Nova Scotia Drama League.

The Nova Scotia Drama League (NSDL) was incorporated in 1951 by an Act of Provincial Legislature to foster theatre through the promotion of drama festivals, education and awards. One of the earliest non-profit organizations in Nova Scotia, the Drama League was funded through membership and registration fees, individual and corporate donations, and a provincial operating grant. The Drama League was owned and operated by its membership, which included professional and amateur theatre workers and theatre companies, as well as interested supporters of the arts. The Drama League was mandated to encourage and promote drama throughout Nova Scotia; to serve as an information centre and resource for theatrical activity in the province; to encourage, organize and/or produce provincial drama festivals; to solicit and administer funds for training and supporting amateur theatre workers; to advocate the writing and production of new plays; and to co-operate with individuals and groups in other areas of the arts (i.e., dance, film, music, radio and television and the visual arts).

To these ends, the Drama League produced and published a monthly newsletter as well as the quarterly magazine, Callboard. They co-produced with the Atlantic Television System (ATV) a public service television presentation called Stagelights. The group provided a lending library for its members, held workshops on theatre-related subjects, hosted a summer school, and presented an annual Provincial Theatre Festival. They also served as the provincial representative of the National Multicultural Theatre Association, providing lighting equipment rentals and operating a co-operative buying service of hard-to-obtain theatrical supplies at affordable prices. In the early 2000s, the Nova Scotia Drama League merged with the Nova Scotia Professional Theatre Association to form Theatre Nova Scotia.