Sep 6, 2014 2 min read

In 1952, the Agatha Christie play “The Mousetrap” opened in London, where it’s been running just about every night ever since, setting a record for theatrical longevity.

Three years before that, Will Disney launched the Little Lake Theatre Company, which has also enjoyed exceptional durability and become a cornerstone of Washington County’s cultural life.

And surely, somewhere along the line, they have introduced audiences to “The Mousetrap,” along with a host of other plays. Throughout its existence, Little Lake has deftly balanced presentations of old favorites while also staging productions that are relatively new or untested before Pittsburgh-area audiences. From a dollars-and-cents viewpoint, they are one of the attractions that bring Pittsburghers to our neck of the woods, rather than the other way around.

Little Lake’s many admirers were undoubtedly jolted by the news last week that Sunny Disney Fitchett, the theater’s artistic director and the daughter of founder Will Disney, plans on departing next year, along with her husband, Rob Fitchett, the managing director. The couple plans on relocating to California, where he will work in the wine industry and she will devote more attention to writing children’s plays.

In announcing their leave-taking, the Fitchetts emphasized they were not flying the coop because they had any doubts about the future of Little Lake. The company is on a solid financial footing, they say, and in a Thursday article in the Observer-Reporter, Sunny expressed excitement about Little Lake’s future.

The Fitchetts are leaving behind an enduring legacy. Whoever is selected to guide Little Lake into 2015 and beyond will have a hard act to follow.