Butler Little Theatre has begun the celebration of its 75th anniversary this weekend with the production of “Blithe Spirit,” which runs through Oct. 10.

The thespian company began as a conversation in a restaurant among a group of 12 about developing a community theater.

From barns to carriage houses, schools to courtrooms, the BLT, now housed at One Howard Street, has become one of the country's longest running community theaters with more than 300 shows and thousands of performances over the last 75 years.

“The theater seats 155 people and presents five shows during its regular season, holds classes for children and is one of the oldest continuously running community theaters in Western Pennsylvania,” said Sue Collar, chairman of the theater's board of directors.

Although there are programs dating back to 1921, the BLT received its official charter in June 1941. Performances were at Lee's Restaurant where a ticket would cost a mere 50 cents. Shows were also staged at Butler High School and the Sterling Club.

“The Night of January 16th” by Ayn Rand was the BLT's first full-length show in 1941. It was presented in Lee's Restaurant, and the audience members formed the jury who affected the conclusion of the play. That initial offering played to more than 500 people during its run.

World War II caused a shortage of male actors, and a note from a program in 1943-44 reads, “We had to select shows with a few men and those which were easily produced. We endeavored to do our part by taking the shows to the Deshon Hospital. We also took our productions to the Clarion State Teachers' College and Slippery Rock State Teachers' College, who were training aviation students.”

The 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor delayed the performance of “George Washington Slept Here,” and a blackout in 1943 almost stopped a performance, but the show went on.

“The BLT was one of the few amateur theaters in the state that was able to maintain a limited show schedule even during the war,” Collar said.

In 1945, the group purchased the carriage house known as Campbell's Barn, part of the Jennie Campbell estate, which is the theater's present location.Members did much of the renovation on their own under the direction of H.J. “Hal” Harrington.The initial renovation costs totaled $2,500. The building was ready for the 1945-46 season.“That initial show was 'Blithe Spirit' which is our opening show for the 75th anniversary season,” said Katy Wayne, spokesman for the anniversary celebration.“Written by Noel Coward, it played to packed houses and helped promote the idea that the building is haunted,” Wayne said.The 10th anniversary season launched as its initial offering “The Night of January 16th” in October 1951.This revival of the theater's first major production was staged in the main courtroom of the Butler County Courthouse where nine members from the original cast were involved in the production.The 1960s were interesting for the theater as the Beaux Arts Ball was devised as a costume ball that was a favorite for many years.“'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (1961) opened to many raised eyebrows around town but with record attendance, and the first musical was performed, 'Bells are Ringing,'” Collar said.In 1962, “Inherit the Wind” was performed and featured a mischievous monkey and a 40-member cast.A summer series was added and ran from 1963-1970 with productions at a remodeled barn near Moraine State Park.“The Butler Little Theatre presented shows at the old Eisler barn on Route 528 for many years. The first show at the barn was 'Come Blow Your Horn,'” Collar said. A revival of that show will be presented in the 75th anniversary series.“While rehearsing 'Born Yesterday' at the Moraine Barn in July of 1969, we watched the first man land on the moon. We had a tiny TV with a jerry-rigged antenna complete with aluminum foil, etcetera, trying to get a somewhat clear picture to see Neil Armstrong step onto the moon,” reminisced Collar.

Twenty-three plays were produced at the barn before low attendance ended the run.Strange things sometimes happen during the productions.“During our original production of 'Dracula' in the '60s, all the lights in the theater went out and at the very end where Dracula is being killed, he (the actor) actually got cut and there was blood everywhere,” Collar said.“In the late '60s, when we did 'Tea House of the August Moon,' we had a live goat that pulled a small wagon on stage. The goat was very friendly — never had an accident — and became our favorite cast member. She loved Coca Cola and lapped it up any chance she got,” said Ron Lockwood, secretary of the BLT board of directors.The 1970s featured major building renovations and upgrades to the venue. Improvements were made to bring the building up to the fire code standards. The year 1979 saw the purchase of seats which are still in use.“We had our only major capital campaign in 1979 to raise the money to buy the new seats for the theater,” Collar said.In the 1980s, BLT began the Children's Theater program which had been somewhat sporadic but became a more regular offering.Amy Cannard of Butler has been a part of the local theater scene since she was 5 years old.In the early 1980s, she became an assistant teacher for the BLT's children's workshops.“Gordon Cavalero, Marge Bankert and Charlene Griffin-Shaw were my mentors for quite a few years, eventually allowing me to direct a short skit here and there, and giving me pointers on how to balance teaching, rehearsing and performances with the children,” Cannard said.For more than 10 years, Cannard has been teaching the third- and fourth- grade classes.“A few years ago, a mother walked in with her daughter to sign up (and said); 'Oh, I'm so glad to see you here! You were my teacher 23 years ago,'” Cannard said. “Through my involvement with the various youth programs BLT offers, I'm hopefully encouraging and mentoring the next generations for our next 75 years.”

In 1996, after more than 50 seasons, the actors finally decided to take a stab at their first William Shakespeare production, “Macbeth.”“As I remember it, producing Shakespeare for the first time seemed an insurmountable task to some for our little volunteer group. Some objections were that it would be too expensive in costumes and set construction. Some wondered if we had the drive and talent within our group to pull it off,” said Wayne.There was also the question of how would the Butler audience respond and would it be worth the energy and expense?“Given all that we took the risk, in the end, it was very well received,” Wayne said.The usual audience as well as new attendees to the theater filled the seats. The local high schools made the most of the opportunity to give their students a chance to experience Shakespeare performed rather simply read.“For those of us fortunate enough to be involved, it was a splendid experience to be challenged with this classic writing,” Wayne said.Several more Shakespeare shows would be produced in the coming decades.Also produced were countless relationships, and love has blossomed between the lines and behind the scenes.Casey Bower and Heidi Nicholls exchanged vows on the stage with their friend Ron Lockwood presiding in 2005.“We are honored to have the distinction of being the first and only couple to be officially wed on the stage of the Butler Little Theatre. To add to this honor, we were married by our fellow thespian, dear friend and lifetime member of the BLT, Ron Lockwood,” Nicholls said.The duo had shared the BLT stage in numerous productions with each other and Lockwood, who is also mayor of Cherry Valley.“When the ceremony was over, we all looked at each other and said, 'Did this happen for real or are we all just acting?' Such a funny and touching moment for all of us,” she added.The pair celebrated their 10th anniversary in July.The shows have always gone on with three exceptions Collar could recollect.

“A show was canceled because of the death of a parent. One time because a cast member had his hand badly cut during a scene and he had to be taken to the emergency room. And the third one was because the governor of Pennsylvania declared that all activities be canceled because of the extreme cold,” Collar said.Memberships are available through the closing night of “Blithe Spirit.”For more information, pick up a brochure in the BLT lobby or download a form at www.bltgroup.org/membership.The celebration will continue throughout the year with reunion gatherings and recognition of former cast and crew during each of the five reunion shows this season. Festivities will culminate with a gala in June at the Butler Country Club.