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The Lucille Ball Little Theatre Survived World War II, Support It In Surviving The Virus

It’s sad to see the Lucille Ball Little Theatre has canceled the rest of its 2021 schedule — but we hope that’s all that the theater is losing.

The state’s limitations on large gatherings make it impossible to have big enough crowds for the theater to break even on bigger productions. While some area venues are having luck with virtual programs, the Lucille Ball Little Theatre is finding that most of the virtual offerings its clientele would be interested in may cost more than the theatre would make to host the program.

At the same time, costs continue to mount. It costs about $4,000 a month to keep the utilities on at the Lucille Ball Little Theatre, and donations have decreased by about 33% compared to previous annual campaigns.

“This is going to have ramifications beyond just getting through this,” said Aubrey Russell, a Lucille Ball Little Theatre board member. “It’s going to impact us for years to come.”

Many members of the community have donated to online fundraisers, raising enough to pay one month’s worth of utilities. That’s encouraging, but there is more work to do.

Russell noted during an interview with The Post-Journal’s Cameron Hurst that the theatre faced a similar problem during World War II. The Lucille Ball Little Theatre survived the war and has thrived in the decades since.

We hope it survives COVID-19. To do so, the Lucille Ball Little Theatre needs your support.

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