On March 13, the Very Little Theatre’s “Little Women the Musical” was set to debut. The stage was set, the dressing rooms were stuffed with 1800s-style dresses and bonnets and the cast was ready to fill the roles they had practiced for so long. Before the night could even begin, the theater had to close their doors and cancel all performances indefinitely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a staple in the performing arts community in Eugene for 91 years, surviving its initial opening in the middle of the Great Depression, VLT was left reeling after the shutdown. It needed to find a way to make use of the downtime. Fortunately, plans for remodeling had been in the works for almost five years, and the team wasted no time getting to work to execute the first two phases of their plan: remodeling the stage and the auditorium.
“This current building was built in 1950, and they did not want to go into debt and so they ended where the back of the stage is now,” said Karen Scheeland, president of VLT. “They never built where the stage was supposed to be because we have an empty lot right here. So for years, we’ve really wanted to get it back to what it was supposed to be.”
The remodel is set to break ground in late March or early April, and VLT hopes to have the first two phases of the project completed by this time next year. The auditorium remodel will include larger more comfortable chairs, additional leg and arm room and improved wheelchair-accessible seating. The stage will also be six feet deeper than the current stage.
“While we’re shut down because of the coronavirus, it is the sort of logical time to get some of this done,” said Rich Scheeland, chair of the Capital Project Steering Committee for VLT. “Our goal is to provide a comfortable, safe, pleasant environment for our patrons and a safe and flexible environment for our artists.”
The plans for phases three and four, which will happen after the current remodel, include a storage room area behind the stage and a larger scene shop. This remodel will give VLT the space to create sets offstage, which will allow for third parties, including children’s theatres, musical performances and other community events, to use the facilities between performances.
“I just want this to be an ongoing viable theater for the community going forward,” said Tim Tendick, VLT’s treasurer. “I think changing the building is kind of an important part of being able to do that long term. I hope we have another hundred years.”
VLT debuted virtual programming in their “Virtual Little Theatre” in an effort to keep their performers and members united and to continue entertaining the community during the remodel and closures. Some of their programs include a soap opera style improv series called “Shelter Place,” performances of short plays and a comedy podcast. VLT uploads videos frequently and continues to develop a growing online audience.
“A lot of actors can be very introverted and they save the extrovert energy for the stage, and so in an isolated time like this it’s easy to kind of hide in your shell and get kind of depressed,” said Russell Dyball, project coordinator of the Virtual Little Theatre. “It’s been a real joy to see a lot of people find a little hope in a dark time to do something that they love and hopefully entertain some people as well.”
VLT is continuing to fundraise for their ongoing remodel in the hopes of executing the last two phases of the project soon after they finish the current remodeling. The Virtual Little Theatre will continue to operate on the VLT YouTube channel throughout the closures.
