On January 20, 1971, a meeting was hosted by the Washington Chamber of Commerce for all those interested in forming a little theater group in Washington, Georgia. With overwhelming support, the theater group was organized with Olga Everett as President. Early productions were presented wherever rented space could be arranged, such as the Lion's Club building, the National Guard Armory, a Wilkes County Courtroom, and the school auditoriums. Even in these often makeshift settings, the incredible talents and efforts of the area were clearly showcased.

The Washington Little Theater Company was incorporated June 4, 1974 and serious efforts were begun to obtain a permanent home for all the theater's performances. Helen Callaway donated the deed to the Hatchery building on Liberty Street to be remodeled for a theater. A separate offer of several acres of land for a new building was also proposed. But plans for either of these options proved to be too costly to be realized. Finally a lease on the old North Alexander School gymnasium was negotiated with the Wilkes County Board of Education.

Plans to remodel the old gym were drawn up by Mell Lunceford and refined by Lawrence Graham of The University of Georgia. Risers were built, the old stage was advanced and the back of the gym was made into two floors with a lobby below and a lights and sound area above.

 A wall was built down one side of the house to access backstage. The original theater seats, which have since been replaced, were obtained from the University of Georgia and from a movie house in Macon, Georgia. Front stage curtains were donated by the Six Flags amusement park.

The redesigned and renovated old gymnasium was opened as a permanent home for the theater on October 28, 1977. The first production was "Arsenic and Old Lace" directed by Bolton Lunceford.

From these humble beginnings in 1971, the Washington Little Theater Company has risen to be one of the south's most attractive and enduring community theaters.