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 in Wilton, New Hampshire. It's a place where young people work with professional artists. They create amazing shows together!
At Andy's, kids learn about many art forms. These include theater, dance, music, and even puppetry. They also explore video, set design, and writing plays. A unique part of Andy's is that they create new plays or adapt old ones just for kids. Many famous actors, writers, and artists have been part of Andy's. Some have even won big awards like the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize!
History of Andy's Summer Playhouse
Andy's Summer Playhouse started in 1971. It was named after a children's book artist, C. W. Anderson. Two teachers, Margaret Sawyer and William Williams, founded the theater.
The first home for Andy's was in Mason, New Hampshire. Later, it moved to an old meeting house in Wilton. From 1980 to 1993, Dan Hurlin was the artistic director. He brought many well-known artists from New York City to work with the kids.
After Dan, Robert Lawson led the theater from 1994 to 2007. Then DJ Potter was the artistic director from 2008 to 2014. Both helped make Andy's even more famous. They also got former students involved in running the theater. Today, Jared Mezzocchi is in charge of Andy's.
The Playhouse Building: A Long History
The building where Andy's Summer Playhouse is now has a very long history. The first building on this spot was a log structure from 1752. It was a meeting house for the town of Wilton. That building was replaced in 1779 by a bigger one.
This second meeting house served the town for 80 years. But sadly, it burned down in 1859. The town then decided to build a third meeting house. This is the building you see today, finished in 1860.
A special bell from Paul Revere and Sons was damaged in the fire. It was recast and placed in the new building's bell tower. It's still there today! In 1883, the town moved its business to a new Town Hall. The meeting house was sold in 1884 and became Citizens Hall. It was used for public meetings for many years.
Later, different groups owned the building. The National Grange took it over in 1925. Then the Wilton Lions Club owned it in 1968. In 1978, the Pine Hill Waldorf School bought it and ran a school there. Finally, Andy's Summer Playhouse bought the building on August 11, 1985.
Famous People from Andy's
Many talented people have been part of Andy's Summer Playhouse. They include actors, writers, directors, and musicians. Some have won major awards for their work!
- Henry Akona, director and composer
- Jess Barbagallo, playwright and performer
- Sally Bomer, choreographer
- 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
