little theater
5
4.8
- noun
- /ˈlɪtəl ˈθiːətər/
- US
:
teatro pequeño
- Many community performances take place at our local little theater every weekend.
- a nice little theater
- little theater company
- little theater group
Examples
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I think six schools were chosen to perform across the river in just this beautiful little theater.
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Hey, have you ever been to that little theater down the street?
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I met him when I worked in his funny little theater in Beach Haven.
Fiction book (1991) -
I work with this little theater company in Topanga.
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And everyone went to the multiplex, and that little theater died.
Blog text (1) -
My grandmother died when my mother was 20, leaving her in the care of my grandfather, a good-natured, romantic man who managed a small, pretty little theater in northern England, in Yorkshire.
Fiction book (2001) -
There was much snuffling and surreptitious dabbling at eyes in the audience as the lights went on again in the crowded little theater.
Fiction book (1992) -
He introduced himself to me over the phone as the director of a little theater company in the suburb of Glenshaw, the Allegheny Playhouse.
Fiction book (2000) -
The students showcased their talents in a charming little theater at the university.
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After the renovations, the little theater became a popular spot for experimental plays.
Synonyms
7
2.7
A group of local people who are not professional and perform plays for people in their town
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small theater used for experimental or community productions' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'little' (small) with 'theater' (performance venue), so a learner who knows both words will readily infer it denotes a small theatre. This basic compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common; although some historical or cultural nuances (e.g. the 'little theatre movement') require context, they do not prevent basic comprehension.
Etymology
Little theater comes from the image of a very small place for plays, with little meaning 'small' and theater meaning the place for shows. These places were often run by students or local people and used for 'experimental' or 'community' plays, so today little theater means a small theater for experimental or community productions.