Where To Go For Arts & Culture Around Ridgefield, Wilton & Redding CT

March 9th, 2008 categories: Buying Your House, Cultural Resources, Eat, Drink and Be Amused, Redding, Ridgefield, Wilton

When I moved to Ridgefield from Manhattan in 2001, I was not sure whether I was going to have culture shock when I settled in, or whether there was going to be any culture here at all! I have been pleasantly surprised to find not only a vibrant arts community here, but, a bevy of high-caliber arts institutions, theaters and organizations in and around the area. You will be amazed at how much there is to do and see for the arts conscious… Here is just a sampling.

The Venues for Art and the Performing Arts Near Ridgefield, Wilton and Redding

The Ridgefield Playhouse is Ridgefield’s answer to a Las Vegas show theater on a, well, smaller, less flashy scale. The Cass Gilbert designed theater is the perfect venue for top dance, music, theater, comedy and magic performances from around the world. It is also our only movie house in Ridgefield, and shows first-run films, changing from week to week.

The Ridgefield Theater Barn has been providing quality live theater productions to Ridgefield and the surrounding communities for 42 years. The theater offers a comfortable, intimate setting with cabaret seating for most events. I have performed in two productions at “the barn”, “Is There Life After High School?”, a musical, and most recently a play reading of “5 Minute Date”, and original script by local Ridgefield playwright, Jean Goldsmyth. It was both an honor and a privilege to work with Jean and some very talented local actors.

The Ridgefield Guild of Artists is a regional and community-based art organization that promotes the visual arts and arts education by providing high quality gallery space for exhibitions, art classes for children and adults, opportunities for artist-in residency programs, and art lectures on-site and in collaboration with other cultural organizations. It is amazing to see the talent and energy created by a local arts project. On May 3, 2008, the Guild will be holding an event called “Paint The Town” to celebrate Ridgefield’s 300th Anniversary. More information to come on Real Estate Chocolate.

The Wilton Playshop has been a part of Wilton’s cultural cornucopia for nearly 70 years, making it one of the longest continuously running community theatres in the northeast. The Playshop caters to a wide variety of theatrical tastes with up to five major productions during its season which runs from October to August.

The Ridgfield Symphony Orchestra (RSO) is another one of Ridgefield’s cultural gifts. The Orchestra debuted on April 4, 1965, and since then has grown to a full-scale orchestra of 70 to 100 professional musicians. The RSO has engaged a number of Music Directors during its history including Beatrice Brown for 25 years and Sidney Rothstein who became its Music Director in 1996. The RSO is currently searching for a new Music Director and four of the finalists will be engaged for the 2007-08 Season. One permanent Music Director will be selected at the close of the season, and the audiences will participate.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is one of the few non-collecting, world renown, contemporary art museums in the United States. The Aldrich was founded on Ridgefield’s historic Main Street in 1964. Exhibitions feature work by emerging and mid-career artists, and education programs is targeted at helping adults and children to “connect to today’s world through contemporary art”. The Museum is located at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877.