From its first season of plays in 2001 on the campus of Fairfield University to the opening of StageOne in Downtown Fairfield in 2004, to a string of sold out performances by major artists at the Klein Auditorium in Bridgeport, The Fairfield Theatre Company has grown, and evolved into one of our regions most energetic and productive performing arts centers. Having presented nearly a thousand days and nights of programming so far, we can proudly say that well over one hundred thousand patrons have enjoyed our concerts, plays, film screenings, workshops for children and adults, our outdoor summer music festival, a weekly Farmer’s Market, stand-up comedy, lectures, readings, and more. We have averaged a live event on one out of every two calendar days since opening StageOne in June of 2004. In 2008 FTC served over 45,000 patrons.
The Fairfield Theatre Company is dedicated to promoting live entertainment, and the open sharing of creative freedom, as cultural imperatives in the communities it serves. . To that end, we have endeavored to create new venues -- and revive existing ones -- for the presentation and preservation of plays, concerts, lectures, artistic workshops and exhibition, and for the accessibility of these programs via all available media, platforms and formats. We seek to expand opportunities for artists to express, and for audiences to enjoy, what non-profit theatre may offer.
FTC aims to create a vibrant multifaceted cultural center in downtown Fairfield. Our goal is to complete the transformation of 70 Sanford Street, a former machine goods factory, into a year round multi-venue powerhouse of arts and entertainment; a transformation which began in 2003 when the Town of Fairfield awarded FTC a long term lease on the property.
Fifteen plays, and hundreds of concerts later, FTC broadened its horizons by assuming management of the historic Klein Memorial Auditorium in nearby Bridgeport. Since the fall of 2007 FTC has presented dozens of internationally known performers at The Klein – Peter Frampton, George Carlin, Bob Weir, k.d. Lang, Chris Isaak, Jill Scott, and Art Garfunkel, among others, while still maintaining a steady stream of national acts on the intimate StageOne in Fairfield.
The foundation has been laid for what can become an important destination for arts patrons in our region. Already FTC attracts people from Boston to the Jersey Shore to its events in Fairfield and Bridgeport. In Fairfield our continued growth will mean converting our 8000-square foot warehouse into a flexible performing arts center, utilizing the latest in green technology, convenient to mass transportation, restaurants, and all the amenities that Fairfield has to offer. In Bridgeport the resurgence of The Klein will add new life to a neighborhood long neglected, and worthy of more attention.
The Fairfield Theatre Company is seeking support from individuals, foundations, and corporations who understand the importance of what we are doing, and will underwrite our future growth. Fairfield and Bridgeport are communities deserving of the kind of cultural activity FTC can provide. The benefits to our quality of life, and to our local economy are already evident. Those who join FTC in support of our mission will be stating loud and clear, their commitment to a better society.
