---

CHERRYVILLE––The Cherryville Little Theatre is observing its 50th birthday.

And according to longtime CLT president, actress and spokeswoman Sarah Sandoval, the troupe will do so with two upcoming celebratory performances, Fifty Years of the Cherryville Little Theatre: A Reunion, Sept. 22 and 23, at 7 p.m. nightly at the downtown Cherryville theatrical venue at 301 W. Academy St. As Sandoval recently informed, the events will showcase some of the CLT’s best performances over the years.

CLT spokesman Wade Stroupe also talked about the organization’s history. Stroupe explained that in November of 1972, a meeting was held at Cherryville high School to discuss the possibility of forming a little theatre group in Cherryville. Some 25 people attended, and the result was a performance, six months later, of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, directed by John David Kennedy. It was held at the East School Auditorium.

The upcoming retrospective show is the brainchild of Stroupe. He and Sandoval have been working diligently to write, direct and bring this story to life. The showcase will be a quick look back at the past 50 years, and it will also highlight songs and scenes from many favorites through the decades.

“There have been so many memories and quality performances on the CLT stage through all the years,” said Stroupe. “The toughest part has been trying to scale it into an hour-and-a-half show. And also the people––so many wonderful and talented people in every decade––there would never be enough time to honor and pay proper respect to everyone involved with the heritage of this theatre. We are taking a bigger picture approach to remember the theatre as a whole, for what it is and has been, and to express the community’s appreciation for everyone’s contributions.

“The purpose of this show is twofold,” he continued. “Obviously, CLT wants this to be a fun and exciting trip down memory lane. But more importantly, this is an invitation to the Cherryville community to come to the theatre. Maybe it has been years, or perhaps you have never attended a theatre show. The CLT Board of Directors wants you to attend and find out what CLT is all about.”

And Stroupe added that the troupe would present The Haunting of Hill House, a stage version of the film and television series of the same name. It’s coming up Oct. 26-28, just in time for Hallowe’en.

To learn more about attending, participating in, assisting with or sponsoring any CLT events, be sure to see the Website at www.cherryvillelittletheatre.org and see the troupe’s pages on Facebook, Instagram and Tik-Tok. You may also send your e-mail queries to [email protected].

---

---