little theater

American  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of little theater

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

“That’s what made the theater burning down the most devastating … we put our hearts and souls into turning this strip-mall space into a beautiful, little theater, and it’s gone,” Krieger said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2025

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

From Salon • Jun. 25, 2023

“It’s a small, funky little theater with people doing it really close to you. You feel and smell the sweat.”

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2023

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 • May 2, 2021

“Do what you will, little bird, but consider that your gifts are meant for more than hiding in your little theater, afraid of your appetites.”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny