Le Petit Théâtre du vieux Carré

This 92-year-old community theatre, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, had its inception back in 1916, when a group of amateur theatre-lovers began putting on plays in the drawing room of one of the members.

The enthusiastic audiences of the Drawing Room Players, as they called themselves, soon grew to the point where a larger space was needed, so the founders decided to rent space in the lower Pontalba Building, for the sum of $17.50 per month! When the quarters were ready, a christening was held, and “Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre” was inaugurated. Lord Dunsany, the eminent Irish playwright, visiting the city, formally launched the new playhouse with his commendation and good wishes.

Success and a growing audience soon made it clear that even larger quarters were needed, and the present site at the corner of St. Peter and Chartres Streets was purchased, under the guidance of Harold W. Newman, Sr., the Chairman of the Board. Three small shed-like buildings facing St. Peter Street were removed and the present theatre building was constructed in 1922. Noted architect Richard Koch designed it, in the authentic Spanish Colonial style.

The original corner building was designed in 1789 by Gilberto Guillemard and built in 1794 by Jean Baptiste Orso, a wealthy citizen of New Orleans. The original building was destroyed in the great fire of 1794 and was rebuilt in 1797 for the last Spanish governor of Louisiana, Don Manuel Gayoso de Lemos.

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the corner building passed through many hands until the mid 19th century when, it became “Le Veau Qui Tete.” As the French Quarter declined into a slum, the building fell into disrepair and remained so until its acquisition by the theatre group, an important component of the “urban pioneers’ of the 1920’s who revived the French Quarter by making it a center for the arts.

Many prominent Orleanians were in the founding group: civic leaders, educators, writers, Businessmen; the famous New Orleans names appearing in the early programs are too many to enumerate, but three should be mentioned - the three “fairy godmothers” who started it all: Louise (Mrs. J. Oscar) Nixon, the ‘mother” of the group; Helen Pitkin (Mrs. Christian) Schertz; and Rhea Loeb (Mrs. Abraham) Goldberg (later Mrs. Eberhard Deutsch), in whose house at 1527 Seventh Street the Drawing Room Players first performed.

The building complex holds a professionally equipped theatre. The corner building, reconstructed in 1963, holds reception rooms, offices, dressing rooms, and a smaller theatre.

A Board of Governors supervises the theatre, with productions staged by professional staff. Most of the performers are volunteers, in accordance with the charter designating it a community theatre, though many are professionals in music, dance, TV or other performing arts. Auditions are open to all.

During its 92 years of operation, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre has been recognized as one of the leading “little” or community theatres in the nation.