The Community Little Theatre’s Board of Directors began a new chapter for the beloved local theater company on August 25 with the signing of a lease from the city for CLT to control the Great Falls Performing Arts Center.

After over 20 years of on-and-off-again negotiations with the City of Auburn, CLT signed a lease agreement for the next 99 years at $1 per year. The lease agreement gives CLT full control of the theater wing of the Great Falls Performing Arts Center, providing for control of its home and control of its future.

Along with that control comes the responsibility of the operations and maintenance of the facilities, which will be no small task, according to Karen Mayo, president of CLT’s Board of Directors.

This fall CLT will work with the City of Auburn to begin the demolition of the former school building and the reconnection of the utilities to the remaining theater wing. Phase One of these efforts will still require the support of donors, grants and the community.

“This project will require the community’s support, whether it’s support for the theater itself or the history of what will remain of the old Edward Little High School and its memories or as this being part of the connection to Lewiston’s up-and-coming arts district to Auburn’s downtown,” said Mayo.

CLT will continue to reach out to the local arts community, including being part of the Lewiston Auburn Film Festival in 2012 as a movie-showing venue for the event.

CLT will host its first major fundraising event on October 29: the 1st Annual Masquerade Ball and Auction. This will be a fun and elegant event that will support a great future for CLT.

And opening November 4 is a beautiful musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” Tickets are on sale now.

For more information or to contact CLT, see www.laclt.com or email info@laclt.com to be added to the email list for updates. CLT is also located on Facebook.

For anyone who would like to make donations, please send them to Community Little Theatre, P.O. Box 262, Auburn, ME 04210.