Little Theatre Movement

The Little Theatre Movement emerged in America around 1910 as a reaction to the dominant commercial theatre business models. This guide looks at the reasons for its development and the array of small, experimental theatre companies that produced some of America’s most innovative work in the first half of the twentieth century. It also highlights some of the key practitioners and plays produced during this period.

Terminology

• Expressionism: a style of theatre that utilized theatrical elements and scenery with exaggeration and distortion in order to convey strong feelings and ideas to audiences.
• Realism: a theatrical movement developed alongside naturalism, which aimed to be more truthful to real life through texts and performances.
• The Theatrical Syndicate: an organization established in 1896 which controlled booking in most of the major theatrical attractions in the United States.

Key Dates & Events

• 1896 - Establishment of the Theatrical Syndicate.
• 1912 - Establishment of the Toy Theatre (Boston).
• 1912 - Establishment of the Little Theatre (Chicago).
• 1912 - Establishment of the Little Theatre (New York City).
• 1914 - Establishment of the Washington Square Players (New York City).
• 1915 - Establishment of the Provincetown Players (Provincetown); the company moved to New York City in 1916.
• 1915 - Washington Square Players premiered Alice Gerstenberg's one-act play Overtones at the Bandbox Theater in New York.
• 1916 - Eugene O'Neill joined the Provincetown Players.
• 1916 - Susan Glaspell's one-act play Trifles was first performed by the Provincetown Players at the Wharf Theatre in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
• 1919 - Members of the former Washington Square Players formed the Theatre Guild.
• 1930 - Susan Glaspell's play Alison's House earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.