Cause Of Shakespeare Theater Fire Remains Under Investigation

STRATFORD, CT — The first organizational meeting of the Shakespeare Property Task Force group will be on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers of Town Hall, 2725 Main Street. The cause of the fire that destroyed the historic American Shakespeare Festival Theater on Jan. 13 remains under investigation by town and state authorities, according to Mayor Laura Hoydick.

“I feel strongly that town residents should have a say in the future of this property,” Hoydick said in a post on Facebook. “As you know from our update last week, I have appointed 11 town residents to a new Shakespeare Property Task Force which is charged with hosting a series of community conversations to listen to residents’ ideas and to identify what residents want to see for a public use of this land. These individuals were chosen from diverse experiences and backgrounds, and will work through the Stratford Redevelopment Agency (RDA) as they move through their process.

“The first organizational meeting of this group will be on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 5:30 pm in the Town Council Chambers of Town Hall, 2725 Main Street.

“Meanwhile, investigators and insurance adjusters have given approval to clear the site, and that has been ongoing.

“Many residents have reached out concerned about the steel and other remains of the theater building. We have arranged for two Stratford sculptors to work through the Stratford Arts Commission to create commemorative works as a tribute to the theater and its history with some of the steel, and that some of the materials can be used for potential fundraising efforts toward what is selected as the project to replace the building.”