"Theater is a crucible of civilizations; it is a place for communication."

~Victor Hugo

The quaint stone building sits nestled on a hill behind the Brookfield Public Library yet holds a world of culture inside its century-old walls. The building was originally built as The Curtis House, a boy's school back in 1907.  In 1943 the school closed.  It was purchased in 1959 by the Brookfield Town Players and has held plays and musicals year-round in the small stone building ever since.

The theater has 136 seats and is the only playhouse in Brookfield.  It serves as a cozy gathering place for those wanting a bit of culture without forking over hundreds of dollars to venture out to New York City.  Michael Burnett, the theater's current president describes the playhouse as an "intimate setting".  He says "once you go you will want to keep coming back".  Pictures of past performances grace the walls and a warm, friendly volunteer staff greets guests as they arrive. Doors open one hour before the performance and theater-goers can purchase beer, wine and soft drinks as they socialize before the show starts. 

Burnett has been involved with The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts (TBTA) since 2000 when he was asked to choreograph Godspell and La Cage aux Folles. He served as their Artistic Director before being elected by the Board of Directors as the president earlier this year.  Burnett was a theater major at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, and is a 1992 graduate of Danbury High School.  He has worked as the Assistant Director and Choreographer at Danbury High School's Theater Department for the past thirteen years in addition to his duties at TBTA.  

The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts is supported by its sponsors, members, and advertisers and promotes its productions through a mailing list, e-mail, their website and word of mouth.   Word of mouth spread like wildfire for the TBTA's final performance this past Saturday night of The Laramie Project.  Directed by Michael Burnett, the show played to a sold-out crowd and drew hundreds of supporters to counter-protest the Westboro Baptist Church's anti-gay opposition to the show.  The Laramie Project is a play about a 21 year old gay college student, Matthew Shephard, who was murdered in 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming for being gay.  Ben Panzarino, one of the show's producers, said that "people were calling for weeks to get tickets" for Saturday night's performance.  

The playhouse holds open auditions for each of its four major performances throughout the year and does not have a regular theater company, according to Burnett.   The season runs from April through December. Two of the productions are musicals and the other two are non-musicals.  Musicals run for three weekends and non-musicals run for four weekends. They also host other productions throughout their season such as pre-season and post-season events.  The Brookfield Film Festival takes place there on March 27, with two showings at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. 

Now in their 53rd season, The Brookfield Theatre for the Art's next production is Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers, a comedy.  This play is about a middle-aged married man who fumbles his way through numerous attempts to seduce women in order to achieve his desire of having a fling.  It is a comedy that is sure to entertain.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.brookfieldtheatre.org or by calling the box office at (203) 775-0023. The play will be directed by Joel Paley who won a 1993  Outer Critics Circle Award for his musical, Ruthless! The Musical for best lyricist.  Opening night is on April 30, and runs on the weekends through May 15 with a special Mother's Day matinee on May 9 at 2:00 p.m.

A bit of culture, a bit of community theater and a huge helping of hospitality; The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts is a local gem sure to entertain.