The long-dormant Fairfield Community Theater could be open for business again by year”™s end.
At least, that”™s the hope of Sacred Heart University, which last May announced it was partnering with Kleban Properties to turn the 20,083-square-foot movie theater, which has been closed for nearly a decade, into a state-of-the-art facility for film events, live performances, and educational programs.
Sharing that hope is Bill Harris, a longtime TV veteran who in October was named director of the renamed SHU Community Theater at 1410 Post Road.
“My goal is to be open by the fall ”” probably late fall,” Harris, who is also adjunct professor of communications and media studies at the Fairfield school, said. “I”™m viewing it like a retail model. We have to be open for the holidays. That”™s the best time to engage the public, who have time off then, about the range of what”™s happening at the theater.”
The theater began life in the early 1920s as a vaudeville house, switching to an all-film format in 1929. It was closed by Loews Cineplex in May 2001, reopening as an independent movie house in December of that year. But years of neglect and dwindling audiences for what had become second-run features led to its closure on Sept. 8, 2011. It has been dark ever since.
Harris said he expects to unveil the theater”™s new marquee on Memorial Day, following the town”™s parade.
The Wilton resident added that while SHU is looking for additional donations to help pay for the extensive renovations, the focus is “raising awareness as much as it is nickels and dimes. We want to give the community the opportunity to weigh in and contribute to this project.
“Like many educational and performance venues, we”™re operating on a nonprofit basis, so we”™re asking for support to help underwrite what we”™re doing.”
That support will largely come from community stakeholders like the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce as well as SHU alumni, he said.
Costs for the project are still within the estimated $3 million to $5 million range that was originally projected, Harris added.
About 400 new seats are being installed with plans to include VIP seating options, a “reimagined” balcony space that will include banquettes and a glassed-in skybox overseeing the entire space, Harris said. There will also be a new digital projector, screen and sound system while an extension of the stage will nearly double its size, putting it on a par with the 28-foot stage at the Westport Country Playhouse.
That enlargement will accommodate a host of musical performances and theatrical productions, stand-up comedy and various community events, Harris said.
During the week, Harris said he expects SHU media and communications classes to take place at the theater, and a variety of free afterschool programs for youngsters will be offered. Those will range from STEM-related classes to a “Let”™s Play” program designed to familiarize children with the arts.
“We want to provide curriculum-based programming for Fairfield schools as well,” Harris said. “If they”™re reading ”˜To Kill a Mockingbird,”™ for instance, we can show the film, give them some popcorn and form study groups.”
Sacred Heart will operate the theater under a 10-year lease with Kleban Properties, which is doing the renovations under SHU”™s specifications. Harris said the university expects Kleban to “turn over the keys” to the property at some point after the theater opens.