Hyattsville boasts a robust and diverse local arts district, but John D’Angelo IV saw something missing: a community theatre.

“I realized that something was missing from my life, and over time, I realized that it was missing from a lot of people’s lives—and that was performing arts, theater,” D’Angelo told the Life & Times. “There’s a great community here in Hyattsville that’s willing to build it with me. And it’s been a great journey so far.”

Originally from Fort Washington, D’Angelo relocated to Hyattsville nearly two years ago, looking for a community near his work with the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C.

D’Angelo said he came up with the idea for the Little Theatre of Hyattsville after realizing that the area’s closest community theatre programs didn’t fit the niche he was looking for—a larger program with more elaborate productions.

“I decided, after a bit of hunting, I talked to the [city] council, I talked to the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, and ended up landing that if it didn’t exist, I was going to try to build it myself,” D’Angelo said.

The Little Theatre is currently trying to hold an event each month. On March 30, as this paper was going to press, the group was set to hold an all-day fundraiser at Franklins Restaurant. Just a few days prior, the group held auditions for a musical cabaret to be performed at the Hyattsville Busboys and Poets in late April.

In the longer term, D’Angelo said the group’s main goal is to find a physical space for hosting shows and community events. His hope is that such a theater space would strengthen community ties and the Arts District through partnered workshops and fundraisers.

“Theater is so much more than just a profession, than just something to do,” D’Angelo said. “I’ve seen it be a driver of community progress and community economic development. I want to get us there.”

The Little Theatre hosted its first two events earlier this year: an interest meeting in January, which drew about 35 locals, and the group’s first official meeting in late February.

From there, the board was formed: D’Angelo as president, Knox as treasurer, and Carrie Heflin as secretary. D’Angelo said the connection among the group was immediate.

“The first day, we were all sitting in a circle and talking, and we were looking at various properties in Hyattsville,” D’Angelo said. “One of the board members goes, ‘You know, $1.3 million is not that much money in the grand scheme of things,’ and we all burst out laughing. But this is the energy we have to have—we need to dream big.”

The members also bring expertise within their roles. D’Angelo cited his work with the National League of Cities as crucial to his networking and communication skills. As treasurer, Knox said her work as a grant writer for the Armed Services Arts Partnership has informed her approach to fundraising.

“My whole career has been about sustaining arts organizations that make people’s lives richer and more connected,” Knox said. “Now I get to do that for the community where my own children are growing up, so that’s exciting.”

But with the group’s goal of procuring a venue comes a pressing question: Which musical comes first?

D’Angelo said he put the question to the community early on.

“It was exactly all the ones you’re expecting: Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les Misérables,” D’Angelo said. “For me personally, I would love to bring Seussical: The Musical to the stage. It is such a fun show.”

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Stella Garner is an undergraduate journalism major at the University of Maryland.