Musical Icon Joins ACT of CT

 

ACT of Connecticut is thrilled to announce that legendary composer Stephen Schwartz will serve as one of the Artistic Advisors for the new professional theater company.  Schwartz’s mega-hit musical “Wicked" recently exceeded $1billion in ticket sales and has surpassed “Rent" as the 10th longest running show in Broadway history.  Schwartz has composed several other hit Broadway musicals including “Godspell” and “Pippin”, and has received three Oscars, four Grammys, a Golden Globe, and a Tony Award. Simply put, Stephen Schwartz is the premier American musical theater composer of our time.    

ACT of CT has also announced that they will introduce the “Presenting Stephen Schwartz!” series, in which the theater will dedicate one show per season (for the first five seasons) to a Stephen Schwartz musical. The addition of Schwartz to the newly acquired Ridgefield Theater Advisory Board is nothing short of spectacular news for ACT founders Katie Tomlinson Diamond and Daniel C. Levine.

“Stephen Schwartz is one of the most important composers working on Broadway and in film today. His shows have shaped the face of the American musical theater. For ACT of CT to have his support and backing, truly raises the bar. We are thrilled that Stephen will serve as one of our Artistic Advisors, and we are beyond excited to dedicate one show per season to one of Stephen’s masterpieces.” says Daniel C. Levine, Artistic Director of ACT of CT.   

Audiences can look forward to celebrating one of the greatest living musical theatre composers every year with special dedicated productions.

Schwartz, a Ridgefield resident says, ""Ridgefield has come such a long way towards becoming an arts destination, with the success of the Ridgefield Playhouse and the continuing attraction of the Aldrich Museum, along with the many other local arts organizations. The addition of a professional Equity theatre is an exciting prospect, and I support it wholeheartedly.”

About Stephen Schwartz

Stephen Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell (1971), Pippin (1972) and Wicked (2003). He has contributed lyrics for a number of successful films, including Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), The Prince of Egypt (1998; music and lyrics) and Enchanted (2007). Schwartz has won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics, three Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards and has been nominated for six Tony Awards. He received the 2015 Isabelle Stevenson Award, a special Tony Award, for his commitment to serving artists and fostering new talent.  

About ACT – A Contemporary Theater

A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) of Connecticut will take over the famous Schlumberger auditorium adding to the community’s anticipated cultural center that will span 30 acres of the former Schlumberger property. Produced and led by two accomplished theater professionals, this contemporary theater is likely to be the regional theater destination theatergoers choose. ACT will present limited engagement runs of well-known Broadway plays and musicals, as well as world premiere plays and musicals by the next generation of writers and composers. The theater company is expected to produce four shows per year, with each show including Broadway professionals and Ridgefield’s professional actors and actresses. In addition to fully produced, main stage productions, the producers will launch youth education classes, camps, workshops, and a conservatory program for high school students.

Stephen Schwartz ~ Rühmeier, Ralf (Photographer) 

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Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

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