"The Little Engine That Could" can't compare to the Little Theatre-On The Square in Sullivan.

Pushing through a bad financial position, climbing mountains of renovations and chugging along with help from the community, Little Theatre celebrates staying on track and progressing after 50 years of bringing Central Illinois timeless, professional productions one after the other.

Executive Director Leonard A. Anderson said, "It's an incredible, remarkable happening. And for a professional theater to survive is a milestone in its own right, especially in a town so small."

But the city of Sullivan, along with the theater's board of trustees, is what helped the theater thrive downtown.

"We were able to obtain grants, sold more tickets," he said. "It was a challenge to get it back on track."

Founded by Guy S. Little Jr. in 1957, the theater has seen additions of a ticket office and administrative offices, as well as another building for rehearsal space, a dance studio and apartments to house the company, according to the theater's Web site.

It wasn't until 1995 that the building finally got heat and began programming year-round. "That was a big step forward," Anderson said.

Another big step was the educational outreach program in 1997 that provided theater arts classes to the community. The program now has 275 students and a touring program called S.T.A.R. (Students' Theatre Arts Reach).

"With help from the community, we were able to turn (the theater) around," Anderson said.

The Little Theatre's next production is "Some Enchanted Evening," which runs today through March 25.

"It's an evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein music," Anderson said, including songs from "The Sound of Music," "The King and I," "Oklahoma!" and more. "(The music) will be very familiar to most people in the audience."

The theater has replaced two shows in its originally announced 2007 summer season. Anderson explained the theater did not receive the rights to put on the productions of "Chicago" and "Cats."

"We announced it too soon and unfortunately we had to pull those two shows," he said. The productions were replaced with "The Sound of Music" and "La Cage Aux Folles."

With a history of having roles in the careers of such stars as Mickey Rooney, Betty Grable and Forrest Tucker, to kick off the 50th anniversary season, some of the theater's past stars will take Little Theatre's stage again in "Follies in Concert," to play June 1 to 3.

Ann B. Davis, who played Alice on the hit television show "The Brady Bunch," Colleen Zenk Pinter of "As The World Turns" and Mark Pinter, who has appeared on several different television soap operas, can be seen at the concert.

Also performing will be Little and Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of "Days of Our Lives."

"A lot of our audience members will remember them," Anderson said.

After "50 years in the making," what's the next station along Little Theatre's track of success?

"We have grown so much in the last 10 years ? at this point, we're really just beginning a strategic plan for the future," Anderson said. "We don't know (what's next for the theater), but we're beginning the process to make that determination.

"We're proud of what we do, and we appreciate the patronage from Central Illinois and hope we're around for another 50 years."

WHAT: "Some Enchanted Evening"

WHEN: 2 and 8 p.m., today; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17 and 24; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 18 and 25; 2 and 8 p.m. Friday, March 23

WHERE: Little Theatre-On The Square, Sullivan

TICKETS: $25 for adults, $23 for children and seniors; call the box office at 728-7375 or 1-888-261-9675

ON THE WEB: www.thelittletheatre.org www.thelittletheatre.org

Alicia Spates can be reached at aspates@herald-review.com or 421-6986.