Back by Popular Demand 2 Additional Circophony Performances at Oddfellows Playhouse

Back by POPULAR DEMAND, Alice in Wonderland goes to the Circus in a fast-paced, all ages 45 minute show presented by the talented teen performers of Circophony.

Two additional showings of "Circus in Wonderland" will be performed

Friday, February 21 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 22 at 2 pm

At Oddfellows Playhouse
128 Washington Street
Middletown

Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children.

Circophony is a collaboration between Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater and ARTFARM. The company, directed by ARTFARM co-founder Dic Wheeler (also the creator and long-time director of the Children's Circus of Middletown), is made up of eight circus performers between the ages of 12 and 17.

"Circus in Wonderland" explores the magical world of Alice in Wonderland through the joy and spectacle of circus. Alice is plunged into a world in which the Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit and other iconic characters juggle, stilt, unicycle, clown and perform stunning feats of acrobatics. It's Alice in Wonderland like you've never seen it before! Bring your kids! Bring your parents! This show has something for everyone.

For more information about the show, which is available for touring through May, 2014, contact ARTFARM at info@art-farm.org.
For tickets please contact Bessie at Oddfellows Playhouse, (860) 347-6143

Seeking Actors Grade 6-8 Jr. Rep Production: BUCCANEERS!

For Junior-High Students: Grades 6-9

BUCCANEERS

By Liz Duffy Adams
Directed by: Lorra Webb
Young Enid Arabella longs for adventure and escape from her family’s poverty. She runs away and is captured by a pirate king and his crew of kidnapped children. She summons her courage and wits to lead a mutiny and over-throw their oppressor – only to find herself in charge of a crew with different ideas about what they should do now that they are free – continue a life on the sea or return home to their families?

This new musical, premiered in 2012, is an exciting performance opportunity for young actors to sing, dance, act and be a part of an ensemble that values their voices and talents at any stage of development. Led by long-time Jr. Rep director Lorra Webb this will be a great musical performance experience in a creative, supportive environment.

Performances: April 3,4,5

Instructor: Lorra Webb

Rehearsals being: January 14th, Tuesday & Thursday. 4:30-6:30pm

For more information please call 860.347.6143 or email Kristen@oddfellows.org

oddfellows.org

Fall Classes Starting at Connecticut's Best Children's Theater

Oddfellows Playhouse Fall 2013 Theater classes start Oct 14th!. 

The Fall Session runs for 8 weeks, with programs beginning the week of October 14 and concluding the week of December 9.  There are no classes held the week of Thanksgiving.

Oddfellows Playhouse Announces 2013-14 Season

Oddfellows Playhouse is pleased to announce its 2013-14 Season for its Junior and Teen Repertory Company.  The first season under the guidance and direction of Artistic Director Kristen Palmer is filled with classics, family musicals and some new endeavors.

The season will begin with the Junior Repertory Company’s of The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet onstage November 14-16, 2013.

“Nightmares & Streetscapes: An Evening of One Act Plays”

Oddfellows Playhouse’s Teen Repertory Company
presents Nightmares & Streetscapes: An Evening of One Act Plays

Middletown, Conn. –  Oddfellows Playhouse’s Teen Repertory Company will present Nightmares & Streetscapes: An Evening of One Act Plays.   The evening features comedies and dramas by Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, Eric Lane and Peter Tolan and runs May 3-4, 9-11 at 7:30pm.

The evening consists of four student directed one-act plays, including the dark comedies “The Actor’s Nightmare” by Christopher Durang, “Dancing on Checker’s Grave” by Eric Lane and the light hearted “Pillow Talk” by Peter Tolan.  The evening is appropriate for high school students and older, with some of the plays touching on mature themes and humor.  The project is the first time in several years that members of the Teen Repertory Company have had the opportunity to direct.  The process has been guided by director Ken O’Brien.

The Teen Repertory Company is comprised of students in grades 9-12, from 10 different towns throughout central Connecticut.  The Teen Repertory Company brings to life challenging and fun theatrical productions appropriate for audiences of all ages.  

The production runs Friday and Saturday May 3 and 4, 2013 and Thursday through Saturday May 9-11.  All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for Adults and $8 for Students/Seniors.  Anyone brining a canned food item for Amazing Grace Food Pantry will receive a $2 discount on their ticket.  Tickets are available online at www.oddfellows.org or by calling 860-347-6143.  

The production is made possible by major support from CT State Department of Education, Middlesex United Way, The Stare Fund, Pratt & Whitney, the Middletown Commission on the Arts and Daphne Sebolt Culpeper Foundation.   Media support is provided by WESU 88.1FM.

Liberty Bank Awards Grant to Oddfellows

The Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant to Oddfellows Playhouse to support its Neighborhood Troupes and Arts Explorers programs.

This highly regarded program provides free, weekly, after-school interdisciplinary arts classes for at-risk young people, in grades 1-8, in the area. The goal of the Troupes program (grades 1-5) is to use theater and related arts to help these youngsters grow up to be more successful adults by building essential life skills such as creativity, confidence, communication, empathy and discipline.  The Arts Explorers program (Grades 7-8) provides students with mentorship and instruction from professional artists for an entire school year, where they learn new artistic skills, and also financial responsibility.  

“The Liberty Bank Foundation has been a tremendous partner for many years in this program.  We are grateful for their consistent and continued partnership to bring high quality theater programs and experiences to our community’s youth,” said Elizabeth Bobrick, Chair of Oddfellows’ Board of Directors.  

Since its inception in 1997, the Liberty Bank Foundation has provided almost $6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations within Liberty Bank’s market area. The foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for people of low or moderate income by investing in the areas of preventative programming for children and families, affordable housing, and non-profit capacity building. In addition, the foundation is providing support to address basic human needs during these difficult economic times. Along with its grantmaking, the foundation strives to foster the convening and collaboration of nonprofits, funders, business, and government to address community issues.

Alice Threw the Looking Glass Opens Tonight

 The Oddfellows Playhouse Junior Repertory Company

presents

Alice Threw the Looking Glass
A Parody of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style
A Comedy by John Walch
Thursday April 4 - 7:30pm
Friday April 5 - 7:30pm
Saturday April 6 - 7:30pm


Adults $15
Students & Seniors $8
Bring a nonperishable food item for Amazing Grace Food Pantry and receive $2 off on your ticket.
Call 860-347-6143 to make a reservation or purchase tickets online.

First-year college student Alice is in serious danger of failing her English course when she follows her composition paper into the trash -- and ends up in a hallucinatory world where the rules of grammar are turned upside-down.  If she wants to pass, she'll need to deal with gunslinging run-on sentences, thugs hawking colloquialisms, fearsome Modifier Leeches, and more.  Inspired by Lewis Carroll and parodying the grammar and writing style bible The Elements of Style by Strunk & White, this witty comedy explores the fantasy world of language.

Alice Threw the Looking Glass - It's Not a Typo

Oddfellows Playhouse’s Junior Repertory Company will present Alice Threw The Looking Glass: A Parody of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style by John Walch.  The comedic combination of the world of Alice in Wonderland and grammar rules will run April 4-6 at 7:30pm. 

First-year college student Alice is in serious danger of failing her English course when she follows her composition paper into the trash -- and ends up in a hallucinatory world where the rules of grammar are turned upside-down.  If she wants to pass, she'll need to deal with gunslinging run-on sentences, thugs hawking colloquialisms, fearsome Modifier Leeches, and more.  Inspired by Lewis Carroll and parodying the grammar and writing style bible The Elements of Style by Strunk & White, this witty comedy explores the fantasy world of language in all its grotesque mutations.

The Junior Repertory Company is comprised of students in grades 5-8, from 10 different towns throughout central Connecticut.  The Junior Repertory company brings to life challenging and fun theatrical productions appropriate for audiences of all ages. 

The production runs Thursday thru Saturday, April 4 through April 6.  All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for Adults and $8 for Students/Seniors.  Anyone bringing a canned food item for Amazing Grace Food Pantry will receive a $2 discount on their ticket.  Tickets are available online at www.oddfellows.org or by calling 860-347-6143. 

The production is made possible by major support from CT State Department of Education, Middlesex United Way, The Stare Fund, Pratt & Whitney, the Middletown Commission on the Arts and Daphne Sebolt Culpeper Foundation.   Media support is provided by WESU 88.1FM. 

Creating Something Out of Nothing

The following is the opinion Matt Pugliese, Executive Director at Oddfellows Playhouse

There are many skills and benefits that children receive from involvement at Oddfellows Playhouse and in theater arts programs.  Creativity and imagination are some of the first benefits people list when talking about the value of a theater arts education and experiences.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to appear on WNPR’s Where We Live with John Dankosky to discuss the topic of creativity.  The discussion between panelists Constanza Gowen-Segovia (CO LAB), Louise Loomis, Ed.D (Thinkwell Center) and the Watkinson School Creative Arts Program students has really stuck with me. (Listen here) It was a broad, wide ranging discussion and we only began to touch the subject of creativity.

I have been thinking a great deal about creativity in the wake of our conversation, and how to re-frame what it is that we do at Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater. In particular, I’ve been considering the way society values creativity.  It is very much in the forefront  of our current economic environment to talk about the new economy, and the importance of innovation.  "Innovate" is simply another way of saying "create".  So, if we are going to prepare our young people to be innovative, we need to build their creativity. 

Creativity is something that you need to practice.  As with any skill, one needs to work to develop and refine creativity.  That is one of the  benefits of continued involvement at Oddfellows Playhouse and in theater.  It is an opportunity for a young person to have their creativity exercised.  Just as students go to sports and music practices, creativity and imagination need to be exercised and pushed to the limit. 

All of the “creating” that goes on in each rehearsal comes with other benefits as well.  Students become quick thinkers, they improvise and they learn to work through scenarios in advance and feel prepared when something unexpected happens.  This helps them learn to handle the anxiety that comes along with so many aspects of life—such as a school project, a business presentation, speaking in front of colleagues or sharing an original idea. 

Oddfellows’ spring session begins the week of April 1, and is full of opportunities for children ages 3-18 to exercise their creativity.  The youngest students in Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade 1 have classes that are designed to get them used to using their creativity and sharing it with their peers.  Think of it like riding a tricycle, then a bicycle with training wheels.  Students in Story Starters (grades 2-3) can create a Mini-Production based on the West African folktale of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters.  Not only are they creating characters and story, but they are considering a “Cinderella” tale from a different cultural point of view.   The Kids Company (grades 4-5) can explore Fundamentals of Musical Theater and Comedy and Improv.  Junior Rep (grades 6-8) can give their imaginations a serious workout with How To Deliver a Monologue and Intro to Playwrighting.  Our Teen Rep (grades 9-12) also has an opportunity to discover their unique voice with Intro to Playwrighting and Intro to Directing classes.  Complete class descriptions and information can be found at www.oddfellows.org .  Registration is available online or by calling 860-347-6143. 

25th Children's Circus of Middletown Registration Open

Oddfellows Playhouse is pleased to announce that registration is open for the 25th Children’s Circus of Middletown.  The Children's Circus offers an exceptionally unique program where the whole family and the entire whole community, can get involved in the making of something truly inspiring and special. 

The Children’s Circus of Middletown, part of the Kids Arts program, is a partnership between Oddfellows Playhouse, the City of Middletown and Middletown Commission of the Arts with critical support provided from the Middlesex United Way.  The 5-week, half day program begins on July 1 and runs until the performance on August 2.  During this time, students ages 8-14 are develop a variety of circus skills including juggling, unicycling, stilting, acrobatics, balance and clowning.  The program culminates in an outdoor circus performance in front of a crowd of nearly 1,500 people.  Each year the circus explores a different theme, with recent circuses focusing on “In Your Dreams”, “Eat’s All Good” and last year’s “The Circus of Science”.

Circus Director, Jason Leinwand, returns to bring the circus to life for the 25th time.  The program takes place at Macdonough School on Spring Street. 

For more information on the program and how to register, visit www.oddfellows.org or www.arts2go.org.  Registration forms are available at the City of Middletown Arts Office, Russell Library or Oddfellows Playhouse.  Registration is currently open. The program is $125 for Middletown residents and $250 for out of town students.  Busing is available for Middletown residents only.

Counselor positions are open, and applicants can download applications from the City of Middletown’s website.  Counselor applications are due by March 22 to the City Arts Office located at 100 Riverview Center.  Student registrations will be accepted until the program is full.

Oddfellows’ Children’s Circus of Middletown programming is made possible through the generous support of the City of Middletown, Middletown Commission on the Arts, Middlesex United Way and Stop and Shop Foundation. 

Spring Theater Classes Enrolling at Oddfellows

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater is pleased to announce its Spring 2013 Session will begin the week of April 1.  Oddfellows’ programs use theatre as a vehicle to build essential life skills, while exploring highly educational and artistic themes and plays.  There are a variety of performance options and technique based classes for students ages 3-18.

Educational Forum For Families At Wesleyan

AN EDUCATIONAL FORUM FOR FAMILIES AT WESLEYAN
This free event provides a day of workshops, classes and presentations for intellectually curious students in grades 3-12 and their families, who are looking for opportunities designed to support their unique needs.

Winter Drama Programs - Now Enrolling

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater is pleased to announce that its Winter 2013 Session will begin the week of January 28.  Oddfellows’ programs use theater as a vehicle to build essential life skills, while exploring highly educational and artistic themes and plays.  There are a variety of performance options and technique based classes for students ages 3-18.

Classes for the Little Fellows (ages 3-4) include Around the World and Animal Adventures. Classes are offered on Saturday mornings.  Looking for something to do during the week with your little one?  Participatory classes include Parents & Tots and Arts Explosion on Thursday mornings at 10am. 

First Act (Grades K-1) offers Creative Drama courses themed around children’s books and adventures such as Fractured Fairytales and Jungle Safari.  Story Starters (Grades 2-3) encourage creative expression and promote confidence, self-esteem, and communication.  Once a week classes focus on skill building, while classes that meet twice a week short productions put those skills into action.  Classes include Peter and the Wolf and Create Your Own Story and a mini-production of Grimm Fairytales.  The Kids Company (Grades 4-5) is the stage that students begin to focus more on skills and techniques.  These courses help develop the next set of vocal, physical and emotional skills.  Technique classes include Fundamentals of Acting, Create a Character and Fundamentals of Musical Theater. An original comedic mini-production is also on tap, called More Rubber Chickens.

The Junior Repertory Company (grades 6-8) offers a full production of Alice Threw the Looking Glass, a parody of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style by John Walch.  In this comedy, First-year college student Alice is in serious danger of failing her English course when she follows her composition paper into the trash -- and ends up in a hallucinatory world where the rules of grammar are turned upside-down. If she wants to pass, she'll need to deal with gunslinging run-on sentences, thugs hawking colloquialisms, fearsome Modifier Leeches, and more. 

The Teen Repertory Company (grades 9-12) will be holding auditions on Tuesday January 29 from 7-9pm.

There are also private lessons, stagecraft, directing and playwrighting classes available for middle and high school students.  A full list of program offerings and public performances can be found online at www.oddfellows.org.

Oddfellows programming is made possible through the generous support of the CDBG Scholarship Program, Citizens Bank, the CT Department of Economic and Community Development, the CT Department of Education, Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Fund, Elizabeth Carse Foundation, the Fund for Greater Hartford, the George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, the Irving Kohn Foundation, the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, Liberty Bank Foundation, Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Middlesex County Community Foundation, Middlesex United Way, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, Middletown YSB, the National Endowment for the Arts, Pratt & Whitney, Price Chopper Golub Foundation, the Stare Fund, Stop and Shop Foundation, Thomas J. Atkins Foundation, Triple Frog, LLC and WESU (88.1FM).

Huck Finn This Weekend

 Oddfellows Playhouse’s Junior Repertory Company will present Huck Finn by Eric Coble, Adapted from the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. 

Huck Finn flees the claws of "civilization" for the freedom of the mighty Mississippi, only to find himself running from mobs, getting shot at, stealing gold, digging escape tunnels and dressing as a woman. And perhaps his greatest adventure: unexpectedly finding his own moral compass in a world of corruption and hypocrisy.  This highly-theatrical adaptation presented by the Junior Repertory Company and directed by Lorra Webb, is the second of Coble’s work produced at the Playhouse, following 2006’s Gold in the Bones.  This classic tale of adventure is great for families and students of all ages.

The production runs Thursday thru Saturday, November 29, 30 and December 1  All performances begin at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for Adults and $8 for Students/Seniors.  Anyone bringing a canned food item for Amazing Grace Food Pantry will receive a $2 discount on their ticket.  Tickets are available online at www.oddfellows.org or by calling 860-347-6143. 

The production is made possible by major support from CT State Department of Education, Middlesex United Way, The Stare Fund, Pratt & Whitney, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, Eli Cannon’s Tap Room and Daphne Sebolt Culpeper Foundation.   Media support provided by Comcast and WESU 88.1FM. 

Holiday Season Offerings at Oddfellows

With the holiday season approaching, there are multiple chance to take the family out to see some live theater here in Middletown. So you better start planning!

Huck Finn
by Mark Twain

Adapted by Eric Coble from the novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" 
November 29, 30 and December 1 - 7:00pm

Oddfellows Playhouse’s Junior Repertory Company will present Huck Finn by Eric Coble, Adapted from the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. 

Huck Finn flees the claws of "civilization" for the freedom of the mighty Mississippi, only to find himself running from mobs, getting shot at, stealing gold, digging escape tunnels and dressing as a woman. And perhaps his greatest adventure: unexpectedly finding his own moral compass in a world of corruption and hypocrisy.  This highly-theatrical adaptation presented by the Junior Repertory Company and directed by Lorra Webb, is the second of Coble’s work produced at the Playhouse, following 2006’s Gold in the Bones.  This classic tale of adventure is great for families and students of all ages.

The production runs Thursday thru Saturday, November 29, 30 and December 1  All performances begin at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for Adults and $8 for Students/Seniors.  Anyone brining a canned food item for Amazing Grace Food Pantry will receive a $2 discount on their ticket.  Tickets are available online at www.oddfellows.org or by calling 860-347-6143. 
A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration
by Paula Vogel, Music by Daryl Waters
December 6,7,8, 14, 15 - 7:30pm

The play, directed by Peter Loffedo, will feature a multigenerational cast of actors from the community, including members of Oddfellows’ Teen Repertory Company and CT Heritage Productions.  The Connecticut Humanities Council and Middletown Commission on the Arts is generously helping to fund this production because of its unique combination of historical significance, audience appeal, and educational storytelling.  

The play is set is Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve 1864, during the Civil War.  President Lincoln has just been reelected and General Sherman is marching troops into battle.  Interweaving historical figures with fictional characters, A Civil War Christmas not only entertains but inspires the audience by portraying the real-life struggles that occurred and the human spirit that endured during one of the most difficult times in our history. Moving swiftly from scene to scene, it chronicles many aspects of the period, from something of the private life of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to the moving story of an African-American soldier whose wife has been cruelly kidnapped.  Christmas carols and folk songs are sung throughout by the ensemble, with additional period music performed by a group of instrumentalists. 

The production runs December 6, 7, 8, 14, 15 at Oddfellows Playhouse.  All performances are at 7:30pm.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Thursday December 6 is a Pay-What-You-Can Performance.  Please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Amazing Grace Food Pantry.  Tickets are available online at ww.oddfellows.org or by calling860-347-6143.  The performance is made possible through special funding from the Connecticut Humanities Council, The Middletown Commission on the Arts, and Eli Cannon’s Tap Room.

Theater Opportunities for Children of All Ages

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater is pleased to announce its second Fall 2012 Session will begin the week of October 29.  The youth theater, which provides afterschool and weekend theatrical programming, is excited about the overhaul in program offerings and expansion of the second fall session.  Oddfellows’ programs use theatre as a vehicle to build essential life skills, while exploring highly educational and artistic themes and plays. 

Auditions at Oddfellows

Auditions are taking place this week at Oddfellows Playhouse on Tuesday September 18 and Wednesday September 19 from 7:00-9:00pm for the Oddfellows' Teen Repertory Company (Grades 9-12).  Update:  A Civil War Christmas is a multi-generational production - so actors of all ages and ethnicities are encouraged to come out Tuesday and Wednesday to audition specifically for that show.

For auditioning students:
1. Students must be able to attend rehearsals on either Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs beginning the week of September 24.
2. Students should arrive on time and plan to stay for the entire evening.
3. Dress to move.
4. Be prepared to read from the script with others, improvise and have fun!
5. There is no cost to audition.

The Teen Rep will begin with a “historical” piece by John Heimbuch, William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: A True Account of the Zombie Plague of 1599, takes the stage from November 9-17 at 7:30pm.  This play from the NY Fringe Festival takes place backstage on the opening night of Shakespeare’s Henry V.   Dealing with drama behind the scenes becomes more complicated when an afflicted madman enters the Globe and attacks.  As the affliction spreads through London, the Globe is placed in quarantine and the survivors within must fight for their lives.   This production is being produced by the generous support of Beverley and Tony Bellisio.

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater and Connecticut Heritage Productions are joining creative forces this holiday season with a co-production of A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel.  The play will perform at Oddfellows Playhouse from December 6-15 at 7:30pm.  A Civil War Christmas received its world premiere at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven in 2008.  The play is by Paula Vogel, with music by Daryl Waters.



There are also auditions on Wednesday September 19 from 6:30-8:30pm and Friday September 21from 4-6pm for the ARTFARM/Oddfellows Playhouse circus group - Circophony: A Youth Circus Roadshow for students ages 12 and up.



CIRCOPHONY: A Youth Circus Roadshow
Auditions: Wed., 9/19, 6:30 – 8:30 pm or Friday, 9/21, 4 – 6 pm.
Rehearsals will be Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:15 – 8:45 pm beginning October 1. (No rehearsal Nov. 21. Last pre-Christmas rehearsal Wed., 12/19; January rehearsals M & W 1/7 & 9 plus Jan. 14 – 17)
(Additional rehearsals December 29 & 30 for Middnight on Main performances December 31.)
Show premieres January 18 & 19 at Oddfellows Playhouse.
Tour availability January through June.

To prepare for the audition:
1. Contact ARTFARM (860.346.4390 or info@art-farm.org) to register for one of the two audition dates.
2. Arrive on time and plan on staying for the entire two hours.
3. Prepare a one minute solo showcasing your best skills.
4. Dress to move.
5. Be prepared to dance, improvise, work hard, play nicely with others and have fun.

Oddfellows Playhouse Announces Programming Overhaul

Oddfellows Playhouse is pleased to announce its Fall 2012 Programming.  The youth theater, which provides afterschool and weekend theatrical programming, is excited to unveil a large overhaul and upgrade in its programmatic offerings.  Oddfellows’ programs use theater as a vehicle to build essential life skills, while exploring highly educational and artistic theatrical material.

Circus of Science

Artwork by Jason Leinwand

For 24 years, the Children's Circus has entertained audiences at the beginning of August.  Tomorrow - the Circus is back in town!

The Circus of Science
Friday August 3, 2012
5pm
Macdnough School
66 Spring Street
$5 Adults / $3 Students & Seniors

This year, Oddfellows is asking everyone to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Amazing Grace Food Pantry.  Bring a lawn chair and enthusiasm to Macdonough School and enjoy the spectacle. 

Photo by Andy Szegedy-Maszak

The 24th Children’s Circus of Middletown: The Circus of Science will perform at 5 PM on August 3 at 66 Spring Street in Middletown.  Parking is limited to street locations, so carpooling is recommended. The Macdonough School lot is reserved for handicapped and elderly patrons.  Tickets are available at the door and are $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors.

The Children’s Circus is made possible by the Middletown Commission on the Arts, the Middlesex United Way, Stop and Shop Foundation, Peter Abare-Brown and Courtney Antonioli and Oddfellows Playhouse’s many generous supporters.  For more information, call (860) 347-6143.

Bubblemania!

Casey Carle’s ‘Bubblemania’ – Comedy, Artistry, BubbleOlogy takes the stage at Oddfellows Playhouse on Saturday August 4 with two performances, at 11am & 2pm.    Bubblemania! will mesmerize  children and adults of all ages.  Tickets are $10. 

Based on his professionalism, talent, and proven success as bubble artist, scientist, entertainer and consultant, he has made a historic soap bubble debut at the acclaimed Lincoln Center in New York City as a Principal Performing Artist for "The Little Orchestra Society" under the musical direction of Maestro Dino Anagnost, been chosen by Cirque du Soleil to act as their consultant on soap bubbles and featured on The Discovery channel.

Casey Carle grew up in the woods of Greene, NY. He graduated cum laude from S.U.N.Y. Geneseo with a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) in Drama and also from The Ringling Bros. Clown College with a B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fun Arts!). Casey has worked professionally in theatre, on and off stage, since 1985. In 1990 he went solo with BubbleMania!


For more information on programs, to register for classes or to purchase tickets to performances, call Oddfellows at (860) 347-6143 or log onto www.oddfellows.org.