She was spirited, unconventional, energetic, and prodigiously creative, so it’s no surprise that Louisa May Alcott (along with her sister, Anna) founded a theater company to entertain family, friends, and neighbors in the Town of Concord. Their Concord Dramatic Union of 1856 featured Alcott’s original plays and vignettes.
In 1872, the Union became The Concord Dramatic Club and, in 1919, The Concord Players, when a dedicated group of amateur actors and theater lovers came together to “stimulate interest in dramatic work in the town and to elevate the standard of performance.” The group first performed in Monument Hall but, over time, established a permanent space in the Veteran’s building, a former drill shed located at 51 Walden Street. They built a stage with the aid of theater architect Charles Blackhall; a small replica of his design for Boston’s Colonial Theater.
The Concord Players trace their roots to Louisa May Alcott who, along with her sisters, founded the Concord Dramatic Union in 1857. The Alcotts performed their plays, many of them original, in the parlor of their home at Orchard House and in the homes of friends in the town.
