FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

SENS. KUSHNER AND MAHER WELCOME STATE BUDGET INVESTMENTS IN RIDGEFIELD

RIDGEFIELD – State Senators Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) and Ceci Maher (D-Wilton) announced that the new biennial state budget approved today by the state Senate provides $350,000 for two beloved Ridgefield landmarks: $100,000 for the Ridgefield Playhouse and $250,000 for The Ridgefield Theatre Barn.

Both Sens. Kushner and Maher represent portions of Ridgefield in the state Senate.

What will the money be used for??

“Both of these facilities are beloved by the public, but they’re also older venues that could use an infusion of tender loving care. That’s what these state funds are intended for,” Sen. Kushner said.

Maher comment

After three decades as a high school and town theatre, what would later become The Ridgefield Playhouse was abandoned in 1972 when a new, larger high school was built. In 1994, a group of Ridgefield residents got together and formed the Friends of the Ridgefield Performing Arts Center. A building committee was created, and in December 2000 The Ridgefield Playhouse opened its doors. The Ridgefield Playhouse presents more than 200 live shows annually, plus movies, hosting more than 100,000 patrons every year.

The Ridgefield Theatre Barn was founded in 1965 when a handful of Ridgefield residents banded together to form a small theater group dedicated to providing community theater. This not-for-profit organization grew into the Ridgefield Workshop for the Performing Arts, Inc. Housed in a rustic converted dairy barn leased from the town of Ridgefield, the Workshop continues to produce an ongoing series of comedies, dramas, and musicals. It performs four shows per year, with performers chosen through open auditions.

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