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Connecticut theaters, still struggling, cautiously optimistic about full roster of fall musicals, comedies, plays
Carpenters are building sets, actors are learning their lines, dancers are rehearsing routines, and front desk staff are gearing up for fall theater audiences.
For some professional theaters in Connecticut, fall is the start of a new year, while for others it means the end of a season that started in the spring.
This year’s offering includes everything from blockbuster dramas such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Tony Award-winning musicals, including 42nd Street, Happy Homes: A Family Tragic Comedy, sunset boulevard, and everything in between. two works, the great gatsby and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? There are two works each.
Theaters and their leaders have learned a lot from the turmoil of the past few years, and so head into the fall. Most of them are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season. Throughout the pandemic, each theater has been carefully monitoring and listening to subscribers and ticket buyers before planning their next move.
miss magic
A year ago, when the likes of TheaterWorks Hartford and MTC (Music Theater of Connecticut) began performing, ticket sales fell. At the same time, they heard that audiences were missing the magic of live theater.
“Audiences told us they missed the public experience of live theater,” said Rob Ruggiero, TheatreWorks Hartford Artistic Director. The comment was echoed by others, including Ivoryton Playhouse executive director Jackie Hubbard, who said the audience was “excited to be back”.
Some theaters estimated last fall that 20% to 50% of normal audience members were reluctant to return. But ticket sales have been slowly rising as pandemic fears recede throughout 2022. Some theatergoers may still feel uncomfortable in public with large groups, but in the meantime, established protocols have evolved and theaters have expertly followed and implemented the latest science to keep their patrons safe. Some still check vaccination records, and some need to wear masks. Others are making masks optional and not checking for vaccinations, based on the latest COVID trends and concerns from theater-specific customers.
Adjustments to schedule and production continue. Both TheatreWorks and Westport have shortened their production times. But for many theaters, decisions, even contracts, were made as early as 2019, making it harder to correct during the pandemic. Such is the case at the Westport Country Playhouse. General manager Michael Barker said the just-announced 2023 season will be the first without any commitments to artists or productions prior to 2020.
Hartford Stage, Goodspeed and MTC will launch shows with high profile and proven track record of audience appeal. They are also lighter in tone. For the Hartford stage, the mystery of Agatha Christie, mousetrap, which will run from Thursday, October 13th to Sunday, November 6th. The mystery has persisted in London for decades.
MTC Art Director Kevin Connors rehearsing sunset boulevard, the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the famous film. He chose the show, which he hadn’t done in Connecticut for years, because it combined two elements he loved, old Hollywood glamour and film noir. Of course, the fact that it was a blockbuster is also appealing.
“I think people want to see something lighter just to remind them of their love for theatre,” Connors said.
find happiness together
This sentiment was echoed by Westport’s art director, Mark Lamos.
“Inspired by our audience, we decided to elevate our love of theatre and find joy together,” he said
Hubbard, his next work at Ivoryton was the great gatsbysaid her audience said they were “looking for entertainment…redemption and a happy ending. They’ve been through enough in the past two years.” She added that the Johnny Cash Musical ticket sales, fire ring, Recently closed, very strong.
All admit that some audiences may disappear for a few more years, or disappear entirely. TheaterWorks estimates that it could take two to four years for subscription and ticket sales to return to pre-COVID numbers. Several theaters reported that sales were climbing, but slowly. Westport took a hit last fall when they made their first live production, Suspectwhich turns on at the beginning of the second wave.
Goodspeed is an exception. Artistic director Donna Lynn Hilton said theaters have returned to their pre-pandemic capacity, which she admits surprised her. “Don’t tell our kids, but Goodspeed is what we miss the most,” one viewer told her.
Goodspeed is opening soon 42nd Street September 16 will run through Sunday, November 16. The Tony Award-winning show was lighthearted, with lots of dancing and familiar songs. It should please the audience. Ridgefield’s ACT-CT is doing another classic musical, boy and doll From Thursday, October 27th to Sunday, November 20th.
Innovative and thoughtful
But that doesn’t mean all products are lighthearted and fun. TheatreWorks Hartford opens with Tony Award-winning musical happy home Based on the graphic novel. The story of a family with a secret is innovative and thoughtful. It will run from Saturday, October 8th to Sunday, October 30th. Regarding the production, Ruggiero said, “It’s a huge investment, but we believe we can provide audiences with an unparalleled experience in our intimate space.”
a musical, Last day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill The season kicks off at the Playhouse on Park in West Hartford. The one-man show features songs of Billie Holiday fame and tells the story of her breakup while performing at Emerson’s. It runs from Wednesday, September 28 to Sunday, October 16.
Although there are two adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels, Great Gatsby, They are different. From Thursday, September 15th to Saturday, October 1st, Branford’s Legacy Theatre presents the novel as a radio play. From Thursday, September 29th to Sunday, October 23rd, Ivoryton Playhouse will be presenting a version of the game.
The script is the same, but the two works Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? should be completely different. The first to open is the Madison Lyrical stage production in their new tent. The small theater has added a larger fully enclosed tent this year, and the audience has grown. In fact, according to artistic director Mark Deaton, their audience is larger than ever.this who is afraid Until Sunday, September 25th.
The show, produced on behalf of Yale, is directed by Artistic Director and Dean James Bundy and runs from Thursday, October 6 to Saturday, October 29.
Westport is wrapping up its season from the Mississippi Delta, the inspiring story of a young woman who went from picking cotton to college in the North. It runs from Tuesday, October 18th to Saturday, November 5th.
Musicals, plays, etc.
In Connecticut theaters – Bushnell and Schubert – it will be the musical Diet, most recently on Broadway. mean girl (Tuesday 27 September to Sunday 2 October), and Aladdin From Tuesday 8th November to Sunday 13th November in Bushnell with Schubert in attendance fair lady From Wednesday 19th October to Saturday 22nd October in Schubert.
Perhaps the most challenging assignment went to Ed Wilhelms, whose Drama Works Theatre Company in Old Saybrook just opened last year. This small 40-seat theatre successfully hosted seven performances. this autumn, painting church (Friday 21 October to Sunday 23 October) and housekeeper (Friday 11 November to Saturday 19 November) by reservation. Williams said he chose stories that audiences could talk about and argue about afterward. Impressive.
“I want plays that can move people artistically and reveal some truth, but as a new theater, we need to build audiences. I can’t make plays that are artistically beautiful if no one comes.”
Just before the holiday shows, some as early as mid-November, the Park Theater will present August Wilson’s fence (Wednesday, November 2nd to Sunday, November 20th), Yale University will present its world premiere The brightest thing in the room (Friday, November 25th to Saturday, December 17th) and MTC will present comedy slapstick lend me a tenor (Friday 4 November to Sunday 20 November).
TheatreWorks will continue its virtual content wherever possible, while Westport plans to continue streaming of its manuscript series and collaboration with WSHU. Both Ruggiero and Barker mentioned that it all depends on the union’s permission. Many licensed production companies no longer license streaming rights with live stage rights, Buck said.
Hubbard probably summed it up best of all theaters with two comments, when she said: “We are very grateful to the state and federal government for funding to help us through the worst of times. We are also very grateful to support us in helping us Supporters of subsistence.
She cited a challenge that affects many businesses: difficulty getting enough employees. “The hardest thing for us right now is finding staff to help us move forward; we have big plans for next year.”
All theaters expect a stronger year than last year. However, they all want to adapt to the new “normal” of audience preferences; ultimately, Buck said, “it’s going to be better than ‘before.'” It’s going to take longer than anyone expected. “
Day 1 of Sunset Boulevard rehearsal at the Connecticut Musical Theater in Norwalk.Photo courtesy of MTC
Day 1 of Sunset Boulevard rehearsal at the Connecticut Musical Theater in Norwalk.Photo courtesy of MTC
Bushnell will be offering Aladdin’s performances in the fall.Photo courtesy of Bushnell
Kate Baldwin and Max von Essen rehearse with music director Adam Souza for the 42nd StreetGoodspeed musical in East Haddam.Photo courtesy of Goodspeed The Musical
Actors on 42nd Street rehearse at the Goodspeed Musical in East Haddam.Photo courtesy of Goodspeed The Musical
Susan Kulp and John Johmann rehearse for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, performed by Madison Lyric Stage.Photo courtesy of Madison Lyric Stage
The Madison Lyric Stage has now seen its audience grow as it performs in a larger space under a semi-permanent tent at Deacon John’s Cemetery in Madison.Here, John Johmann and Susan Kulp rehearse for the current production Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Photo courtesy of Madison Lyric Stage
42nd StreetGoodspeed MusicalsEast Haddam, CT 06423(860)873-8664
42nd StreetGoodspeed MusicalsEast Haddam, CT 06423(860)873-8664
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