"THE STABLES" - 13 Remington Avenue, Ilion

A BRIEF HISTORY OF

ILION LITTLE THEATRE

Ilion Little Theatre has entertained residents of the Mohawk Valley every year since 1924. The founders first met as a private club, rehearsing and performing in the attic of Lucille Worden's home, and then for a time at the Klippel house on Barringer Road. In 1927 the group purchased the building that had served as the carriage house and stables on the Philo Remington estate. In this historic building, which has come to be referred to simply as "The Stables," they constructed a stage and auditorium which are still in use today, although both have undergone considerable renovation. The building was placed on the national and state historical registries in 1976.

The club became incorporated in 1930 as The Little Theatre Club of Ilion, NY, Inc. In 1968 the club's performances were opened to the public through the sale of subscriptions. In 1999 Ilion Little Theatre was designated a tax-exempt organization under IRS 501(c)3.

In addition to presenting the three major productions that we stage each season, ILT has undertaken various special events and benefit performances. These are some of the "extras" from recent years: In 1999 we gave benefit performances of Chester and Grace, one to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society and one in support of Players of Utica when they lost their playhouse to a fire. We reprised the production of Chester and Grace in 2001, taking it on the road, first to the Arts Center of Old Forge and then to Dolgeville, where we performed it as a fund-raiser for the Dolgeville Rotary Club. Also that year we took our production of Grace and Glorie to Utica for a performance at the Plymouth-Bethesda Community House in support of Abraham House. In 2002 Joe De Lorenzo presented his one-man show, "It's All About The Journey". We have also presented several benefit performances ofour productions as fund-raisers for Herkimer County Habitat for Humanity. ILT sponsored the annual Herkimer County Maple Queen Pageant since its inception in 2001until 2005. In the past several years we have accepted invitations from Players of Utica to present one-act plays as part of their Theatre Arts series on Utica Monday Nites.

Today Ilion Little Theatre welcomes all adults who are interested in participating in community theater in any capacity, as either Active Members or Subscribers. The Active Members gather at a dinner meeting each month from September through May, to plan productions and to socialize.

Compiled from various sources by D. L. Stritmater 1/3/2006