Eight Professional Theatres Collaborating For Second TCG Free Night of Theater

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Sep 29, 2006 12:00 am

Eight Professional Theatres Collaborating

For Second TCG Free Night of Theater

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is pleased to announce that the second Free Night of Theater, its unprecedented campaign to attract new audiences to live theater, will run from October 15 through November 2. Eight of Connecticutâs top professional theaters â Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, HartBeat Ensemble, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Seven Angels Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse and Yale Repertory Theatre â are collaborating to present eight opportunities for new theatergoers to attend a play at no cost.

Nationwide, thousands of people from Boston to Los Angeles and from Atlanta to Seattle will attend performances being presented by over 450 selected theatres free of charge. This is the first year that Connecticutâs TCG theaters have participated in Free Night of Theater, offering the Nutmeg Stateâs audiences a free chance to see such varied fare as a Gilbert and Sullivan masterpiece, two naughty comedies, an intimate drama, a classic romance, a musical version of a Joan Crawford film, an existential trip to Hell, and a brand new update of Dickensâ A Christmas Carol.

The TCG Free Night of Theater events for Connecticut are as follows:

*Sunday, October 15, at 2 pm, Connecticut Repertory Theatre in Storrs will host Restoration Comedy by Amy Freed. There is a limit of two tickets per patron (telephone 860-486-4226 or 860-486-1629).

*Saturday, October 21, at 8 pm, Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury will host Johnny Guitar â The Musical by Nicholas van Hoogstraten, with music by Martin Silvestri and Joel Higgins, and lyrics by Joel Higgins; limit four tickets per patron.

*Tuesday, October 31, at 7:30 pm, Hartford Stage will offer a performance of John-Paul Sartreâs No Exit; limit two tickets per patron.

*Also on October 31, at 8 pm, Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven will offer The Mistakes Madeline Made by Elizabeth Meriwether; limit two tickets per patron.

*Also on October 31, at 8 pm, Westport Country Playhouse will present Old Wicked Songs by Jon Marans; limit two tickets per patron.

*Thursday, November 2, at 7:30 pm, HartBeat Ensemble will present Ebeneeza: A Hartford Holiday Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens, at Capital Community College, 950 Main Street in Hartford; limit ten tickets per patron.

*Also on November 2 at 7:30 pm, Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam will offer Gilbert & Sullivanâs The Pirates Of Penzance; limit two tickets per patron.

*Finally, Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven will also be offering its Free Night of Theater event on November 2 at 8 pm, when it presents a performance of Rocket To The Moon by Clifford Odets; limit two tickets per patron.

To qualify as a ânewâ theatergoer, patrons must visit a theater that they have not previously attended. Â Free tickets are subject to availability and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis starting Sunday, October 1. To reserve tickets, visit TCGâs FreeNightOfTheater.net website, click Find a Show and choose Connecticut.

Do not contact the theatre box offices directly to book TCG Free Night of Theater tickets. Â Reservations must be made by October 17. Â For more information on the individual productions and directions to the theaters, visit their individual websites.

This yearâs event builds on the programâs successful 2005 debut, when over 8,000 people attended 150 performances in Austin, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The 2006 program will be presented in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Cleveland, Lexington (Ky.), Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC; and statewide in Connecticut, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon and Wisconsin.

Free Night of Theater was conceived at TCGâs National Conference in 2003 as a way to remove perceived barriers that have historically prevented audiences from attending not-for-profit theatre. An estimated 80 percent of last yearâs attendees were first-time theatergoers and they were enthusiastically welcomed by their fellow audience members.

Recent attendance data gathered by Shugoll Research reports that over 33 percent of last yearâs first-time theatergoers purchased tickets to another performance following their Free Night experience. In fact, 98 percent of attendees to the 2005 program reported that they would take part in Free Night of Theater 2006.

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It’s important to clarify the tone and context of Derek Pisani’s remarks, particularly the satirical line about suing Newtown for "Gross Stupidity." This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek jab at the exhausting culture of legal threats that’s become a staple on the local Facebook Group forums. It was a reflection of frustration over endless regulatory hurdles and obstructionism, and the desire to avoid common sense solutions not an insult aimed at residents. Satire, is meant to provoke thought and highlight the absurdities. If we are unable to distinguish between satire and literal threats, perhaps the comment hit closer to the truth than we’d like to admit. Rather than focusing on Pisanis style, we should be discussing the substance of what he’s pointing out: that Newtown’s progress is being routinely blocked by a small but vocal contingent who seem intent on saying “no” at every turn. They are saying no to any development, no to common sense solutions to crowd control, etc. Newtown deserves leaders who are willing to call things as they see them, even if their language ruffles feathers. That doesn’t mean they lack respect for constituents—it means they care enough to challenge the Mob and push for solutions. Isn't that what we elect people to do? I applaud Pisani's dedication, he certainly has earned my vote. Regardless, let’s not reduce conversation to tone-policing and outrage. Let’s focus on the issues that matter.

Who is Calling Newtowners Stupid?

Thank you for pointing out the trail access provisions included in the BOS motion—it’s an important clarification that deserves more attention in this conversation. If the development is, in fact, required to provide permanent free public access and commit to ongoing maintenance of this section of the Rochambeau Trail, that is a remarkably beneficial outcome for the town. oIt’s not every day that a private project shoulders the long-term burden of preserving and caring for a public historical corridor at no taxpayer cost—especially one that previously had no formal access, upkeep, or visibility. Let’s be honest: the idea that the only way to protect history is by preventing any development nearby is a rigid and unworkable standard. What’s being proposed here appears to strike a rare balance—historic preservation, public access, and smart development all rolled into one. That’s not a loss its a win. So rather than allowing a handful of voices to derail progress under the banner of “historic purity,” maybe it’s time to acknowledge the reality: this trail is better off with structured stewardship and visibility than remaining an overgrown ghost on old maps. Let’s move forward. Bring in the easement, bring in the public access—and yes, bring in the bulldozers!!! Progress and preservation can coexist. Let’s not let the NIMBY use fear or nostalgia keep us stuck in the past.

Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

I've heard that several people are under the impression that the public might be banned from the Rochambeau Trail. Points 2 and 3 from the BOS motion (included in full below) make it clear that public access to the trail is part of the requirements for the developer. From what I understand, it requires free public access to the trail in perpetuity. Technically, this could be argued to be a "payment-in-kind," that attempts to balance public good with overall town growth. We can argue about weather that balance is acceptable and how the trail may be affected, but with the understanding that the trail is expected to be maintained as a publicly accessible trail regardless. July 15, 2024 Board of Selectmen approved motion: Discontinuance of Reservoir Road: Selectman Cruson moved the resolution: Resolved, that the Newtown Board of Selectmen, in accordance with Section 2-115(d)(8) of the Town Charter and Conn. Gen. Stat. §13a-49, and subject to the conditions set forth below, hereby discontinues an unimproved portion of Reservoir Road described as “Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued “on that certain survey map which will be recorded on the Newtown Land Records titled “Map Showing Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued” dated August, 2023 and revised September 15, 2023, and certified substantially correct by Gregory Szyszowski of SLR (the “Survey Map”), said discontinuance contingent and effective only upon the completion of the following: 1. The approval of an application for the development of land in the manner described in a letter from Attorney Thomas W. Beecher to First Selectman A. Jeffrey Capeci and Members of the Board of Selectmen dated May 30, 2024, pursuant to the “Residential Open Space Development” regulations of the Borough of Newtown by the Borough of Newtown Zoning Commission, and construction of that approval project within the timeframes required for special exception approval; 2. The inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction; 3. The conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes; Be it further resolved, that Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings, LLC., its successors and assigns, shall not use any portion of the discontinued road as a vehicular road or access way to and from any developed portions of the property. Be it further finally resolved, that should any of the foregoing contingencies not occur, then the discontinuance contemplated herein shall not become effective and this resolution will become null and void. From: https://www.newtown-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif12216/f/minutes/bos_7-15-24_min-_att_final.pdf

Is this paper road (roads that only exist on paper map but not in reality) even owned by the Town? Many roads that predate the Town's road standards are privately owned and were never accepted by the Town, such as many of the nonconforming roads around the lake communities where the property owners own right to the center line. That is something we had to deal with when working on the Roads Ordinance a few years back. We also had to deal with a private road to run the utilities to the new SHS.

For anyone who wants to know, I cant post a link here, but Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority has an entire website. Look up "HRRA whats in whats out"

I Get It!

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Eight Professional Theatres Collaborating For Second TCG Free Night of Theater

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