Author: Stuart Brown

Broadway Lighting Designer and League of Professional Theatre Women member Dawn Chiang will lead an interactive discussion on how visual vocabulary and theatrical crafts contribute to the emotional life of the storytelling art Monday, Oct. 23 in Norwalk. Joining Chiang for the “Find Your Light!” panel are Elizabeth Williamson, artistic director at Hartford Stage, Costume Designer Tilly Grimes and Scenic Designer Jessica Parks. The event, produced by Co-Founder Marie Reynolds, will kick of the 2017-2018 season for the CT Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women, now in its second year. A networking time with light refreshments will be held from  5:30… read more

Connecticut Critics Circle member Dave Rosenberg reviews the original cast recordings from last year’s Broadway season: A Bronx Tale Anastasia Bandstand Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Come From Away Dear Evan Hansen Groundhog Day Hello, Dolly! War Paint Read more… read more

by Frank Rizzo Shhhhh. Listen to the quiet in Beth Wohl’s play Small Mouth Sounds, which is launching its national tour at New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre’s Aug. 31 and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 24. But more important, watch the characters closely, look for the slightest signs of revelation and see how they react—and illuminate—their selves without (almost) saying a word. The mostly dialogue-less play is set on a silent retreat where a mixed group of folks have come to find spiritual healing or new starts for their lives. Read more… read more

By Lauren Yarger Rodgers and Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA! is one of America’s treasures of musical theater, so it’s intriguing that it is just now getting its first treatment at Goodspeed, where it runs through Sept. 27. It is also the first time Director Jenn Thompson has worked with the musical. Read more… read more

by Karen Isaacs Every year as theaters announce their up-coming seasons, certain productions pique my interest. I circle their dates on my calendar in anticipation. So what have I circled for this up-coming year? Connecticut theaters offer a good mixture of the new, the classics, the familiar, and the rare. I have circled some of each. Read More… read more

by Geary Danihy By my count there are 15 Equity theaters in Connecticut, that is, theaters operating under some form of an Equity contract, plus over 60 other theater companies of various sizes. One would think that, theatrically speaking, Connecticut is pretty well covered, but Daniel Levine doesn’t think so. The Ridgefield resident had a dream, but unlike most dreams, this one is actually coming true. Soon there will be an Equity theater in Ridgefield, operating under the name of A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut, or ACT of CT (not to be confused with the 4-hour test Connecticut high school… read more

Those beleaguered folks in Stratford, still trying to make that town a theatre destination with the Shakespeare festival, would do well to pay a visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada. This postcard-perfect Ontario town – just minutes from Niagara Falls – is a theatre destination spot done right. Now in its 55th season, the annual Shaw Festival converts this glorious little town with its unique shops and endless hanging baskets of flowers into a prime theatre venue from April to late October every year. It’s well worth the trip. Read more… read more

CT Critics Circle members Stephanie and Wayne Keeley interviewed Elizabeth Stahlmann, currently appearing in the Westport Country Playhouse production of Grounded. Read what she has to say. read more