Avon Resident Heads Burgeoning Theater Movement In Town

AVON, CT — There's a movement growing in Avon and it has nothing to do with politics, saving something endangered or spending taxpayer money on a costly municipal project.

Rather, this movement aims to provide locals with the ultimate escape from the mundane rigors of life and an increasingly stressful existence.

And Avon resident Joel Samberg is, quite literally, at "center stage" of this movement.

Samberg is leading an effort in town to create an Avon-based community theater program that will put on professional-quality shows by volunteer theater lovers who, simply, want to "break a leg" (in the theatrical, symbolic sense).

To say the curtain is not yet raised doesn't do justice to just how early this movement is.

Basically, Samberg's effort is analogous to the curtain not even being installed yet before it can be raised. But its getting there.

Later this month, on Saturday, March 25, Samberg is hosting what could could be the start of something very, very big at the Avon Free Public Library's community room, 281 Country Club Road, Avon.

If all goes well at the 10:30 a.m.-to-noon organizational forum, the beginnings of a beloved community endeavor will have begun. Samberg thinks that will happen.

"If our plan works," Samberg said, "butterflies will soon be free in town and we'll put out the welcome mat for a thousand clowns. In other words, we're hoping to establish a new community theater, which many people in Avon acknowledge is long overdue and something we can certainly use."

Samberg is referring to the plays "Butterflies Are Free" and "A Thousand Clowns,” which are just two of the types of "enjoyable, conventional theatrical" shows he wants to see performed in Avon, he said.

"Butterflies Are Free" is a 1969 play by Leonard Gershe about the relationship between a blind man and a free-spirited woman. The critically acclaimed 1972 film adaption starred Goldie Hawn.

"A Thousand Clowns" is a 1962 play by Herb Gardner that was adapted into a film in 1965 starring Jason Robards. It's about an unemployed comedy writer raising his biological nephew.

In the end, Samberg, a journalist, novelist and playwright, said he just hopes to create a new, affordable, professional-quality, not-for-profit community theater group in Avon.

"It is our hope that we can attract people who love community theater and are skilled enough to get the effort off the ground. We want people who have opinions, ideas, even pet peeves they're willing to battle in order to make this a terrific community theater." Samberg said.

He even has a working name for this yet-to-be-formed organization: "Playhouse 44."

"I've taken to calling it Playhouse 44 because I like the way that sounds, even though at this point we can't even be certain it will be on Route 44," he said. "We hope that following our meeting on March 25 we'll have an action plan to form a board of directors, create a 501C-3, seek major donors, find a space, and start dreaming even harder."

Those interested in attending the meeting should send an email to Avonplayhouse44@gmail.com to confirm attendance and to get on the mailing list for further information.