December 3, 1838

The first theatrical production recorded in Arkansas was mounted in Little Rock (Pulaski County) barely two years after statehood, when the capital city’s population was about 1,400. In July 1838, a meeting had been organized to establish a theater. Attempts to sell shares for the construction of a permanent building had been unsuccessful, so the production was presented in a downtown warehouse. The show was a comedy called The Young Widow. The actor/manager was Sam Waters, who, along with his wife, formed the nucleus of Little Rock’s professional troupe.