The Little Theatre Movement began in the 1900s and was a reaction to the traditional large theatres of the time. Young actors, playwrights, technicians amd stage designers were interested in expressing new ideas in their work. For this they needed smaller, more intimate stage settings. At the peak of their popularity, dozens of Little Theatre groups around the USA enjoyed the opportunity to present alternatives to mainstream commercial theatre. So American drama became a means of presenting viewpoints and philosophies that were outside of conventional thinking.