The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts is a theater located in the historic Curtis School for Boys gymnasium building in

Brookfield, Connecticut Brookfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, situated within the southern foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. The population was 17,528 at the 2020 census. The town is located northeast of New York City, making it par ...

, located within the Brookfield Center Historic District. The theater has a capacity of 135 people and hosts a variety of entertainment events such as films, plays, and musical performances. Every year five community productions are chosen and each run for months at a time. Additional workshops and special events are added throughout the year, such as the Brookfield Film Festival which is held by the Brookfield Arts Commission. The festival lasts three days, and screens short and foreign films.

History

The contemporary company was established in as the "Country Players of Brookfield." The name appears to reference the Brookfield Players, an acting company founded in Brookfield in the 1930s by

Virgil Geddes Virgil Geddes (1897–1989) was an American playwright. Geddes grew up in rural Nebraska, the setting for his plays ''The Earth Between'', and ''Native Ground''. He did not go to college. He spent several years in Paris where he met and mar ...

.Barbara Page, "Remembering the Twenties," Vassar Quarterly, Volume LXXVI, Number 4, 1 June 1980. Curtis School 1883

Curtis School for Boys

In 1883, the Curtis School for Boys opened in Brookfield, Connecticut, after relocating from the town of

Bethlehem, Connecticut Bethlehem is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,385 at the 2020 census, down from 3,607 at the 2010 census. The town center is a historic district and a census-designated place (CDP). The town's name h ...

. The school was founded by Frederick Smiley Curtis, a mentor and educator who was also the last surviving member of the

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Class of 1869. Curtis was born February 18, 1850, in Stratford, Connecticut and earned the PhD at

. He taught at

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...

(Then known as Westchester Norman School), and then at

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

before founding the Curtis School. The school campus had seven buildings, including the

rustic style Rustic architecture is a style of architecture in the United States, used in rural government and private structures and their landscape interior design. It was influenced by the American craftsman style. According to the National Park Service, � ...

stone-and-wooden beam gymnasium built in 1907. The school's property also consisted of main classrooms, a chapel, a barn and cottage. The Curtis School closed its doors in 1943.

Historic building

The Theatre is housed in the former Curtis School gymnasium, a building that was standing empty until it was purchased by the Brookfield Country Players in 1957 and remodeled as a community theater. A dressing room was added in the 1960s and, in the 1980s, a backstage space was constructed. The building, in

rustic Rustic may refer to: *Rural area *Pastoral Architecture * Rustication (architecture), a masonry technique mainly employed in Renaissance architecture * Rustic architecture, an informal architectural style in the United States and Canada with sever ...

style, originally featured a massive stone fireplace at each end of the gymnasium. While one fireplace has been walled over behind what is now the stage, the other remains "a beautiful piece of functional architecture".

Theatre

The theater organization grew to include various cultural offerings. In 2003 the name was changed to "The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts" (TBTA) to show it is intended to be a center for creativity for the greater Brookfield region. The new lobby, dedicated in 2005, has been used for informal gatherings, workshops, cultural events, and art shows. As part of the 60th anniversary celebration, the lobby was remodeled and rededicated as an art gallery with a board member acting as curator for fine art shows throughout the year.

References

External links

Official Site
{{coord, 41.4693469, -73.3908915, display=title Theatres in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Brookfield, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Fairfield County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Private schools in Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1883 Rustic architecture in Connecticut 1883 establishments in Connecticut