middletowneye

Middletown, CT - Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater in Middletown is holding an Open House on Saturday, Sep. 11, 2021 from 3pm to 5pm. Parents and kids are welcome! Tour the theater! See the classrooms! Learn what we do and what programs are available. Register for classes on the spot! Whether you have never been to Oddfellows before, or you are a long-time participant, drop in anytime between 3 and 5, enjoy a snack with staff and learn about what’s up at Oddfellows this fall.

Oddfellows is returning to in-person programming in its facility at 128 Washington Street in Middletown. The three classrooms and theater in the building have all been upgraded with high volume air purification systems and the Playhouse is following all State and Federal guidelines to ensure a safe return to in-person programs & has been personally evaluated & approved by Dr. Sten Vermund, Dean of Yale School of Public Health. Classes in theater, dance, circus, music and visual art will be offered for ages 3 - 20, and teenagers are invited to audition for our fall mainstage production.

At the Playhouse, professional teaching artists lead engaging programs that build confidence, creativity and collaboration by getting every student actively involved in artistic self-expression. Students work together and learn to support one another. Oddfellows’ programs are inclusive, embracing children from all backgrounds and circumstances and creating a safe space where all students can grow together in a mutually supportive setting. In partnership with ARTFARM, advanced circus training is available through Circophony Teen Circus.

Our building and staff are ready for COVID-safe gathering. Below you will find our Fall 2021 Program Schedule.

Circophony Teen Circus offers fall circus training to ages 12 - 20

Saturday Circrobatics classes are available for ages 3 - 5 and 6 - 8. Circrobatics combine circus, acrobatics and creative movement.

Teen Repertory Company auditions, open to ages 14 - 20, will be held September 15 & 16, from 6:30 - 9 pm.

Stage One classes for ages 6 - 8 include Fairy Tale Theater, Hip Hop Dance, Circus I, Musical Mentoring, and Story Theater From around the World.

Stage Two classes for ages 9 - 11 include Theater Improv, Hip Hop Dance, Musical Mentoring, Circus II and a Tom Sawyer Mini-Production.

Stage Three (also known as Junior Repertory Company) classes for ages 12 - 14 include Acting & Scene Study, The Art of Being an Artist, Introduction to Shakespeare and Hip Hop Dance.

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 the 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; 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; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; Thomas J. Atkins Memorial Trust Fund; Middlesex United Way; CHEFA Cultural Relief Grant; New England Foundation for the Arts/New England Arts Resilience Fund; George & Grace Long Foundation; and many generous individual donors.