Goodspeed Musicals facts for kids
The Goodspeed Opera House from the Connecticut River
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| Address | 6 Main Street East Haddam, Connecticut United States |
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| Owner | Goodspeed Musicals |
| Type | Regional theatre |
| Construction | |
| Opened | October 24, 1877 |
| Reopened | June 8, 1963 |
| Website | |
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Goodspeed Opera House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Built | 1876-77 |
| Architect | Jabez Comstock |
| Part of | East Haddam Historic District (ID83001273) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000901 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 30, 1971 |
| Designated CP | April 29, 1983 |
Goodspeed Musicals is a special group that helps keep musical theater alive. They also create exciting new shows. This organization is located in East Haddam, Connecticut. The Goodspeed Opera House is a famous building you can see from the Connecticut River. It is where many well-known musicals first started. These include Annie, Man of La Mancha, and Shenandoah.
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Goodspeed Opera House: A Historic Stage
The Goodspeed Opera House was built by a local businessman named William Goodspeed. Construction started in 1876 and finished in 1877. Even though it's called an "opera house," it was actually built for plays. The very first play, Charles II, opened on October 24, 1877.
Building History and Unique Features
After William Goodspeed passed away, the opera house became old and worn out. It was used for many different things. It was a military base during World War I. It also served as a general store and a storage place for the Department of Transportation.
The building is very unique for a theater. The actual stage and seating area are on the top two floors. This makes it tricky to bring in large sets and props for shows. Scenery is brought in from the dock area. It goes up an old elevator shaft using a special winch system. Workers must be very careful not to scratch or damage the sets. There's a famous story that during the original run of Annie, a strong gust of wind blew a large piece of scenery into the Connecticut River!
Goodspeed Musicals: Bringing Shows to Life
Goodspeed Musicals was started in 1959 by a group of people who cared about the building. This happened after the state of Connecticut said the building was unsafe. The state agreed to sell the building to the group for just one dollar. But the group had to find enough money to fix it up and take care of it.
Restoring the Opera House
The restoration project took almost four years to complete. The Goodspeed Opera House reopened on June 8, 1963. The first show in the newly restored opera house was Oh, Lady! Lady!.
From 1968 to 2014, Michael P. Price was in charge. Since 2014, Michael Gennaro has led the organization. Goodspeed Musicals has sent 19 of its shows to Broadway. Goodspeed productions have won more than a dozen Tony Awards. Goodspeed Musicals itself has won two special Tony Awards. One was for being really good at making American Musicals. The other was for being a great local theater.
More Stages and Learning
In 1984, Goodspeed Musicals added a second stage. It is called the Norma Terris Theatre. It is located in nearby Chester, Connecticut. The main stage at the Opera House presents a mix of old and new musicals. The Norma Terris Theatre also presents three brand new musicals each season. Several original plays started at these theaters before moving to Broadway. Many of them went on to win Tony Awards.
Besides the two theaters, Goodspeed Musicals helps its goal in other ways. They have the Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre. This center offers programs where young people can learn. It also helps new writers work on their shows. They also have the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre. This library has the biggest collection of musical theater information in the whole United States. Goodspeed Musicals has also built modern places to create sets and costumes. They also have a large costume storage building.
Students who want to become theater critics visit Goodspeed every summer. They come from the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. They practice writing reviews of the shows.
Visiting Goodspeed
You can schedule tours of many of the Goodspeed buildings. There is a small fee for these tours. Tickets for shows at the opera house or theater should be bought early. The theaters are relatively small, so most performances sell out quickly.
