BWW Profiles: FAIRFIELD THEATRE COMPANY

For 15 years, the Fairfield Theatre Company has been striving "to make our world a better place one great performance at a time."

That sounds like the goal of every performing arts center, but FTC offers one of the broadest spectrums of live entertainment anywhere. Plays are just part of it. FTC is best known for its concerts - 250 each year - as well as its plays, films, art shows, and children's workshops. With its impressive number of offerings, FTC just had to grow, and now in addition to StageOne, which has a seating capacity of 225, it has The Warehouse, which has a capacity of 640 with flexible seating to accommodate a wide range of programs. Needless to say, The Warehouse has that industrial feel that so many suburbanites are now embracing (think: the new luxury apartments in nearby SoNo).

Concerts are performed by edgy artists and bands such as Joan Osborne, The Fifth Estate (a Stamford-born band), The Adicts, Dangermuffin, and Los Lonely Boys, with music for just about anyone.

With summer coming up, FTC is offering its 23rd annual Summer Cabaret Workshop for kids aged six to 17. Maureen Hammill runs the comprehensive program, which is taught by theatre professionals to help kids build self-confidence and poise and get performance ready. The focus is on song and dance with lessons in acting and improv. This is not just for kids who have an interest in the performing arts, but for any kid who is shy and needs a boost of confidence in public. What a great alternative to traditional summer camp! One of the comments that many elementary school teachers make is that it takes some kids a long while to get out of their shell and to feel comfortable speaking in class. And that's just in the elementary schools! The Summer Cabaret Workshop also helps kids learn teamwork. There are three two-week long sessions and each session ends with a performance on StageOne. They need not audition, and they can join in all the sessions.

Fairfield Theatre Company also has Play With Your Food, a daytime program where people can come in and do performances on StageOne while people eat lunch. It tends to be a very participatory venue, even when there is a concert.

"The development department is creative in thinking about community needs," says Alex Toombs, marketing associate at FTC. "FTC has a good grasp of what events and concerts to book in order to satisfy community members," she says. For example, there is a happy hour and food trucks on this Cinco de Mayo, allowing people to mingle informally while seeking out their favorite types of entertainment. It's very family-oriented, she notes, because they have some free shows for members.

Audience members have enthused that FTC has "great space, great energy, great sound" and that is intimate, yet doesn't feel crowded. Its proximity to the train station makes it easy for people to get to. "As good as it gets," another patron extolled. "Wonderful crew, great sound system, awesome light show...every seat or spot is close" to the stage.

For information on upcoming shows, please visit www.fairfieldtheatre.org.

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