Friday, March 21, 2025




Registration is now open for Spring Programs at Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown! Beginning March 22, weekly classes in theater, dance, circus, and visual arts will be offered for toddlers to 20 year olds.

Saturday Classes with Meg Berritta begin on March 22 and serve children from 15 months to eight years old. Classes include Acrobabies (ages 15 months - 3 years with caregiver; 9:15 - 9:55 am); Circrobatics (ages 3 - 6, 10 - 10:45 am), Faerie Tale Theater (ages 3 - 6, 10:55 - 11:40 am), Circobatics (ages 5 - 8, 11:45 am - 12:30 pm), and Cirque+ (ages 7 to 12, 12:35 - 1:30pm)

After-School classes for ages 6 - 14 begin March 24 and will run for eight weeks this spring, culminating in a “Share Week” May 19 - 22. Most classes run 4:50 -5:50 pm.

Stage One classes for ages 6 - 8 include Creative Movement on Mondays, Circus I on Tuesdays, Slapstick Theater on Wednesdays and Story Theater from Around the World on Thursdays.

Stage Two classes for ages 9 - 11 include Intro to Scene Study on Mondays, Circus II on Tuesdays, Exploring Characters Through Theater Improv on Wednesdays, and Musical Theater (ages 9 to 14) on Thursdays

Stage Three classes for ages 12 - 14 include Comic Acting on Mondays (4:30 - 6pm), Intro to Scenic Design on Wednesdays (4:30 - 6pm), and Musical Theater on Thursdays (ages 9 to 14, 4:50 - 5:50 pm.) 

Middletown Public School students may complement their class experience with Oddbridge, an extended day program which provides transport from Middletown schools to the Playhouse, a snack, and supervised arts activities, games and homework help before classes start. Oddbridge extends throughout the school year, providing special programs and field trips on early dismissal days or days when regular Oddfellows’ classes are not in session.

Our regular season will conclude with a special Oddbridge Mini Production, Robin Hood and the Sherwood Circus. This is a  2 week theater adventure for kids ages 6 to 14, with transportation provided directly from Middletown Public Schools (drop off option available for home schoolers or students from other school districts). Rehearsals will run May 27 - June 5 , Monday through Friday, 4:30 - 6 pm (8 days), with performances Thursday, June 5 and Friday, June 6 at 7 pm.

For more details on times, tuition and class descriptions, please go to www.oddfellows.org. If you have specific questions, email info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143. Financial Aid is available for all programs. It is Playhouse policy that the arts should be available to every young person regardless of ability to pay - no one is turned away for lack of funds.

Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is Connecticut’s oldest and largest performing arts program for young people. Oddfellows programs are made possible with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; City of Middletown; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Liberty Bank Foundation; Middletown Health Department; Middlesex United Way; CHEFA Nonprofit Grant; and many generous individual donors.



Tuesday, March 18, 2025

With a Lot of Planning & Cooperation: How Britain’s Most Bike-Friendly New Town Got Built

Bloomberg News

CityLab  |  
Transportation:

How Britain’s Most Bike-Friendly New Town Got Built

Planners of the Waterbeach development near Cambridge designed the new housing complex with abundant cycling infrastructure to support car-free living.


A bike bridge in Waterbeach is part of the town’s

extensive network of cycling infrastructure.








Friday, February 21, 2025

Oddfellows Playhouse Teen Repertory Company 2024 announces auditions for “Everybody"



Auditions are March 3 and 6 in Middletown for actors ages 14 - 20 looking for a fun and challenging acting experience this spring.


Oddfellows Playhouse Teen Repertory Company 2024 announces auditions for

“Everybody", Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ wild contemporary adaptation of the 15th century Morality play “Everyman”.

 

Audition dates are March 3 & 6, 6:30 - 9 pm at Oddfellows Playhouse, 

128 Washington Street, Middletown.


Anyone wishing to audition should:

*Register for one of the two evenings at www.oddfellows.org, or fill out the audition form directly at https://forms.gle/dmWbcZWh7mAiLS5G6

*Arrive on time, dress to move, and be prepared to stay the entire 2.5 hours

*Open to anyone ages 14 - 20

*Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast!


Rehearsals begin March 17 and will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm. 

Performance dates May 15 - 17 and 23 - 24. “Everybody” is directed by Hannah Simms.


“Everybody” is a modern riff on a 15th century morality play about a person looking for comfort and companionship when facing death. The Huffington Post says: “This is theater unlike anything you might have seen…unusual, unconventional and eye-opening…Everyman is no barrel of laughs, being a morality play about death. EVERYBODY tells the same tale, with equal emotional heft; but it is not only provocative and involving, it is also funny. Wildly funny, in fact.” 


Tuition for Teen Rep is $325. Financial aid or work-study are available for all who need it. To register for one of the two auditions, go to https://forms.gle/dmWbcZWh7mAiLS5G6. For more details or more information, email info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143.



Monday, February 10, 2025

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, February 21, 2025

 


Host:      Godfrey Memorial Library

Date:      Saturday, February 21, 2025

Time:      1:30 pm (Eastern Time)

Topic:    "Paying It Forward"

We will welcome Michael Cassara to talk about rescuing those abandoned family photos and documents you sometimes come across in antique shops and resale stores.  Don't they make you sad?  Michael will talk about how folks are reuniting families with their treasures, something that has become somewhat easier in this digital age.

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, February 21.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

 


Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Friday: Free Public Discussion with Anna Deavere Smith and Samora Pinderhughes, "On Mentorship"

 


On Mentorship: Public Discussion with Anna Deavere Smith and Samora Pinderhughes

Friday, January 24, 2025 at 7pm

Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts

Crowell Concert Hall, 50 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut

Free and open to the public.

Anna Deavere Smith Hon. ’97, the 2024–2025 Artist in Residence at Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts, will engage in a discussion about art, civic engagement, art’s role in healing the wounds of history, and the importance of intergenerational mentorship with musician and composer Samora Pinderhughes. One of the most important relationships artists can have is to each other. In this conversation, Smith and Pinderhughes will explore the history and meaning of their relationship as mentor/mentee, and how they nurture similar reciprocal relations in the worlds they create through their individual arts practices. Learn more about this discussion...

And as the final engagement of her year-long artist residency with the Center for the Arts, Smith will assemble a multi-day convening of guests and hosts, thinkers and doers, from the Wesleyan University campus and beyond from April 9 to 12.


Anna Deavere Smith: Photo by Jeff Riedel.
Samora Pinderhughes: Photo by Sonia Broman.

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Circophony’s “Coalesce” opens January 30 in Middletown

























Circophony Teen Circus presents Coalesce, an original Circus-Theater performance, January 30 - February 1 at Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown.

Coalesce, using acrobatics, juggling, unicycling, clowning and other circus skills,  explores each human's journey from isolated individuality and self-interest to community and mutual aid. Performed by a company of 12 young people ages 12- 20, Coalesce promises to be a fun and uplifting experience for all ages.

Coalesce is directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Dic Wheeler, with additional direction provided by Connecticut-based circus artists Naja Muller and Joel Melendez. Costume Design is by Marion Imbruglio, Lighting Design by Aaron Westcott, and circus trainers are Kayla Bucholz and Jasmine Peck. 

Performances are January 30 and 31 at 7 pm, and Saturday, February 1 at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for kids, and $25 for Big-Hearted Oddfellows. Seating is limited, and advance ticket purchase is recommended. Tickets may be purchased at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/oddfellowsplayhouse/circophony-presents-coalesce.

Thursday, January 30 is a “Pay-What-You-Can” Preview.

Oddfellows Playhouse is located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown. For more information, call (860) 347-6143, email info@oddfellows.org, or go to www.oddfellows.org.

Circophony Teen Circus is a twenty year collaboration between Oddfellows Playhouse and ARTFARM to offer high-level circus training and performance opportunities to teenagers and young adults. 

Circophony’s Coalesce is made possible with the generous support of the City Middletown’s Department of Health; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; Middletown Commission on the Arts; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Evan Boyd Knoll Memorial Fund; Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Middlesex United Way; and many generous individual donors.


Thursday, January 9, 2025

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, January 25, 2025

 

Host:    Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT
Time:    1:30 - 2:30 pm Eastern Time

Diane Boumenot joined us way back in May of 2021 to talk about vital records. It's way past time to have her join us again.

In the last five years, more records of importance to genealogists researching Rhode Island ancestors have been coming online. But these are in multiple places, and access and navigation may not be clear. Let’s explore the wealth of great Rhode Island records now available right from home.

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, January 24.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.