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American Shakespeare Theatre

Coordinates: 41°11′06″N 73°07′31″W / 41.1851°N 73.1253°W / 41.1851; -73.1253
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The theatre exterior in 1955

The American Shakespeare Theatre was a theater company based in Stratford, Connecticut, United States.

It was formed in the early 1950s by Lawrence Langner, Lincoln Kirstein, John Percy Burrell, and philanthropist Joseph Verner Reed. The American Shakespeare Festival Theatre was constructed and the program opened on July 12, 1955, with Julius Caesar.[1] The theater building burned to the ground on January 13, 2019.[2][3]

History

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Plays were produced at the Festival Theatre in Stratford from 1955 until the company ceased operations in the mid-1980s.[4] The company focused on American interpretations of William Shakespeare's plays, but occasionally produced plays by other playwrights, including T.S. Eliot, Bernard Shaw, Sophocles, Giuseppe Verdi, Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams, and William Wycherley.

The first artistic director was Denis Carey, who had managed The Old Vic in London. Under Carey's direction, the productions were not impressive financially or artistically.[5] John Houseman took over as artistic director in 1956, and his associate director was Jack Landau. Houseman resigned his position in August 1959 and Landau was promoted one month later.[6]

In 1992, the Hartford Courant posted a history of productions at the theater,[7] which was the home of the American Shakespeare Festival.[8]

The last full season of the festival was 1982. The last production on the theater stage was a one-person show of The Tempest in September 1989.[1] Previous efforts had included plans to raise money to renovate the structure, as well as alternate plans to demolish it and construct an amphitheater in its place.[9]

Notable actors

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Notable actors involved with the American Shakespeare Theatre included:[10]

Crest

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One of seven crests donated by the Timex Corporation was stolen in March 2012. Each of the crests represented a different Shakespearean play. Timex had a long affiliation with the theater, starting with a donation of "the world's only properly calibrated sundial" in 1956.[11]

ShakesBeer Festival

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In 2013, beer manager Steven Bilodeau of Wines Unlimited and Pete Rodrigues of Captain's Keg organized a beer festival on the grounds of the American Shakespeare Theatre called the ShakesBeer Festival in order to raise funds towards the restoration and reopening of the theater. The ShakesBeer Festival was held on August 23, 2014, and raised over $30,000 and donated $20,000 to the restoration efforts after final expenses. This event was designed to be an annual event in order to bring in a source of revenue to the theater and to raise awareness.[12][13]

Festival! Stratford

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The 9th Festival! Stratford presented A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed by the Connecticut Free Shakespeare, on the grounds July 31 through August 1, 2013.[14]

Fire

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The theater burned to the ground on Sunday, January 13, 2019. The structure was unoccupied at the time and had been vacant for ten years. No fatalities or injuries occurred, and nothing was recovered from the building.

The cause of the fire remained unknown for several months.[15] In April 2019, local teenagers, Logan Caraballo, Vincent Keller, and Christopher Sakowicz,[16] were charged as adults with arson, burglary, and other felonies in connection with the fire.[17] They were charged with starting five additional fires in the months following the theater fire.[18]

The trio originally pled not guilty in court, but they publicly confessed on Snapchat after the theater arson.[19] Sakowicz and Keller later changed their pleas to guilty, with Sakowicz being found primarily responsible and receiving a ten-year prison sentence as well as fifteen years special parole and mandatory psychiatric treatment.[20] Keller potentially faced up to eighteen months in prison, while Caraballo's case remained pending and sealed as of December 2022.[21]

The Shakespeare Academy at Stratford said that it planned to continue to stage outdoor performances at the property during the summer of 2019.[22]

Redevelopment

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In 2022, the town of Stratford was awarded three million dollars from the State Bond Commission to redevelop the site.[23] Proposals were rejected for a large-scale replica of an Elizabethan theater in favor of more-modest designs featuring a multi-disciplinary arts space and an outdoor amphitheater, collectively known as the Stratford Performing Arts Center.[24][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Rizzo, Frank (August 20, 2009). "The Story Behind the Former American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 8, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ^ Terzi, Tony (January 13, 2019). "Historic Shakespeare Festival Theatre Burns to the Ground in Stratford". WTIC News. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Perkins, Julia (January 13, 2019). "Shakespeare Theater in Stratford Burns to Ground". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  4. ^ Cooper 1986, p. 14.
  5. ^ Glover, William (June 19, 1960). "Ryan's Turnabout to Classic Elegance". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  6. ^ "Landau Will Get Shakespeare Job; Meshken Named". Baltimore Herald. September 13, 1959.
  7. ^ "History of the Stratford Theater". Hartford Courant. August 2, 1992. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Cooper 1986, p. 27.
  9. ^ Burgeson, John (January 17, 2015). "New Plan for Shakespeare Theater in Stratford: Tear It Down". The Middletown Press.
  10. ^ [ISBN missing]Houseman, John; Landau, Jack (1959). The American Shakespeare Festival: The Birth of a Theatre. New York: Simon & Schuster. actors.
  11. ^ Lyte, Brittany (March 2, 2012). "Police Probing Theft at Shakespeare Theatre". Connecticut Post. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  12. ^ Boros, Phyllis A.S. (August 25, 2016). "ShakesBeer Fest to Raise Funds for Theater Renovation in Stratford". Connecticut Post. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  13. ^ "2014 ShakesBeer Festival". ShakesBeer Festival.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ^ Meyers, Joe (July 25, 2013). "Summer Free Shakespeare Season Winds Down". Connecticut Post. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  15. ^ Salzo, Vincent (February 1, 2019). "Cause of Shakespeare Theater Fire Remains under Investigation". Patch. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  16. ^ Tepfer, Daniel (April 10, 2019). "Arson Suspect: 'We Are Going to Burn Down Shakespeare'". Connecticut Post. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  17. ^ Tepfer, Daniel (April 9, 2019). "Third Arrest Made in Shakespeare Theater Fire, Other Blazes". Connecticut Post. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  18. ^ Tepfer, Daniel (February 13, 2020). "Accused Shakespeare Theatre Arsonists Get New Court Date". New Haven Register. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  19. ^ Tepfer, Daniel (April 30, 2021). "Accused Shakespeare Theater Arsonists May Plead Guilty". Connecticut Post. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  20. ^ Tepfer, Daniel (September 10, 2021). "Stratford Man Gets 10 Years for Burning Shakespeare Theater". Connecticut Post. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  21. ^ Tepfer, Daniel (December 16, 2022). "Stratford Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Shakespeare Theater, Other Fires". Milford Mirror. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "Fire Tears through American Shakespeare Theater in Connecticut". WABC News. Associated Press. January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  23. ^ Chumney, Richard (May 27, 2023). "Stratford Still Weighing Future of Shakespeare Theater Site Four Years After It Burned to the Ground". Connecticut Post. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  24. ^ Chumney, Richard (April 13, 2024). "Stratford Group Hoping to Build Globe Replica at Former Shakespeare Site Now Seeking New Location". Connecticut Post. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  25. ^ "Performing Arts Complex". Town of Stratford. Retrieved March 10, 2025.

Sources

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41°11′06″N 73°07′31″W / 41.1851°N 73.1253°W / 41.1851; -73.1253

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