Ivoryton Playhouse

Comstock-Cheney Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	Main and Summit Sts., Ivoryton, Connecticut
Coordinates:	41°20′53″N 72°26′12″W / 41.34806°N 72.43667°W / 41.34806; -72.43667Coordinates: 41°20′53″N 72°26′12″W / 41.34806°N 72.43667°W / 41.34806; -72.43667
Area:	0.6 acres (0.24 ha)
Built:	1910 and 1938
Architect:	Unknown
Architectural style:	Classical Revival
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	82003769[1]
Added to NRHP:	April 15, 1982

The Ivoryton Playhouse is a small professional theater located in the village of Ivoryton in the town of Essex, Connecticut, USA. It produces shows year round, March through December. As Comstock-Cheney Hall, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

History

It was built in 1910 and became a theater in 1938. It includes Classical Revival architecture. When listed the property included three contributing buildings on an area of 0.6 acres (0.24 ha).^[1][2]

The theatre is believed to be the first self-supporting summer theatre in the United States. The listing is described in its NRHP nomination document.^[2]

The Ivoryton Playhouse was built in 1908 as an employee recreation hall, and would probably have been demolished long ago, but for its chance encounter with a remarkable man named Milton Stiefel. Stiefel was an actor who eventually became the right hand and confidant of David Belasco, considered one of the greatest directors produced by the American Theatre. After Belasco's death, Stiefel continued as manager and stage director for many extravagant shows which traveled nationally, playing in every major American city. At the end of one of these tours, Stiefel came to Essex in order to rest, saw the unused recreation hall and knew it would be perfect for a resident stock company. Broken Dishes had just closed in New York (reportedly with Bette Davis in her first Broadway role), and Stiefel opened it in Ivoryton during the week of June 17, 1930. Thus the Ivoryton Playhouse came to be.

Ivoryton became the first, self supporting summer theatre in the nation. Although there were older theatres in Dennis, MA and Skowhegan, ME, they were endowed by foundations of wealthy families and not self-supporting. The Westport Country Playhouse was actually established one year after the Ivoryton Playhouse.

The theatre gained in prestige to the point that invitations to work there were highly prized in the theatrical profession. Its reputation grew nationally and Paramount Pictures produced a film short showing its complete operation. Established actors like Henry Hull and Norma Terris signed on to perform at Ivoryton, and newcomers like Katharine Hepburn and Cliff Robertson came along to help mold the Ivoryton legend. Ivoryton's fame as one of America's leading summer showplaces continued to grow until the outbreak of World War II, when the theatre went dark for several seasons, mainly due to tire and gas rationing making it virtually impossible for audiences to get to the Playhouse. Stiefel went to Hollywood where he served as a director for Columbia Pictures, but he reopened the Playhouse after the war and presented a parade of stars such as Marlon Brando, Ethel Waters, Art Carney, Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Betty Grable, Groucho Marx, Myrna Loy, Gloria Swanson, Dorothy Lamour, Maureen O'Sullivan, and many others.

Stiefel's company, the New York Players, lived in private homes in Ivoryton, from which most of the sets and props were borrowed. The company did not break even until the last week of summer, but that was enough to convince Stiefel that the theatre could be a success. Throughout the ensuring years, he continued to produce and direct in Ivoryton, and in 1938 he bought the building. Stiefel continued at Ivoryton until his retirement in 1973, when he sold the theatre to Ken Krezel. Krezel decided to sell the property in 1979 and it was then, amid rumors that the historic theatre might be torn down to make way for a discount drug store, that the non-profit Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation was organized and negotiated a mortgage to buy the property. The Foundations' early years (1979–1986) however, were difficult as four different productions failed to put the summer season back on the road to lasting success. In 1987, River Rep, a professional acting group based in New York City, arrived on the scene and its productions were an artistic success from the start. The River Rep spent 19 years in Ivoryton, producing shows during the summer months only. The Foundation began producing shows during the fall and winter months. In 2005, the River Rep and the Foundation failed to come to terms on a new contract, and so the River Rep decided to leave the Playhouse. As a result, the Foundation expanded its productions from just the fall and winter to the spring and summer as well. Continuing this labor of love, the Foundation has also dramatically improved the physical plant, installing comfortable seating, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, air conditioning, etc. The Playhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, as is indicated on the front of the building.^[3]

Shows

The Playhouse produces both main shows and other shows, such as children's shows or comedy nights. Critic fellows from the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT, travel to Essex to practice reviewing full productions.

2011 season

The Irish...And How They Got That Way March 16-April 3
by Frank McCourt
How the Other Half Loves April 13– May 1
by Alan Ayckbourn
Barefoot in the park June 8 – 26 by Neil Simon
The Producers By Mel Brooks July 6 – August 31
Ring of Fire August 10 – September 4 Created and Directed by Richard Maltby Jr. Conceived by William Meade.
The Marvelous Wonderettes September 28 – October 16 by Roger Bean
The Women in Black November 2 – 20 Adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt

Main shows

The Ivoryton Playhouse season runs from early spring (March) through December. A typical season has three or four plays and two or three musicals. Nearly every show runs for three weeks and the current performance schedule is as follows:

• Wednesdays at 2 and 7:30
• Thursdays at 7:30
• Fridays at 8
• Saturdays at 8
• Sundays at 2

Every main show is produced by the Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation, Inc., although shows not actually locally produced (but paid for) by the Foundation are occasionally brought in. Tickets are:

• $35 for adults (with the exception of preview performances, see below)
• $30 for preview adult performances and seniors (65 years old and older)
• Students $20.00
• Child (12 and under) $15.00
• 6 Tix are available the 2nd and 3rd Thursday of each show in which unsold tickets are sold for half price at the window after 6pm

Special Event Pricing 2008

• Comedy Nights $30.00
• Vagina Monologues $40.00
• A Night At the Opera $40.00

Other shows

During the summer months the Playhouse has children's shows, which occur Fridays at 11 am and run for about an hour. Tickets for children's shows cost $10. In addition, Carmela's Comedy Nights feature top of the line stand-up comedy every few months in the evenings. Tickets for the Comedy Nights cost $30.

They also have a Christmas Musical, which for the 2009 season is The Best Christmas Pagent Ever by Barbara Robinson Directed by Missy Waryas. December 3–13, 2008. Tickets and showtimes are: Performances are Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm; Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $25 Adult; $20 Student; $15 Children 12 and under.

Theatre and buildings

The Playhouse itself is located in the center of Ivoryton on the corner of Main Street and Summit Street (at 103 Main Street). The Playhouse has a small lobby, where the box office is housed, and then the theatre itself, which seats 284 people in both an orchestra and a balcony section. Behind the balcony is the control booth. Below the theatre are the dressing rooms and storage areas. Behind the Playhouse is a small barn-like structure where much set construction occurs. The Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation has its main offices in the Essex Industrial Park in Centerbrook, where the main rehearsal studio is also housed. The Foundation offices can be reached at [phone]. However, when the offices are closed, all calls are re-routed to the box office.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} David F. Ransom (November 10, 1980). "NRHP Inventory-Nomination: Comstock-Cheney Hall / Ivoryton Playhouse". National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/82003769.pdf.  and Accompanying eight photos, exterior and interior, from 1980 (see photo key page 13 of text document)
3. ^ National Register of Historical Places - CONNECTICUT (CT), Middlesex County

External links

• http://www.ivorytonplayhouse.com/index.htm[Ivoryton Playhouse Official website]
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ivoryton-CT/The-Ivoryton-Playhouse-Foundation/6553109986?ref=ts [Ivoryton Playhouse Facebook Fan Page]
• http://groups.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=groups.groupProfile&groupid=101164805&Mytoken=DE77D5EC-BDD2-428A-9C7AE48CF4B20E4194537104 [Ivoryton Playhouse Myspace group]