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Little theater, big history
Committee leader working to preserve JLT’s past
By Melissa Dunson
mdunson@joplinglobe.com After nearly 30 years of intimate involvement in the glamour of Joplin Little Theatre’s stage and the chaos of behind-the-scenes management, Cecie Fritz’s history and the history of the longest continuously running community theater west of the Mississippi are one and the same. “A lot of people come and go in these types of organizations, but there’s always a key handful of people who keep it going, and I’ve been one of those people for a number of years,” Fritz said. Fritz originally got involved as the musical director for “Man of La Mancha” in 1981, and the rest is history. Since then, she’s been the musical director for more than 35 shows at JLT, director for three shows and has won numerous Encore Awards. She has also been the pianist for a dozen live shows at Missouri Southern State University. She served on the JLT board of directors for six years, two of those as president, and is a member of the JLT directing staff. So, it came as no surprise when Fritz was named JLT historian two years ago. Until this year, much of Fritz’s work has been hidden. Her labor of love is represented in sorted files of photographs and freshly laminated historic newspaper clippings in her home office. The project was to take the theater’s 70-year history, protect and preserve it and present it in a way that the community the theater has served for so long could appreciate it. And she has help. A committee of three women has joined in her quest to preserve the theater’s history. Barbara Garrett, Maridan Kassab and LeeAnne Howsmon are all part of JLT’s historic preservation committee. Fritz is planning an open house for late July to show off the group’s work and some of the theater’s colorful history. The event will celebrate the theater’s 60th anniversary of the first show, The Skin of Our Teeth, that opened at JLT’s current location in 1948. Theater’s history Joplin Little Theatre was formed in 1939 by a group of local amateur theater-lovers. Its first location was a rented former movie house at 2201 N. Florida Ave., called the Royal Heights Playhouse. The building didn’t have seats or heating, and patrons had to bring their own folding chairs to enjoy a show. Still, the group managed to put on a number of acclaimed plays to capacity audiences, according to JLT’s historical records. In 1942, Joplin Little Theatre closed its doors for two years because of World War II, but the actors and directors continued putting on shows for the soldiers at Camp Crowder. The theater eventually reopened in 1944, though increased rent forced a move to what JLT called the Market Square Playhouse on the 1400 block of South Main Street. In 1946, theater founders decided the group needed its own building, and with $1,500 in Victory Bonds, a gift from George A. Spiva and $15,000 of borrowed money, JLT bought an old riding academy and 20 lots at First and Adams streets. The building was named the Park Playhouse and has been home to JLT ever since. The theater has been putting on at least five live plays a year since then, and is almost entirely supported by volunteers and the ticket sales and donations of local residents. Labor of love Fritz’s passion for preserving JLT’s story has more to do with the theater and less to do with history. While she said she’s become more interested in the role history plays as she’s gotten older, it’s the fact that as she sorts through the old scrapbooks and playbills, she sees the names and faces of people she loves. “For anybody who stays with this, it’s a labor of love,” she said. Her love for the performing arts is evident. She and her husband, Chet, used to own a nightclub in Joplin in the 1970s, The Tropics, where the couple performed six nights a week. She formed the Jazz In Joplin organization in 1990, and helped bring musicians to Joplin for four concerts a season for 11 years. “Culture in a community is very important, and this theater is part of the arts community,” Fritz said. By the open house, Fritz hopes to have the old scrapbook laminated and rebound, several boards showing the history of the theater, blown up photos of the JLT building’s transformation over the years and a wall of brackets containing the posters for as many of JLT’s shows over the years as she can find. “But our work will never really be done, because history goes on,” she said. Photos sought Joplin Little Theatre historian Cecie Fritz said she and her committee are still accepting donations for the restoration project. She is also looking for play and cast photographs for the years between 1980 and 2000 for the historic open-house project. Anyone with information or photos can contact her at 623-5840.
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