LT Expansion July 2004 - November 2005

he Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach, with the help of a nearly half million dollar matching ECHO grant from Volusia County, Florida and some very generous patrons and contractors in the construction industry, began a lengthy 16-month long renovation in July 2004. We closed our doors for the entire 2004-2005 season, gutting the entire facility, suffering the damage of Hurricane Frances, which took the roof off the auditorium. But 16 months later, we reopened in a brand new facility in time for a slightly late 2005-2006 Season opener, Victoria's House, directed by Shelly Wawrzonek, selling out all seven performances of the show.

We are deeply indebted to Volusia County and all our donors, contractors, and patrons who made our renovation possible. The new building is a state-of-the-art structure and a joy for our actors to be on stage. It's a fun place to work for our over 170 Little Theatre volunteers. The facility houses a large Green Room, dressing rooms, a large make-up room, scene shop, rehearsal hall, costume and prop shop, 250 seat auditorium, a computerized lights and sound booth and a busy Box Office just inside the entrance. Everything we needed we were able to obtain through hard work and the generosity of so many people.

The Little Theatre, as a result, is one of the most successful community theatres in Central Florida. We host over 60 live performances of eight different shows each season and a large number of these performances are sold out, particularly during the winter months. WonderLand Theatre, our young thespian theatre company, provides after school and summer camp classes to 4 through 12 year olds, and there are Saturday classes open to the adult community with instruction in acting, directing, custuming, props, lights and sound and stage managing.

The renovation project was the brainchild of LT Volunteers Dottie Hughes and Bill Roehrborn, who did a yeoman's job of writing the application for the ECHO grant and once obtained, along with Don Campbell, steered the project from beginning to completion. The menu at the left will step you through a photo album of how our renovation project progressed from July 4 week-end in 2004 through opening night on November 25, 2005.

A recap of the expansion
Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach Expansion Project Completed

Where we came from	Where we wanted to be upon completion
Opening Night in four hours	We're a theatre again
Recipient of a matching Volusia County ECHO Grant