New Canaan Town Players gains first approval for Powerhouse Theater updates
NEW CANAAN — “We’re really excited to bring a lot of new things there, but we don’t have enough space to do everything that we think we should be doing,” Patricia Spugani, of the Town Players of New Canaan, told the Parks and Recreation Commission on Wednesday.
Spugani spoke on behalf of desired updates to the Powerhouse Theater in Waveny Park. She and Carl Rothbart, an architect by trade, broke down the history of the theater, first inhabited by the Town Players in 1983, and why renovations to the courtyard, outdoor potting shed and public restrooms were of special importance.
To the delight of Spugani, the commission unanimously agreed to accept the proposed updates without change. The next step is to get the Board of Selectmen to sign on.
These upgrades are long overdue, according to Spugani.
“Since 1983, not too much has been done” to the building, she told the commissioners. Originally, plans called to enclose the courtyard in 1983. Those design plans were even signed by the town but have not been acted upon in the nearly 40 years since.
The Town Players raised over $1 million to turn the Waveny Park building into a 115-seat theater. The design of the theater today mostly resembles the initial design plans to reconfigure the building in 1983, Spugani explained.
Since making the Powerhouse Theater its home, the Town Players of New Canaan has been responsible for the upkeep of the interior of the building and paying the utilities while the town has continued to work on the exterior of the building.
Along with enclosing the courtyard, which will help createmore space, Spugani proposed another reconfiguration — this time of the potting shed sitting just outside the theater.
The 400-square-foot shed has been used for storage, but Rothbart explained the idea to use it as a “black box” theater for dress rehearsals and smaller performances. Spugani said the potting shed would also become the home for the youth arts program.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” he told the commissioners. “You know — small, intimate performances.”
The shed will be used as an “experimental theater” and education center, Rothbart said of the plans.
Spugani also said other groups and individual musicians have approached the Town Players and asked to use the area to hold intimate live performances.
Commissioners and the Town Players both pointed out that the exterior of the potting shed is “pretty dilapidated,” so the group will see to the upgrading of the exterior of the shed as well.
As for restrooms, Spugani said the existing offerings were ADA compliant when built in 1983 but are no longer up to code.
The solution, Rothbart said, is not to retrofit the current restrooms, but instead build a pair of new restrooms at the other end of the courtyard, where an office space is currently located. The current restroom area will be reconfigured into another office space.
Rothbart said the designs would be held to a high standard.
“Waveny Park is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and we feel it is important to design within those standards,” Rothbart said. “So we’re drawing inspiration from the elements of the existing Powerhouse and the potting shed.”
Rothbart and the group working on the project will work in concert with DPW head Tiger Mann, whom Spugani said the Town Players have had a great relationship with.