Pasadena Little Theatre celebrates its 71st consecutive season as the second-oldest community theater in Texas. The 2025-26 season runs from June 20, 2025, through May 27, 2026, continuing the theater’s tradition of community-driven productions.

“Our season runs from June through May,” says President Julie Owen, “and we’re already about to begin reading plays for our 71st season.”

The season will feature a mix of comedies, mysteries, and dramas, offering opportunities for local talent and affordable entertainment for audiences. The next show, Birthday Club, runs Oct. 4 through Nov. 2, 2025, and is directed by Julie Owen.

PLT will follow Birthday Club, a comedy, with its traditional Christmas productions: Trials, Tribulations, and Christmas Decorations, and the children’s play A Little Elven Magic. This continues a 71-year tradition of holiday performances.

“Christmas shows give parents something to do with their kids during those winter breaks,” says Owen, “focusing on the involvement PLT has in Pasadena. She added that the theater plays a fundamental role in the community as a place to bring families together.

The theater maintained the tradition despite setbacks like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I did a Christmas show during COVID that cost us $100 each performance,” says Owen. “We strive to keep our workshop fees at an affordable rate.” 

The pricing of tickets and the ability to stay grounded for over 70 years is a strategy in itself. Tickets range from $5 to $10.

The price is a shallow reflection of the experience. The theater features an intimate thrust stage, allowing audience members to “sit so close they can touch the actors,” Siebert said.

Each production relies on volunteer actors and directors, with the theater sustained only through longevity of props, the willingness of volunteers and the support of guests, Danny Siebert, PLT’s publicity specialist and director, says.

“Even the chairs are reused until they’re scraps,” says Siebert, noting the dependence of the theater on the passion of its contributors. That resourcefulness has sustained the theater since its founding in 1955.

Pasadena Little Theatre began as a nonprofit dedicated to providing the community with affordable opportunities to experience and participate in live theater. Owen credits school teachers and theater enthusiasts for the foundation of PLT.

“It started in gymnasiums and churches,” Owen said. The theater transferred to its first permanent building in 1961, ultimately being torn down after a fire. Owen briefly mentions claims of arson regarding the fire.

PLT found its current location in Pasadena in 1983. Since then, there have been many renovations added. Siebert said the black box is the most recent addition, completed in 2008.

PLT plans more improvements in the next decade. “We hope to see more additions to our black box studio, our building, and to bring in a younger audience,” Owen said.

Siebert and Owen emphasize the need for the younger generation to get involved with the theater. Patrons can do so by attending shows and looking on the Pasadena Little Theater website for audition times.

For more information, visit Pasadena Little Theatre’s Facebook page or website at pasadenalittletheatre.org