Arts & Culture

Ridgefield Summer Sidewalk Stroll 2020 Brings Shopping Outside
Starting July 1st!

Shops all around town are “Bringing it Outside” this summer, as the Ridgefield Summer Sidewalk Stroll launches on July 1st. During this summer-long event, which will run through September 7th, our wonderful local shops are extending shopping to the sidewalks. Enjoy the summer weather and check out all that Ridgefield has to offer – al fresco! Town-wide sidewalk shopping is a great way for us all to get back outside to enjoy our beautiful town, while adhering to safety and social distancing guidelines.

Another component of the summer-long event will help local nonprofit organizations who have dealt with hardships due to the pandemic. Each business can ‘adopt’ an organization in town to help promote their missions. Businesses can share pamphlets and information about their ‘adopted’ nonprofit to create exposure for our amazing arts, cultural, and other nonprofit organizations in Ridgefield.

Ultimately, the goal is that over the course of the summer, the Summer Sidewalk Stroll can expand to include special outdoor events from the town’s arts and cultural organizations. We will be announcing additional summer events as they are planned. So check back here for the latest details!

Along with Ridgefield’s many outdoor dining options, the Summer Sidewalk Stroll will provide a fun outdoor experience for our community and visitors alike.

We’ll see you at the Stroll!

Important Note:
When enjoying this event, please adhere to social distancing guidelines and wear your facemask, for the safety of everyone.

For Business Information, go to: inridgefield.com/summer-stroll/

Starts August 6th, 2020

This show features artist Lydia Larson along with other local talent. A weekend of previews for the new exhibit will begin on August 6th from 6pm – 9pm with light refreshments outside of the gallery and small groups allowed inside to explore the new exhibit – face masks required! Private showings also offered on Friday, August 7th from 12pm – 7pm, and another viewing Saturday, August 8th from 4pm – 7pm.

A film by Daniel Roher
Featuring Robbie Robertson, Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, Ronnie Hawkins, Van Morrison, Dominique Robertson
From Executive Producers: MARTIN SCORSESE, BRIAN GRAZER & RON HOWARD
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertson’s personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie alongside the four other men who would become hi brothers in music and who together made their mark on music history. Once Were Brothers blends rare archival footage, photography iconic songs and interviews with many of Robertson’s friends and collaborators including Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison Martin Scorsese, Peter Gabriel, Taj Mahal, Dominique Robertson, Ronnie Hawkins, and more.

Rated R
Run Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Classical Series
Northern Trust Broadway & Cabaret with support from Teed & Brown
Underwritten by Jeanne Cook, Liz & Steven Goldstone, and Sabina & Walter Slavin with support from Whistle Stop Bakery

by Richard Bean
Based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, with songs by Grant Olding

Featuring a Tony Award-winning performance from host of the The Late Late Show, James Corden, the hilarious West End and Broadway hit One Man, Two Guvnors returns to cinemas to mark National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday.

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from his fiancée’s dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who’s been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers.

Holed up at The Cricketers’ Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Simple.

The Ridgefield Playhouse is following Connecticut Safety Guidelines in order to continually serve and protect our patrons and community. We ask that you observe the following:

Purchase concession via our mobile site ridgefieldplayhouse.ordernext.com. Available up to two hours prior to the start of the movie- you can pick up your concessions on your way in! The app will be open throughout the film as well.
Ushers will seat you – All tickets are General Admission.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the lobby and bathrooms.
And remember: FACEMASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES! Please maintain a 6 foot distance from others.

VIP INFO / DISCOUNTS / PROMOTIONS
Tickets: $25 | Members & Seniors $20 | Students $15
Ridgefield Library card holders receive member prices for this show.
AAA members receive a 20% discount!
FREE tickets for students 18 & under! Must show ID at the box office.

After returning from their honeymoon and showing home movies to their friends, Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) learn that her parents have heard that she has married her true love and wish to invite him to their kingdom, called Far Far Away. The catch is: Fiona’s parents are unaware of the curse that struck their daughter and have assumed she married Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), not a 700-pound ogre with horrible hygiene and a talking donkey pal (Eddie Murphy).

Rated PG
Run time 1 hour, 33 minutes

Bruce Bennett Nissan Family Series
Cohen and Wolf P.C. Movie Series
Barts Tree Service Comedy Series
Sponsored by Recess PlayWorks

2016 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature. Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. Despite just two albums to her name Amy Winehouse is one of the biggest music icons in British history. With a voice oft described as a combination of Billy Holiday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan, Amy Winehouse was a pop star with soul; a once in two generational musical talent whose appeal crossed cultural and demographic boundaries. But while her music made her a star, her chaotic personal life stole headlines.  Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of this legendary singer.

Rated R
Run time 2 hours, 8 minutes

Classical Series
Northern Trust Broadway & Cabaret with support from Teed & Brown
Underwritten by Jeanne Cook, Liz & Steven Goldstone, and Sabina & Walter Slavin with support from Whistle Stop Bakery

Encore presentation
by Arthur Miller, directed by Jeremy Herrin

Broadcast live from The Old Vic in London, Academy Award-winner Sally Field (Steel Magnolias, Brothers & Sisters) and Bill Pullman (The Sinner, Independence Day) star in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama All My Sons. America, 1947. Despite hard choices and even harder knocks, Joe and Kate Keller are a success story. They have built a home, raised two sons and established a thriving business. But nothing lasts forever and their contented lives, already shadowed by the loss of their eldest boy to war, are about to shatter. With the return of a figure from the past, long buried truths are forced to the surface and the price of their American dream is laid bare. Jeremy Herrin (NT Live: This House) directs the cast, which also includes Jenna Coleman (Victoria), and Colin Morgan (Merlin) alongside Bessie Carter, Oliver Johnstone, Kayla Meikle and Sule Rimi.

The Ridgefield Playhouse is following Connecticut Safety Guidelines in order to continually serve and protect our patrons and community. We ask that you observe the following:

Purchase concession via our mobile site ridgefieldplayhouse.ordernext.com. Available up to two hours prior to the start of the movie- you can pick up your concessions on your way in! The app will be open throughout the film as well.
Ushers will seat you – All tickets are General Admission.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the lobby and bathrooms.
And remember: FACEMASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES! Please maintain a 6 foot distance from others.

VIP INFO / DISCOUNTS / PROMOTIONS
Tickets: $25 | Members & Seniors $20 | Students $15 | 18 & under FREE
FREE tickets for students 18 & under! Please call the box office to reserve.
AAA members receive a 20% discount!

Classical Series
Underwritten by Jeanne Cook, Liz & Steven Goldstone, and Sabina & Walter Slavin with support from Whistle Stop Bakery

SUMMER ENCORE IN HD PRESENTATION

PYTOR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Choreography by Yuri Grigorovich

Prince Siegfried is summoned by his parents to choose a bride. However, he encounters a mysterious and magnetic swan-woman, Odette, by the lake and is captivated. His vow of eternal love to her will have irreversible consequences. Tchaikovsky’s essential masterpiece returns for an encore broadcast of the most-beloved ballet in the classical canon. Technically challenging and filled with vibrant emotion, with a stunning and world-famous corps de ballet in perfect unison, the legendary love story between Prince Siegfried and the dual personalities Odette/Odile, born at the Bolshoi Theatre, is a must-see.

Run time: 165 minutes

The Ridgefield Playhouse is following Connecticut Safety Guidelines in order to continually serve and protect our patrons and community. We ask that you observe the following:

Purchase concession via our mobile site ridgefieldplayhouse.ordernext.com. Available up to two hours prior to the start of the movie- you can pick up your concessions on your way in! The app will be open throughout the film as well.
Ushers will seat you – All tickets are General Admission.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the lobby and bathrooms.
And remember: FACEMASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES! Please maintain a 6 foot distance from others.

VIP INFO / DISCOUNTS / PROMOTIONS
Tickets: $25 | Members & Seniors $20 | Students $15 | 18 & under FREE
FREE tickets for students 18 & under! Please call the box office to reserve.
AAA members receive a 20% discount!
Ridgefield Library cardholders receive member prices for this show.

RPAC Art Gallery Great Art on Film Series
Cohen and Wolf P.C. Movie Series
With support from Westy Self Storage

A spectacular documentary event tours through St. Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum, a wonderful complex of buildings with the largest collection of paintings in the world, to retrace two and a half centuries. Audiences pass through the magnificent interiors that provided a meeting point for foreign artists, architects and intellectuals creating connections through art and culture.

The history of the museum is marked by the acquisitions of the enlightened Empress Catherine II, whose personality has continued to fascinate art historians and critics over the centuries. Toni Servillo leads us on this journey through the Hermitage and the magnificent city of St. Petersburg with its waterfront, statues, canals and the bridges that form a symbolic cultural and visual element between places and distant civilizations.

The Ridgefield Playhouse is following Connecticut Safety Guidelines in order to continually serve and protect our patrons and community. We ask that you observe the following:

Purchase concession via our mobile site ridgefieldplayhouse.ordernext.com. Available up to two hours prior to the start of the movie- you can pick up your concessions on your way in! The app will be open throughout the film as well.
Ushers will seat you – All tickets are General Admission.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the lobby and bathrooms.
And remember: FACEMASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES! Please maintain a 6 foot distance from others.

Artwalk 2020: August 21 – September 13, 2020
Opening Festivities: Friday, August 21, 5-8pm
Artists Day: Saturday, August 22, noon-5pm

Join us in Ridgefield for Artwalk 2020! This event will kick off with artist meet and greets and will continue on Saturday, August 22 from noon to 4:00pm with an artist’s day. Demonstrations are also planned outside storefronts in town on Saturday. Accepted artists will be matched with participating merchants. This is a juried process. Accepted artists will be notified via email by August 7, 2020. All others will be placed on a waiting list. Art Walk Ridgefield is a fundraising event to benefit The Ridgefield Guild of Artists.

It’s beautiful outside, the sun is shining, the temperatures are warm, and everything is blooming, perfect time to go out and paint, draw, take pictures! Even if you don’t work outdoors, be inspired by what you see and bring it back into the studio. 

Work in painting, drawing or photography is welcome.

Classical Series
Underwritten by Jeanne Cook, Liz & Steven Goldstone, and Sabina & Walter Slavin with support from Whistle Stop Bakery

ENCORE PRESENTATION IN HD

Michael Mayer’s acclaimed production, first seen in the 2012–13 season, sets the action of Verdi’s masterpiece in 1960 Las Vegas—a neon-lit world ruled by money and ruthless, powerful men. Piotr Beczała is the Duke, a popular entertainer and casino owner who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Željko Lučić sings Rigoletto, his sidekick and comedian, and Diana Damrau is Rigoletto’s innocent daughter, Gilda. When she is seduced by the Duke, Rigoletto sets out on a tragic course of murderous revenge. Štefan Kocán is the assassin Sparafucile and Michele Mariotti conducts.

Run time 2 hours, 31 minutes

The Ridgefield Playhouse is following Connecticut Safety Guidelines in order to continually serve and protect our patrons and community. We ask that you observe the following:

Purchase concession via our mobile site ridgefieldplayhouse.ordernext.com. Available up to two hours prior to the start of the movie- you can pick up your concessions on your way in! The app will be open throughout the film as well.
Ushers will seat you – All tickets are General Admission.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the lobby and bathrooms.
And remember: FACEMASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES! Please maintain a 6 foot distance from others.

VIP INFO / DISCOUNTS / PROMOTIONS
Tickets: $25 | Members & Seniors $20 | Students $15 | 18 & under FREE
FREE tickets for students 18 & under! Please call the box office to reserve.
AAA members receive a 20% discount!

RPAC Art Gallery Great Art on Film Series
Cohen and Wolf P.C. Movie Series
BUY TICKETS

GAUGUIN IN TAHITI: PARADISE LOST traces the legendary life story of Paul Gauguin who left France for Tahiti, feverishly in search of deep immersions into lush nature, for feelings, visions and colors, ever purer and brighter. Audiences join this journey from Tahiti to American museums including New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art in DC, and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts where Gauguin’s greatest masterpieces are now preserved.

In 1891 Gauguin left Marseille for the Pacific, marking the beginning of a journey towards the essence of life and art, and forging his destiny as one of the greatest modern painters who ever lived. Gauguin in Tahiti: Paradise Lost will take us on the trail of a story that has become myth. Through Tahiti and Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, we will experience the landscapes that inspired Gauguin, in the places where he built houses with bamboo and leaves, and discovered light and colors which changed his painting forever.

This stunning state-of-the-art film event will also bring us to Paris, Bretagne, Edinburgh, and to the most prestigious art museums of the United States, where most of his masterpieces are preserved: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; The Art Institute of Chicago; The National Gallery of Art in Washington; and The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Run time: 90 minutes

The Ridgefield Playhouse is following Connecticut Safety Guidelines in order to continually serve and protect our patrons and community. We ask that you observe the following:

Purchase concession via our mobile site ridgefieldplayhouse.ordernext.com. Available up to two hours prior to the start of the movie- you can pick up your concessions on your way in! The app will be open throughout the film as well.
Ushers will seat you – All tickets are General Admission.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the lobby and bathrooms.
And remember: FACEMASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES! Please maintain a 6 foot distance from others.

Richard Dreyfuss stars as cable worker Roy Neary, who along with several other stunned bystanders experience a close encounter of the first kind – witnessing UFOs soaring across the sky. After this life-changing event, the inexplicable vision of a strange, mountain-like formation haunts him. He becomes obsessed with discovering what it represents, much to the dismay of his wife and family. Meanwhile, bizarre occurrences are happening around the world. Government agents have close encounters of the second kind – discovering physical evidence of extraterrestrial visitors in the form of a lost fighter aircraft from World War II and a stranded military ship that disappeared decades earlier only to suddenly reappear in unusual places. Roy continues to chase his vision to a remote area where he and the agents follow the clues that have drawn them to reach a site where they will have a close encounter of the third kind – contact.

Encounter this sci-fi classic at a special event that includes exclusive insights from Turner Classic Movies.

Running Time: 2hrs 25min

Diversity Film Series
Cohen and Wolf P.C. Movie Series
PRESENTED IN COOPERATION WITH RIDGEFIELD LIBRARY

Sponsored by Anita and Nick Donofrio, Ann and Steve Carlson, Allison and Jon Stockel, Julie and David Peck, People’s Bank, Ridgefield Prevention Council and the Town of Ridgefield
Q&A HOSTED BY CHERYL WASHINGTON

A film by Raoul Peck. In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends-Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin’s death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript. Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and flood of rich archival material. I Am Not Your Negro is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.

Tickets are FREE, but must be reserved in advance by calling the box office at 203.438.5795

Adam Broderick Salon & Spa Whole New You Series with support from Reliance Merchant Services
Classes @ The Playhouse Series
HamletHub Community Events Series

Professional Music Industry Performance and Songwriting Zoom Workshop with Samantha Cole and A.J. Gundell
5 Weeks: Wednesdays, September 30 – October 28 | from 7 – 9 pm

Hosted by Celebrity Voice Coach and International recording artist/songwriter Samantha Cole, and 13- time Emmy award-winning songwriter, producer, and music supervisor, One-Stop Music Shop owner, A.J. Gundell. The Zoom class returns by popular demand! If you are a singer looking to learn vocal mastery and proper technique, or a songwriter, musician or producer interested in the fundamentals of songwriting and music licensing–this class Is custom made for you. Learn these things and more from seasoned professionals Samantha and A.J. and their combined years of music industry experience and success. This professional five-week workshop takes place in five weekly sessions each two hours long: the goal is for each participant to complete one song from start to finish, and perfect their vocal performance in the process. Very special guest speaker, ex-Senior VP of A&R (RCA, Sony, Universal) Dave Novik will join Cole and Gundell at the last session–to provide insightful marketing and promotion secrets while also helping address the ins and outs of licensing. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to be mentored while learning the art of songwriting and performing from accomplished industry professionals.

Sing like a Pro
Breathing techniques, singing and performance tips and voice care with possible performance opportunity for professional feedback.

Write like a Pro
Songwriting basics. Overview of song form, structure, lyric/melody/chords/beats/rhythm. Individual option for songwriting professional feedback based on introductory elements.

Manage your music like a Pro
Music Business 101: special Q & A in the last session. Take your introductory skills to the next level of success in the digital age. Licensing, releasing, marketing, promotion and artist development questions will be answered by Samantha, A.J. and Dave.

Scholarships available through the generosity of the Beth and Bruce Becker Scholarship Fund.
Register online or by calling the box office at 203.438.5795

Kenneth Kellogg has been praised for his “commanding stage presence” and “rich, resonant bass,” and is quickly gaining recognition as a sought after artist.

“Kenneth Kellogg, a 6-foot 5-inch bass-baritone who has sung in starring roles at Washington Opera, does most of the heavy expositional lifting as the young Griffith (in a production of Terence Blanchard’s “Champion: An Opera in Jazz”). With appropriate panache, he makes a believable character, with a voice that can handle both the operatic and the jazz portions.” – SeenandHeard International, Reviewing “Champion” at Opera Parallele and SFJazz
“The tall and distinguished Kenneth Kellogg made an eloquent Prince Gremin (in Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin”), his deep bass voice resounding throughout Meymandi Hall as if wrapped in velvet…” – Josmar Lopes, Reviewing “Eugene Onegin” at Opera North Carolina

Born and raised in Washington, D.C, music has been a part of Kenneth Kellogg’s life since grade school. Nurtured in the public school system by amazing music teachers, he participated in choirs throughout the city and began formal training at the Duke Ellington School of the Performing and Visual Arts as a Vocal and Visual Arts student.

Among his roles, many are staples of opera repertoire: The title role, in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as Leporello and Il Commendatore, Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust, Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Ramfis and Il Re in Verdi’s Aida, Colline in Puccini’s La Boheme, the title role of Handel’s Hercules, The King in Handel’s Ariodante, Osmin in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Sarastro and the Speaker in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Fasolt in Wagner’s Das Rheingold.

Never afraid to step outside of the box of traditional repertoire, Mr. Kellogg has been involved with several new operas. He sang the role of Queequeg in the workshop of Jake Heggie’s acclaimed, Moby Dick at San Francisco Opera. He led the cast in the west coast premier of Terence Blanchard’s Champion: An Opera in Jazz, as the champion boxer, Young Emile Griffith, to rave reviews with Opera Parallele. He has been a guest at the Opera America’s New Works Forum in NY, where among other roles, he brought to life the character of Sam Bankhead in Dan Sonenberg’s Opera, The Summer King, about the life of Negro League great, Joshua Gibson. He is a frequent collaborator with small companies pushing the boundaries of the art of opera and has lent his voice to several voice-over projects.

Mr. Kellogg has managed a very active performing schedule between the US and Europe. He has worked with many leaders in the field at houses including San Francisco Opera, LA Opera, Washington National Opera, Atlanta Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Tampa, Opera Memphis, Opera North Carolina, Opera Parallele, and is set to make several role and house debuts. His European debut was in the role of Sarastro at Opera de Oviedo where he returned to sing the devil himself, Mephistopheles in Faust. He also sang the same 2 roles with Opera de Lausanne.

He in an Alumnus of the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera and the Domingo-Caftriz Emerging Artist Program at Washington National Opera. He also trained at the Academy of Vocal Arts, Wolf Trap Opera and holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Ohio University.