” he said.
Little added that “everyone came very early to the plays and we would socialize in the audience before finally doing the show. It really was the biggest social event in Slidell.”
Starting from the humble beginnings in the church, SLT moved to Nellie Drive, off Fremaux Avenue, thanks to a church allowing them to use their facility on Saturday night for shows. With additional land donated by Pete Pravata, SLT began its first major fundraising campaign that resulted in the new home for SLT in 1994 right on the same property after the church moved to a new location.
With theater volunteers raising money, the new 4,500 square foot facility is still the SLT home, after building it for over $400,000 thanks to the hard work and generosity of members and supporters.
Current SLT President Fred Martinez, who got involved in 1998 after moving here from St. Bernard Parish, was drawn in when his daughter wanted to try out for a play.
“And just like so many others, the more I was around for her practices, the more I began to help, and the more involved I got,” he said. “Being a part of a play is such magic, to create something so special that people enjoy. That’s why so many people get involved and remain involved.”
Martinez said the YATS group has produced dozens of theater-related professional performers that can now be found coast to coast.
“My wife and I began to think about how many young people came through SLT, and now make a living in some aspect of the theater. We came up with over 40 names, including some who were recently in the finals for American Idol and Country Music’s Next Great Star,” he said. “There is so much you learn being involved with SLT—and it’s not all about learning lines. We have trained so many people in every different aspect of the theater, and that has taken many of them to their permanent jobs.”
The group is mainly supported by its yearly memberships, now over 850 and growing. Slidell Little Theater is performing six plays a year, with the YATS group performing four plays a year. For more information on SLT, go online to slidelllittletheatre.org or call 643-0556.