little theater

noun

1. generally noncommercial drama, usually of an experimental nature and directed at a limited audience.
2. a small theater, producing plays whose effectiveness would be lost in larger houses.
3. amateur theatricals.

Word History and Origins

Origin of little theater¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

I was doing a little theater here and there, but I was doing construction.

From Salon

“When a multiplex is allowed to take something that was born and originally shown in these little theaters and they’re restricted from it, you’re killing the little guy,” she says.

From Washington Post

In a 1987 letter, Lee said Sergel’s adaptation “admirably fulfills the purpose for which it was written, for amateur, high school and little theater groups, and stock productions.”

From New York Times

And then there is the tactic of deploying a little theater — adding drama to draw the eye.

From Seattle Times

Instead, the little theater has put a thumb on the scales for newer work and fresh-off-the-printer world premieres, sometimes mounting 20-play seasons, many of them heavy on spectacle.

From Seattle Times