Andy's Summer Playhouse facts for kids
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| Address | Wilton, New Hampshire United States |
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| Owner | Non-profit organization |
| Current use | Youth theater |
| Opened | 1971 |
Andy's Summer Playhouse is a special youth theater located in Wilton, New Hampshire. It's a place where young people work with professional artists to create amazing performances. They explore different art forms like theater, dance, music, puppetry, and video.
This playhouse is unique because it creates original plays and also adapts existing stories for children. Many famous actors, writers, and artists have been part of Andy's, either as students or teachers. Some have even won big awards like the Tony Award, Emmy Award, and Pulitzer Prize!
The History of Andy's Summer Playhouse
Andy's Summer Playhouse started in 1971. It was named after a children's book illustrator named C. W. Anderson. Two teachers, Margaret Sawyer and William Williams, founded the theater.
The playhouse first opened in Mason, New Hampshire. Later, it moved to a historic building in Wilton. From 1980 to 1993, a director named Dan Hurlin helped the playhouse grow a lot. He brought in many talented artists from famous art places in New York City.
After Dan Hurlin, Robert Lawson led the theater from 1994 to 2007. Then, DJ Potter was the Artistic Director from 2008 to 2014. These leaders helped Andy's become even more well-known. They also encouraged former students to get involved in running the theater.
From 2014 until 2024, Jared Mezzocchi was in charge. For the 2025 season, playwrights SMJ and Jess Honovich were announced as the new Co-Artistic Directors.
The Playhouse Building: A Look Back
The building where Andy's Summer Playhouse is located has a long and interesting history. It stands on the same spot where Wilton's first meeting house was built in 1752. That first log building was replaced by a larger one in 1779.
The second meeting house served the town for 80 years until it sadly burned down in 1859. The town decided to build a third meeting house on the same spot. This is the building you see today, and it was finished in 1860.
An original bell made by Paul Revere and Sons was damaged in the fire. It was recast by Henry Northey Hooper & Sons of Boston and placed in the new building's bell tower, where it still rings today!
In 1883, the town moved its main business to a new Town Hall. So, in 1884, the current building was sold to a group of citizens and renamed Citizens Hall. It was used for many public meetings. Later, different groups, like the National Grange and the Wilton Lions Club, used the building.
In 1978, the Pine Hill Waldorf School bought the building and ran a school there for several years. Finally, on August 11, 1985, Andy's Summer Playhouse bought the building, making it their permanent home.
Talented Artists from Andy's Summer Playhouse
Many talented people have been part of Andy's Summer Playhouse over the years. They include actors, writers, directors, musicians, and visual artists. Some have gone on to achieve great success in their careers. Here are just some of the notable artists who have been involved:
- Henry Akona, director and composer
- Jess Barbagallo, playwright and performer
- Patrick Boutwell, musician
- David Bowles, director
- Rosellen Brown, author
- Matthew Buckingham, filmmaker and multimedia artist
- Lenora Champagne, playwright and performing artist
- Emmanuelle Chaulet, actress
- Austin Chick, film director, screenwriter and producer
- Catherine Coray, director, actor and teacher
- Migdalia Cruz, playwright
- Dancenoise, performance artists
- Kyle deCamp, multimedia performance artist
- David Dorfman, choreographer and teacher
- Sarah Durkee, singer-songwriter, lyricist, and writer
- Edward Einhorn, playwright, director and novelist
- Daniel Mark Epstein, poet, dramatist and biographer
- Dan Froot, performance artist and musician
- Rosanna Gamson, choreographer and director
- Janie Geiser, artist and experimental filmmaker
- Alex Gino, children's book author
- Jonathan Glatzer, writer, director and producer
- James Godwin, actor
- Mimi Goese, musician
- Ain Gordon, playwright, director and actor
- Neil Greenberg, choreographer
- David Greenspan, actor and playwright
- Rinne Groff, playwright and performer
- Sharon Hayes, multimedia artist
- Cynthia Hopkins, performance artist, composer and musician
- Holly Hughes, performance artist
- Sam Huntington, actor
- Dan Hurlin, puppeteer and performance artist
- Anne Iobst, performance artist
- Paul Jacobs, composer and musician
- Amy Jenkins, artist and experimental filmmaker
- Elizabeth Orton Jones, illustrator and children's book author
- Myles Kane, film producer and wizard rock artist
- Stephen Karam, playwright and screenwriter
- John Kelly, performance artist
- Andy Kirshner, composer, performer, writer and media artist
- Lisa Kron, actress and playwright
- Robert Lawson, writer, director, composer and visual artist
- David Leslie, performance artist and stuntman
- Elizabeth Levy, children's book author
- Chris Lindsay-Abaire, actress
- David Lindsay-Abaire, playwright, lyricist and screenwriter
- Sondra Loring, dancer, choreographer and actor
- Erika Kate MacDonald, performing artist and playwright
- Linda Mancini, actor, writer and performance artist
- Victoria Marks, choreographer and teacher
- Jared Mezzocchi, multimedia theatre director and designer
- Sarah McLellan, executive director
- Tom Murrin, performance artist and playwright
- Eileen Myles, poet and writer
- Jim Neu, playwright
- Qui Nguyen, playwright and fight director
- Brooke O'Harra, writer, director and performer
- Julia Older, poet and translator
- Pat Oleszko, performance artist
- Claire Porter, choreographer and comedian
- Dave Quay, actor
- Alice Reagan, director
- Jenny Romaine, puppeteer, performer and director
- John C. Russell, playwright
- Dan Moses Schreier, composer and sound designer
- Brian Selznick, children's book author and illustrator
- Lucy Sexton, performance artist and producer
- Louise Smith, playwright and actress
- Kate Snodgrass, director and playwright
- Henry Stram, actor
- Carmelita Tropicana, performance artist
- Fritz Van Orden, musician
- Meiyin Wang, director
- Washboard Jungle, musicians
- Erik White, musician
- Kristine Woods, visual artist
