American Shakespeare Festival Theatre Destroyed In Massive Fire

Pictured above: The Shakespeare Theater in August of 2016 Photo by Nancy Sasso Janis

The report was written by Brian McCready, Patch National Staff

STRATFORD, CT — The historic Shakespeare Theater is no more after an overnight fire destroyed the iconic structure. The fire began at 1 a.m. and was still smoldering until nearly 8 a.m.

The Stratford Fire Department responded to several calls shortly before 1:00 am Sunday of a fire at the location of the American Shakespeare Theater.

Stratford Fire, Police and EMS crews responded to the scene. They were aided by the Milford and Bridgeport Fire Departments. A large fire soon engulfed the entire building, and despite the quick actions of first responders, the building is a total loss.

"The loss of this iconic and historic theater that holds a special place in the hearts of Stratford residents is devastating," said Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick. "Our first concern is ensuring safety, making sure the site is secured and that there is no further threat to public safety. This fire continues to be under investigation to determine the exact cause of this fire, and we will be working in concert with state officials in that effort.

"I want to thank the dedicated personnel of our Fire, Police and EMS Departments as well as those from neighboring Milford and Bridgeport for their quick actions to keep our residents safe in response to this emergency, and I would also like to extend my thanks to the emergency responders in Fairfield, Shelton and Bridgeport who assisted with town-wide coverage in Stratford while our assets were deployed," she added.

The state Fire Marshal's office deployed a canine unit this morning to the site to search for any accelerants that may have contributed to the fire.

See related: Residents Rally to Save Shakespeare Theatre
Historian Discusses Fate of Shakespeare Theatre
Walken Recalls Shakespeare Theatre Days During Visit

The theater opened in 1955 and has been visited by famous actors and actresses including Katharine Hepburn, the Connecticut Post reports. The theater largely stopped showing plays in the 1980s and there has been talk for decades about how to revitalize the historic property.

Naugatuck Patch Theatre Reviewer Nancy Sasso Janis shares some memories about the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre, affectionately known at the Shakespeare Theatre.

Dedicated to the memory of my father, Austin N. Sasso

It was the norm when I was in high school in Stratford to attend at least one Shakespeare play every year at the American Shakespeare Theatre and no one misses this theater more than me. - From Nancy Sasso Janis' review of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS at Hartford Stage

Early Sunday morning, I was heartbroken to read that the beloved Shakespeare Theatre was gone forever. A treasure has been lost...

The theater that I loved had opened in my hometown before I was born. Some of the most famous stars, like Katherine Hepburn, had graced its stage before I was old enough to attend a Shakespeare play. However, I have strong memories of taking field trip after field trip with my middle school and high school English classes to experience high quality productions at our hometown theater after studying the texts in class. I wish I could remember the titles of all of the works of the Bard that we enjoyed; I do remember that when our classes got off the school buses after our brief commute from across town, we got in line with students that had traveled great distances from all around the region.

I am certain that I got to see the renowned performance of Morris Carnovsky in the title role of KING LEAR. I distinctly remember the teacher who chaperoned our trip to the performance noting how she could tell which teens in the audience had read the play before attending the production. Those students that had studied the tragedy before the show sat forward in their seats at the most dramatic point in the tragedy, the gouging out of Gloucester's eyes. I know for sure that I saw a play with Christopher Plummer, remembering him from one of the first films I ever saw in a movie theatre, THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Another distinct memory was the production of TWELFTH NIGHT featuring Fred Gwynne (of Herman Munster fame) as Sir Toby Belch, Caroline McWilliams as Olivia and Carole Shelley in the role of Viola. Ms. Shelley's performance has stuck with me because she broke the fourth wall at the matinee performance filled with middle and high school students, some of whom were behaving very badly. In the middle of her performance, she stopped and basically told the students who were talking to stop doing so, threatening to make the play "very, very boring" if they did not. Those of us whose behavior was not embarrassing their teachers gave a collective sigh of relief; as I recall, the audience behavior did improve for the remaining scenes. It was an early theatre memory I will never forget.

As a young child, I was thrilled to attend the annual Christmas party sponsored by my father's employer AVCO Lycoming at the Shakespeare Theatre. The company would rent the building for the afternoon and after a short program, the curtains would open to reveal the stage full of wrapped gifts for the employees' children. Parents would then escort their children onto the stage to get the gift appropriate for their age from employees dressed as elves. I vividly remember my dad navigating the onstage aisles to help all five of his offspring secure the correct gift.

Many years later, I brought my sister with me to a production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in our hometown theatre. We loved the music of JCS and I remember that a hanging jacket was used for Judas' final scene.

Sadly, the theater stopped producing plays in the early 80s and I have been following the ongoing talks about how to revitalize the property, knowing that the chances of it being restored to its former glory as a theater were slim. I somehow hoped that at least the shell of the building would remain standing on its historic site.

I was excited to return to the grounds of the American Shakespeare Festival Theater in my hometown of Stratford CT. It didn't matter that I had to bring my lawn chair and bug spray or even that no one was allowed into the once beautiful theater that I remembered from my visits when I was just a teen-aged Shakespeare lover. I could not miss a chance to see a production of a play by William Shakespeare on the historic grounds with a lovely view of Long Island Sound and I claimed a spot on the lawn with a large crowd for opening night of 'The Taming of the Shrew' performed by Connecticut Free Shakespeare. - Click to read my review of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW by Connecticut Free Shakespeare, performed on the grounds of the Shakespeare Theatre in 2016.

Reaction online has been a sea of crying emojis.

Writer/director/producer Chip Deffaa posted this message on his Facebook page:

Oh! I'm sorry to see this... I certainly have good memories of seeing Shakespeare there as a youth.... Many high-schools in the Tri-State region took field trips to this Connecticut theater (which, sadly, has been vacant in recent years). The property itself is valuable. And clearing the site by fire will no doubt benefit some future commercial developer.... I wish a theater could be rebuilt on the site, but I have a hunch that's not going to happen...

Costumer Renee Purdy eloquently posted her th0ughts:

A true Shakespeare tragedy...an immeasurable loss to those dedicated to efforts to restore this beautiful, history filled space. A loss to the entire theatre community. Such a sad and unnecessary loss.

State Senator Kevin Kelly posted his thoughts on Facebook

The tragic loss of our theater, a integral part of our community history, is devastating. Not only is this an enormous loss for Stratford, but also for our entire state. The Shakespeare Theatre was a cultural and artistic icon. Its history is something we must never forget. As a Stratford resident and long time advocate for preserving the landmark, today is particularly heartbreaking. The paramount focus right now must be on public safety and I want to thank all the first responders, fire, police and EMS who are working to ensure the public remains safe.

From MACBETH:

"Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."
(Act V, Scene V, Line 23)

Rest in peace, American Shakespeare Festival Theatre.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.