Rotary Club of Newtown Grant Makes Life Brighter for Students Visiting The Ridgefield Playhouse

 

The Ridgefield Playhouse (a non-profit performing arts center in Ridgefield, Connecticut) has been able to upgrade its stage lighting due to a generous grant from 3 area Rotary clubs (Ridgefield, Danbury and Newtown),  enabling them to continue to attract top talent while growing their Arts in Education and Arts for Everyone outreach programs for students throughout Connecticut. 

Because of the District 7980 Managed Grant, the upgraded lighting will help in many ways to offset costs for the Playhouse, allowing programing such as the Arts in Education shows, among other shows, to be offered out free to many school groups, low income families and title 1 schools.  Many Rotarians volunteered the day of the installation to help hang the lights on the grid. 

 “Improvements like those made possible through this Rotary Club grant help to round out our mission as a non-profit,” said Ridgefield Playhouse Executive Director Allison Stockel. “By maintaining a state of the art facility, we attract world renowned talent.  These successful shows help us fund community focused programming like that of our Arts in Education initiative.”

The Ridgefield Playhouse Arts in Education program focuses on connecting with educators, students and parents to bring live, curriculum-rich theatrical productions to the Playhouse stage each school year. Designated shows complement what is already being taught in the classroom, bringing topics like literature, history, science or culture to life for visiting students. Funding for Arts in Education allows these field trips to be both educational and affordable, with cost-free options available for Title 1 schools in the area.

In 2017, Arts in Education performances include Ellis Island, a one-hour musical about the experience of American immigrants which includes an essay writing contest for participating students; Arc Attack: Energy & Electricity, a vibrant and musical demonstration of scientific concepts; and Charlotte’s Web, a performance of the classic story which will engage students by having them first analyze their favorite characters during classroom work before coming to Ridgefield.

“The Rotary Club of Ridgefield has helped us in so many ways,” Stockel said. “In addition to helping us fund Playhouse improvements that enable us to keep our community giveback cycle going, Rotary members can be found volunteering as ushers, donating their time for technical projects and more. We can’t thank them enough.”

For information about upcoming Ridgefield Playhouse performances, call the box office at 203-438-5795, or visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.  The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.