Thrown Stone Theater Company co-artistic directors from left to right Jason Peck and Jonathon Winn eating ice cream at Ridgefield's, CT, famous Deborah Ann's Sweet Shoppe.
Christopher SetterIn a world where nothing has been typical due to the COID-19 pandemic, Thrown Stone Theatre Company announced that the company will be operating differently for its 2021 season.
Thrown Stone has teamed up with the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, The Keeler Tavern Museum and History Center and West Lane Inn to stage three outdoor site-specific productions in Ridgefield. The season will be performed in sequence at the three locations as a single “roving production” during which the audience will follow the action from venue to venue from Aug. 26 through Sept. 12.
“With all that’s happened this past year, we felt a palpable need as citizens and neighbors to come together to write our next chapter,” Thrown Stone's co-artistic director Jason Peck said. “We enlisted the support of our local partners to create a theatrical experience that will be 100% compliant with public health guidelines.”
Playwrights Tony Meneses, Phanésia Pharel and Catherine Yu will explore Thrown Stone’s chosen theme of ‘The Suburbs’ for the 2021 season and Kholoud Sawaf has been tapped to direct the production.
Thrown Stone's co-artistic director Jonathan Winn said the "roaming production" casts the town of Ridgefield as a "starring role" and that the them of "The Suburbs" is a "chance for all of us to reflect on some important questions about who we are, who we were and who we might be in the future.”
The three chosen venues highlight the history and culture of Ridgefield.
“Since the early 1700s, Keeler Tavern has been a gathering place,” said Keeler executive director Hildegard Grob. “We are thrilled to continue this tradition as a setting for this exciting new production.”
Grob was not alone in expressing her enthusiasm in participating in Thrown Stone’s summer production.
“The Aldrich is delighted to collaborate with Thrown Stone and our neighbors at the Keeler Tavern and the West Lane Inn on this project, which will bring an exciting, timely production to our community and highlight the dynamic and robust roster of arts and culture spaces in Ridgefield,” the Aldrich's executive director Cybele Maylone said.
“We are thrilled to be one of the three locations for Thrown Stone’s production,” said Christine Carnicelli, co-owner of West Lane Inn. “We love our Inn and are excited to share its beauty with our community,” added co-owner Danille Petrie. “What a creative way to promote the arts during these times.”
Tickets for Thrown Stone’s 2021 season will go on sale on July 4. For more information about their summer production, visit thrownstone.org.