Little Lake Theatre and Canon Theatre announce partnership
The venerable Little Lake Theatre is joining forces with the recently hatched Canon Theatre in Canonsburg to become the new venue’s theater-in-residence, it was announced Monday.
As the Canon Theatre’s theater-in-residence, Little Lake will put on productions there, and offer educational programming and other kinds of events. Little Lake will continue to operate at and put on shows at its North Strabane theater that sits on the edge of Canonsburg Lake.
The first production Little Lake will stage at the Canon Theatre is “White Christmas” this December.
The Canon Theatre is being operated by the Canonsburg Educational and Cultural Institute (CECI), and Tony Colaizzo, the president of its board, said in a news release that the theater “was envisioned as more than a performance venue. It was designed to be a home for exceptional arts organizations and a place where our community can gather to experience the very best in live entertainment.”
Patrick Cannon, Little Lake’s executive artistic director, said the partnership will allow the organization to expand its impact.
“For more than 75 years, Little Lake has demonstrated that theater does not have to choose between artistic ambition and public purpose. It can be excellent and accessible. It can honor its history while continuing to open its doors wider. Becoming theater-in-residence at the Canon Theatre gives us the opportunity to do exactly that. Our historic lakeside theater will always remain at the heart of Little Lake, but this partnership allows that heart to reach further into the community.”
The Canon Theatre is set to open this fall, with its first scheduled event being a concert by the Pittsburgh band the Clarks on Oct. 24. It is in the building that once housed Canonsburg Middle School on East College Street. A consulting firm projected that the theater would generate almost $14 million in its first year of operation, and bring $250 million over 20 years.