Author: Stuart Brown

Dear theater lover, David Rosenberg, our esteemed theater critic, died suddenly Wednesday night, July 15, at Norwalk Hospital. Comments below are by his friend/fellow critic Irene Backalenick: LOSS OF DAVID ROSENBERG The loss of my best friend/fellow theater critic/co-founder of the Connecticut Critics Circle is devastating, unacceptable. How shall we all go on without David? I can look back on thirty years of sharing the profession with him. With each of us covering theater for our various publications, we often traveled the field together–primarily in New York City and Connecticut, but also across the country. And our frequent trips to… read more

The Connecticut Critics Circle (CCC) announced it is honoring more than two dozen theater artists whose work was presented during the 2019-2020 season, which was shortened mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group of theater critics and writers annually salute outstanding work by artists among the state’s professional theaters. The annual ceremony, originally scheduled this year for June 29 at New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre, was cancelled. An on-line ceremony is planned to be held later this summer. “We wanted to recognize outstanding productions and performers during the abbreviated season,” says Stuart Brown, president of the CCC. “Instead of… read more

What can you do during a pandemic when you run an event that takes places all over a city and includes audiences in spaces small and large, indoors and outdoors? New Haven’s International Festival of Arts & Ideas confronted that this spring when it became clear that the normal form would not be possible; not just due to the limitations on gatherings, but also because it would have been impossible to get visas for the numerous foreign arts and speakers that usually take part of the festival. “We mourned the loss, and began to unravel a year’s work,” says Bobby… read more

Due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the Connecticut Critics Circle (CCC) is canceling its annual awards program and instead will honor excellence presented at the state’s professional theaters from this past season. The 30th annual awards ceremony was scheduled for June 29 at New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre. The members of CCC will meet online this month to discuss ways in which excellence can be recognized in the shortened season, which ended prematurely when theaters closed in mid-March. “There was so much great theater presented in the state before the shutdown,” says Stuart Brown, President of the CCC and owner,… read more

Someday this current health related crisis will be under control. With all of the uncertainty and havoc it’s created, one of many questions that remains unclear is what Connecticut theater will look like once it’s safe to gather in crowds again. Will all our professional companies survive? No one knows. Theaters struggle for money; the ticket purchases cover a relatively small percentage of costs for productions. Theaters depend on donations and grants to pay the bills. The coronavirus crisis has jeopardized the financial health of many Connecticut theaters. Some already were facing economic difficulties, but now these are more severe… read more

HARTFORD STAGE Based on recommendations from state and local government in response to the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19, Hartford Stage is canceling all remaining performances of Jane Eyre (March 12-14) and the run of The King’s Speech, scheduled for March 19 through April 19. “The safety and health of our community, visiting artists, staff and volunteers always remains our first priority at Hartford Stage,” Managing Director Cynthia Rider said. “We know that communities are in need of our solidarity and support in these times and want to encourage neighbors and patrons to meet this crisis with compassion and care… read more

Based on recommendations from state and local government in response to the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19, Hartford Stage is canceling all remaining performances of Jane Eyre (March 12-14) and the run of The King’s Speech, scheduled for March 19 through April 19. “The safety and health of our community, visiting artists, staff and volunteers always remains our first priority at Hartford Stage,” Managing Director Cynthia Rider said. “We know that communities are in need of our solidarity and support in these times and want to encourage neighbors and patrons to meet this crisis with compassion and care rather than… read more

Following updated guidance from Yale University on Tuesday evening, March 10, in response to the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19, James Bundy, Artistic Director of Yale Repertory Theatre, has announced that the final two productions of the season, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Carl Cofield, and Testmatch by Kate Attwell, directed by Margot Bordelon, have been canceled. While the University’s March 7 guidance––which states that groups of 100 or less are safe to continue provided there is ample room for individuals to spread out as they are comfortable­­––remains in effect, the additional new measures, currently… read more

The Connecticut Critics Circle (CCC), a statewide organization of theater critics, is launching a Young Critics Mentor Program. The application deadline has been extended to May 1, 2020. The program will run from July 1, 2020 through June 1, 2021. Our purpose is to bring young perspectives and voices from a broad range of ethnicities and backgrounds into the CCC and mentor these young people as they learn to write professional-quality theater reviews. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at: Brooks.Appelbaum@quinnipiac.edu. Most sincerely, Brooks Appelbaum Dr. Brooks C. Appelbaum Chair, Young Critics Committee Member, Connecticut… read more

This column was originally posted on the blog, Stu on Broadway. A production of the show will be playing at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs, CT from February 27 – March 8. In the new Broadway show, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a 15-year-old boy with Asperger’s is thrust into a journey of self-discovery and an examination of relationships with his mother and father, teachers, and others. Audience members are given a window into the mind of an individual with this Austism Spectrum Disorder, thanks to the brilliance of the creative team and director, Marianne… read more