Rome Little Theater-a stage of history

By Savannah Ruth
Staff Writer

"All the world is a stage and the men and women merely players" wrote William Shakespeare, and this rings true for many Romans who are active participants in productions put on by Rome Little Theater (RLT), which recently celebrated its 20th year located at the Historic DeSoto Theater in Downtown Rome.

The DeSoto was opened in 1929, as the South's first "talking" movie house. The theater was outfitted with the finest sound and picture equipment of its time.

The theatrical group, Rome Little Theatre, was formed in 1933, but was homeless for a long time, performing plays at Shorter College, East Rome High School and in the Old Courthouse. In 1957, RLT began leasing the Maple Street Theater. Threat of demolition to the Maple Street site made the RLT homeless once more. The RLT found its new home in 1981, when the Lam Company put the DeSoto up for sale. RLT has been working on a major renovation to restore the DeSoto to its original splendor and often offers free events to the public, allowing donations to be made to the restoration fund.

The RLT continues to offer an extensive selection of plays each season. The 2002-2003 season opened with a musical version of the play "Camelot," depicting the torrid love triangle between King Arthur, Guenevere and Sir Lancelot.

Next up this year is murder mystery entitled "Design For Murder." When a young maid is killed, everyone among the Granger household and friends are held as suspects. The climax finds the woman of the house home alone and the murderer ready to strike again.

Information concerning upcoming shows such as "It's a Wonderful Life," "Jack and the Giant," "Damn Yankees" and the seasoned comedy "Faith County" will be available at a later date.

The RLT is a community theater open to every one. Auditions for upcoming events are listed in the newspaper, announced on the radio and put on the marquee located in front of the theater.

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