Theater

REMINDER: Sunday March 31, Darien Library Presents a One-Woman Play, ‘Irena Sendler: Rescuing the Rescuer’

Two New Opportunities for Darien Kids to Perform, Study Shakespeare This Spring, Summer at DAC

Darien Seniors: Free Admission, Free Ride for ‘Chicago: The Musical’ March 26 at Darien High School

Actors: Have Your Sights on TV and Film? NYC Studio Opens Location in Darien

Theatre 308 Presents ‘Chicago: The Musical’ at Darien High School, March 22 to 30

Casting Call: Darien Arts Center Wants 6th, 7th, 8th Graders for Short Version of ‘A Wrinkle in Time’

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ at Stamford’s Palace Theatre

‘Elf, the Musical’ Holiday Show Playing at Curtain Call in Stamford Through Dec 15

Theatre 308’s ‘Our Town’ Thursday Performance Postponed to 2 PM Saturday

Theatre 308: Our Upcoming Production of ‘Our Town’ Will Be ‘Entirely Different’ From Your Expectations

Darien Seniors Invited to Dress Rehearsal of Theatre 308’s ‘Our Town’ Nov 14

Staged Reading of Madeleine L’Engle’s ’24 Days Before Christmas’ on Nov 3 at DAC

Paula Abdul Coming Nov 30 to Norwalk’s Wall Street Theater — and Here’s Its Fall Lineup

Workshop Series for Teens Who Want to Sharpen Theater Auditioning Skills

Kids of Ages 8 to 15 Invited to Audition for ‘Broadway Beat’ Variety Show

Events Calendar

Darien Library

By DARIENITE.COM | March 30, 2019

Parents & Kids

By DARIENITE.COM | March 28, 2019

Seniors

By DARIENITE.COM | March 19, 2019

Arts & Entertainment

By DARIENITE.COM | March 14, 2019

Education

By DARIENITE.COM | March 11, 2019

Auditions

By DARIENITE.COM | January 13, 2019

Holidays

By DARIENITE.COM | November 20, 2018

Holidays

By DARIENITE.COM | November 18, 2018

Education

By DARIENITE.COM | November 16, 2018

Teens

By DARIENITE.COM | November 6, 2018

Seniors

By DARIENITE.COM | October 29, 2018

Darien Arts Center

By DARIENITE.COM | October 21, 2018

Arts & Entertainment

By DARIENITE.COM | September 19, 2018

Classes

By DARIENITE.COM | September 7, 2018

Darien Arts Center

By DARIENITE.COM | August 28, 2018

Drama in and around Darien

Libby Skala Irena Sendler: Rescuing the Rescuer play

Darien Library presents Libby Skala, winner of the London Fringe’s Best Solo Performer Award, in her new solo show, Irena Sendler: Rescuing the Rescuer, a heroic intergenerational story about the power of one person to effect change in the world, on Sunday, March 31. — an announcement from Darien Library

The play starts at at 3 p.m. Music is composed and performed by Steve May. Refreshments will be served. Through a kaleidoscope of characters, Libby Skala brings to riveting life the true story of Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic social worker who defies Nazi rule to organize an underground network that successfully rescues 2,500 Jewish children from certain death in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. For decades, her heroism remains hidden behind the iron curtain.

Shakespeare On The Sound is popping indoors at the Darien Arts Center Weatherstone Studio to provide two opportunities for teens to study, perform and fall in love with the Bard’s work:

—”Shakespeare or What You Will” — a class for Grades 9 through 12

—”Twelfth Night, Jr.” — a summer camp for Grades 7 through 10. Shakespeare or What You Will

Claire Kelly, artistic director for Shakespeare on the Sound and the organization’s Education Director, Nick Urda are teaching “Shakespeare or What You Will” this spring. — an announcement from Darien Arts Center

Students will uncover the secrets of performing, understanding and loving Shakespeare. Over the course of the program, participants will learn how to analyze text, develop a character, strengthen performance skills, and conquer cold feet.

Chicago the musical high school edition Theatre 308

Darien High School’s Theater 308 has kindly invited Darien seniors to attend the dress rehearsal of Chicago The Musical at Darien High School on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 7 p.m.

(The date has been changed from an earlier announcement.)

Seniors can enjoy the show free of charge without the crowds expected at performances over the weekend. Free transportation to and from the Darien High School is also available through At Home In Darien. — an announcement from At Home In Darien

Using volunteer drivers in conjunction with their professional drivers, At Home In Darien has arranged for transportation at about 6:30 p.m. Seniors can be picked up at their homes and will be returned home safely after the show. Theatre 308 will present the longest running American musical in Broadway history, Chicago, the winner of six Tony Awards for its revival in 1996, takes place in the roaring twenties, a time of great political corruption and media sensationalism. Failed vaudeville performer Roxie Hart murders her faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, to take the rap — until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie.

New York City TV and film acting studio, MN Acting Studio, is opening a second location in downtown Darien this month at 22 Grove St. — an announcement from MN Acting Studio

Owned by filmmaker, acting coach and Darien resident Matt Newton, his studio will bring professional level on-camera classes, private audition coaching, industry panels and professional audition taping to actors of all ages on the shoreline. Matt Newton graduated from the theatre department at Guilford High School, has appeared in dozens of TV shows and films, and has since carved out a successful career in coaching actors, including on the set of “Orange is the New Black,” “Jessica Jones,” “The Affair,” “Blue Bloods,” “Master of None” and the upcoming Ava Duvernay series “Central Park Five.”

Matt’s coaching clients include Tony winners, Emmy award winners, Gold Globe nominees, Broadway stars, well known comedians and musicians (including Aziz Ansari and Lisa Loeb), and well known actors from film and TV. Matt, who grew up in Guilford, realized there were professional actors on the shoreline that need professional level training in the world of TV and film. “Right now New York is casting over 90 TV shows, and many younger actors are seeking out more practical, advanced on-camera training to prep them for auditions and working on set,” he said.

It would be criminal if you missed it: Darien High School’s Chicago the Musical! Theatre 308 will present the high school edition of the longest running American musical in Broadway history, Chicago, at the Darien High School Auditorium, March 22 – 30, 2019. — an announcement from Darien High School and Theatre 308
Chicago, the winner of six Tony Awards for its revival in 1996, takes place in the roaring twenties, a time of great political corruption and media sensationalism. Failed vaudeville performer Roxie Hart murders her faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, to take the rap…until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and fellow inmate Velma Kelly vie for the spotlight and headlines with help from Chicago’s slickest lawyer Billy Flynn.

Casting call for 6th, 7th and 8th graders: the Darien Art Center’s Theatre Department is producing a 35-minute version of A Wrinkle in Time, adapted by Morgan Gould from the novel by Madeleine L’Engle. — an announcement from Darien Arts Center

This one-act production will be ensemble-driven, and casting will be audition-based. 6th through 8th graders may audition by emailing DAC Theatre Director, Maria Pizzarello at maria@darienarts.org by Feb. 4. To prepare for an audition, read the full script for free on YourStagePartners.com.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Palace Theatre 2018 Facebook dimensions

A Charlie Brown Christmas, the Emmy and Peabody award-winning story by Charles M. Schulz, has warmed the hearts of millions of fans since it first aired on television over 50 years ago. Now the classic animated television special comes to life in this faithful stage adaptation featuring all of your favorite characters and classic Vince Guaraldi score. — an announcement from the Palace Theatre

Join, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang as they mount a play, save a tree and uncover the true meaning of Christmas. The performance takes place at 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24.

Elf the Musical Kweskin Theatre Curtain Call

In Elf, The Musical, a fish-out-of-water comedy based on the cherished 2003 holiday movie, we follows Buddy the Elf in his quest to find his true identity. Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. — an announcement from Curtain Call Theater

With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Due to the weather and the school district decision to cancel after-school and evening activities, the Thursday evening Theatre 308 performance of Our Town has been rescheduled for this Saturday, Nov.17 at 2 p.m.

Tickets purchased for Thursday will be honored for the 2 p.m. Saturday show. Separately, the play is being performed Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

— an announcement from Darien High School

There are a limited number of additional seats available for this performance. They can be purchased on SeatYourself.com/theatre308. As a reminder, please note that late seating is not possible due to the onstage seating arrangement for this production. About Theatre 308’s Show
Republished (with new photos and updates on show times) from Darienite on Nov. 6:

Darien High School Theatre 308 would like to invite you to their production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder.

Darien High School Theatre 308 would like to invite you to their production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder on Nov. 15 to 17. Andrew Rejan directs the show, and here is what he notes:
“Sometimes regarded as the quintessential high school play, Our Town is often staged as a bland, nostalgic museum piece, obscuring the essence of one of the most experimental, radical, and provocative works in the American theatrical canon,” said Andrew Rejan, director of the show. “While the absence of a traditional set initially may make the play appear simple, Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece — still shocking 80 years after it premiered — is layered, complex, disturbing, and sometimes beautiful,” Rejan said. — an announcement from Theatre 308
The show is entirely different from any traditional view of Our Town you may have, and you do not want to miss it.

Darien High School’s Theater 308 has kindly invited Darien seniors to attend the dress rehearsal of Our Town at Darien High School On Wednesday, Nov. 14. Seniors can enjoy the show free of charge without the crowds expected at performances over the weekend. Free transportation to and from the Darien High School is also available through At Home in Darien. (Reservations are required.)

— an announcement from At Home in Darien

24 Days Before Christmas square thumbnail DAC 2018

The Darien Arts Center is presenting a staged reading of Madeleine L’Engle’s The 24 Days Before Christmas on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m.

Refreshments and a holiday craft for ages 5 and older will be available at 4:30 p.m. and a talkback takes place after the performance at 6:15 p.m. with Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughter, Charlotte Jones Voiklis. — an announcement from the DAC

The play was adapted for the stage by internationally produced playwright Jason Pizzarello and is directed by Carole Claps, director at Curtain Call. In The 24 Days Before Christmas, the Austin family has a cherished tradition of doing something special every day counting down to Christmas — from baking cookies to decorating the tree. This year is a stressful one for Vicky Austin as she’s cast as the youngest angel in the Christmas Pageant.

Paula Abdul takes the stage Nov. 30 at the the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, and Blue Oyster Cult will play there on Halloween night. Those are the most prominent entertainers in this fall’s lineup of acts at the venue, an old theater that was refurbished and reopened a year ago.

Here’s an excerpt of the announcement from the Wall Street Theater:

Having made her mark on the industry as a 90’s pop icon with her signature dance moves and #1 hit songs including “Straight Up” from her multi-platinum record Forever Your Girl, Abdul continued a career path that would garner her two Emmy Awards, a Grammy, and an American Music Award. In addition to her singer, songwriter, dancer, and choreographer hats, Abdul would go onto to entertain a whole new generation producing and staring in such ground breaking reality talent shows such as American Idol, Live to Dance, X·Factor, and So You Think You Can Dance. In 2017, Abdul made her momentous return to touring with Live Nation’s The Total Package Tour where she hit over 40 cities in the US alongside Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block.

DAC Weatherstone Studio entrance daytime Thumbnail square

The Audition Workout, an intensive workshop for high school students at the Darien Arts Center, promises to hone auditioning skills and give participants the tools to make every audition a positive experience. _____________

— an announcement from Darien Arts Center

_____________

The DAC’s theatre department has invited local industry professionals Claire Kelly, Carole Claps, Jenifer Menedis, and Dwayne Condon to share their expertise in this workshop series. The series consists of three sessions, taking place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 26, Oct. 1 and Oct.

The Darien Arts Center is teaming up with the Open Arts Alliance to provide a unique performance opportunity for ages 8 to 15. Broadway Beat, directed by Rocco Natale, executive director of the Open Arts Alliance, is a 30-minute variety show that will give every performer their moment to shine. — an announcement from Darien Arts Center

The musical revue is a tribute to the Broadway musical and features songs from Hairspray, Grease, the King and I, Wicked, Rent, The Music Man and more. Auditions for Broadway Beat take place on Sept. 5 at the Darien Arts Center and should be scheduled by emailing Maria Pizzarello, DAC theatre director, at Maria@darienarts.org by Sept.

« September 2025 »

Sun 14