Kweskin Theatre Celebrates 40 Years

COMMUNITY CELEBRATES THEATRE ANNIVERSARY

While most of the world was celebrating the dramatic first manned moon landing a small group with a slightly different flair for the dramatic were planning for the stars. . .theatrical stars that is. And so it was that after several years of planning The Sterling Barn Theatre (now Kweskin Theatre) opened on July 14, 1972 with a production of Arthur Miller's The Price.

 At a performance of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice this past Saturday night (July 14) nearly 400 people gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stamford's community theatre. About 140 artists, technicians etc. who have volunteered at the theatre over the years (including one actress who appeared there in the 1973 production of Of Mice and Men) were on the great lawn alongside The Royal Green Restaurant for this milestone event. 

Originally operated by Stamford's Parks and Recreation Department, the theatre has been managed since 1992 by Curtain Call, Inc., a nonprofit arts organization. Under Curtain Call's direction, the theatre operations now include one full-scale production each month with more than 25,000 tickets sold this past season. According to Lou Ursone, Curtain Call's executive director, "The Kweskin Theatre is a gem, and as a life-long Stamford resident, I am so proud to be trusted with its stewardship."

Addressing the crowd Saturday night Ursone spoke of the theatre's founding artistic director, Albert Pia who "built a terrific legacy of great live theatre by and for the community. Hundreds of thousands of patrons have seen a show here. Thousands of volunteer actors, technicians and others have volunteered to help mount hundreds of productions and Al (Pia) along with many elected officials made it all possible." 

Two others instrumental in the theatre's early years were Ethel and Sidney Kweskin for who the theatre is now named. Their son Edward said on Saturday night that his parents would be proud and impressed with the theatre's success. "My mother was an actress and talk radio personality who loved community theatre and my dad got involved here after she passed away," he said. Kweskin thanked the crowd for their support and wished for many more years of great success. 

Curtain Call is the nonprofit theatre company in residence at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue in Stamford. Year-round productions and workshops are presented by and for area residents in The Kweskin Theatre and The Dressing Room Theatre. Curtain Call was voted Fairfield County's BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP 2005 through 2012 in the Annual Readers' Poll of The Fairfield County Weekly and BEST LIVE THEATRE by the readers of StamfordPlus magazine for 2008 through 2012. Curtain Call received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2011.

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