Brookfield Theatre for the Arts facts for kids
Logo of the theatre
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| Address | 184 Whisconier Rd. Brookfield, Connecticut United States |
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| Type | Indoor theatre |
| Capacity | 135 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Rebuilt | 1957, 2005 |
| Years active | 1957-present |
| Website | |
| http://www.brookfieldtheatre.org/ | |
The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts is a cool place where you can watch plays, movies, and music shows. It's located in Brookfield, Connecticut, inside an old building that used to be a school gym. This building is part of a special historic area called the Brookfield Center Historic District. The theatre can hold 135 people, making it a cozy spot for live performances.
Each year, the theatre puts on five main shows. These can be funny comedies, serious dramas, exciting musicals, or even classic plays. Besides these main shows, they also have workshops and special events. One popular event is the Brookfield Film Festival. This festival lasts three days and shows short films and movies from other countries.
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Discovering the Theatre's Past
The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts has a long and interesting history. It started way back in 1957. Back then, it was known as the "Country Players of Brookfield." This name might have been inspired by an even older acting group from the 1930s. That earlier group was started by a person named Virgil Geddes.
The Old Curtis School for Boys
The building where the theatre is now used to be a school! In 1883, the Curtis School for Boys opened its doors in Brookfield. It had moved there from another town called Bethlehem, Connecticut.
The school was founded by Frederick Smiley Curtis. He was a teacher and a mentor. He was also the very last person still alive from the Yale University Class of 1869. Mr. Curtis was born in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1850. He earned a special degree called a PhD from Yale University. Before starting his own school, he taught at other colleges.
The Curtis School campus had seven buildings. One of them was the gym, which was built in 1907. This gym had a unique, natural look with stone and wooden beams. The school also had classrooms, a chapel, a barn, and a small house. The Curtis School closed down in 1943.
The Historic Theatre Building
The theatre is located in the old Curtis School gymnasium. This building sat empty for a while after the school closed. But in 1957, the Brookfield Country Players bought it. They turned the old gym into a community theatre.
Over the years, they added more to the building. A dressing room was built in the 1960s. Later, in the 1980s, they added a space behind the stage. The building has a rustic, natural style. It originally had two huge stone fireplaces, one at each end of the gym. One fireplace is now hidden behind the stage. But the other one is still there and looks beautiful. It's also still used!
The Theatre Today
The theatre group grew over time to offer many different cultural events. In 2003, they changed their name to "The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, Inc." This new name showed that they wanted to be a creative hub for the whole Brookfield area.
In 2005, they opened a new lobby. This space is used for casual get-togethers, workshops, and art shows. For their 60th anniversary, the lobby was updated again. It was turned into an art gallery. A special board member helps choose the art for shows throughout the year.
