BackAlley Community Theatre boasts a colorful history. Property records list the original theater grounds as a livery stable in the rear of the Palace Saloon. Sometime in the late 1870’s or early 1880’s the stable became part of the Hicks & Richardson Building.  This building housed a "General Merchandise and Plantation Supplies" store which sold mercantile items, including coffins, harnesses, wagon wheels, bulk flour and much more. The store is listed in property records as being established in 1882.  This makes the building BackAlley occupies over 135 years old! The general store building did not have a door to access the livery stable. It was not useful to the store since there was no roof or floor.  Its lack of these necessities caused the area to remain unused for a long period of time.

The original theater opened in 2000 with no roof and was advertised as an “open air theater,” a nice way to say performances were at the mercy of the weather.  A brick walkway was put in, plastic chairs were set out for the audience, and covered lighting was installed.  Later an overhead cover was added for the audience, but actors were still at the mercy of the weather and performed many times in pouring rain. Additional facilities were housed outside the building including a "green room" and dressing rooms. 

With much  work and rural development grants from  the State of Louisiana, brickwork was repaired, rustic shutters were put in place, and an initial partial  roof in 2005, along with sidewalks  and a concrete entrance with lighting. The DeSoto Parish Police Jury also donated funds for air conditioning/heating of the building. The metal roof that covers the structure today was added in 2007.  Volunteers covered the  dirt floor with brick, and a stage was added. Fans, heaters, and a sound system are just some of the upgrades that have been made. In 2009 attractive landscaping was added, and comfortable chairs replaced the old plastic ones. A large prop room was also built with an attached Green Room for actors to wait while offstage.  The theater’s velvet curtain was purchased in 2014, and in 2015 the outdoor veranda entrance was donated.   In 2019 the theater renovated its kitchen to make serving popcorn, coffee, and cookies easier and more accessible for everyone. In 2020 a state-of-the-art sound system was installed and in 2022 the lighting was updated as well.

Today, the BackAlley Community Theatre is recognized throughout the area as a tremendous asset to the quality of life in DeSoto Parish, bringing patrons from North Louisiana and East Texas to the numerous live music and theatrical performances.