[What follows is] a growing list of Greater Hartford area venues and presenting organizations for which dance is an ongoing part of their programming. [This page is intended to serve as an archive for The Invisible City Project website. While this information is not up to date, it is my hope that its contents continue to provide a point of entry.]
Aetna Theater at the Wadsworth Atheneum
600 Main Street | Hartford, CT | 06103
Deborah Gaudet, Curator of Film and Theater
The Aetna Theater is fully equipped with a stage and audio visual equipment. Floor-to-ceiling lyrical Neo-Romantic murals line the walls of the classic Art Deco theater, originally opened in 1934. With A. Everett “Chick” Austin, Jr., as director, new art froms were introduced to the museum world–music, dance, theater, and film. In 1933 Austin sponsored the immigration to America of choreographer George Balanchine, whose company would later become the New York City Ballet. Gertrude Stein, Virgil Thomson, Martha Graham, Agnes de Mille and Alwin Nikolais were among the famous figures that Austin brought through the Wadsworth. In subsequent years, other icons in contemporary dance and performance have graced the stage–including Yvonne Rainer, Merce Cunningham and Anna Halprin. (capacity = 284)
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
166 Capitol Avenue | Hartford CT | 06106
David R. Fay, Executive Director
As Connecticut’s premier presenter of the performing arts, The Bushnell has delighted and inspired audiences for more than seven decades and plays a leading role in the state’s cultural life. The Bushnell, a not-for-profit organization, is renowned for community programs, as well as being a leading educator and advocate of the arts. With an annual roster of over 350 events and an annual audience of over 300,000, The Bushnell is a major economic driver for the Greater Hartford region and the State of Connecticut. The Bushnell presents major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, and children’s theater. In 2001, The Bushnell also began presenting off-Broadway, jazz, blues, cabaret and comedy performances as well as concerts and world music events. The Bushnell is an active supporter of Hartford’s diverse performing arts and community organizations. The theater serves as the performance home of Hartford Symphony Orchestra and The Connecticut Forum. In fact, three-quarters of The Bushnell’s yearly bookable dates are utilized by local arts and community productions. In its role as supporter of the local arts, The Bushnell provides leadership and technical assistance to community and arts organizations, as well as rental discounts. (capacity = 908-2800)
Carriage House Theater
360 Farmington Ave | Hartford, CT | 06105
Steven Raider-Ginsburg and Taneisha Duggan, Volunteer Artistic Transition Team
The Carriage House Theatre is a 77-seat venue on 360 Farmington Avenue that was originally occupied by Hartford Children’s Theatre. The new theater serves as home to Hartbeat Ensemble, a Hartford-based performance company that creates theater drawn from contemporary life. Establised by the ensemble in early 2013, the Carriage House Theater offers an intimate setting for artists and community to gather to experience great theater while increasing HartBeat’s visibility and impact in Hartford. As a complement to presenting its own theater and educational work, HartBeat has established a presenting season that includes two reading series: First Reads and Truth & Power: A to Z as well as the presentation of local and national theater artists. In addition, The Carriage House Theater is available to other local groups for performance and rehearsal at a subsidized rate. (capacity = 77)
Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University
283 Washington Terrace | Middletown, Connecticut | 06459-0442
Sarah Curran, Director
Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts (CFA) serves the technical and production needs of the departments of dance, music, theater and art and art history, and serves as a cultural center for the campus, Middletown and the region by presenting a wide variety of events and exhibitions ranging from student and faculty works to internationally acclaimed ensembles. The mission of the visiting artist series is to feature the highest caliber of artists who extend and/or enhance Wesleyan’s curriculum with a focus on those who are testing the boundaries of their art forms, who are true innovators in their fields, and whose work emanates from the widest spectrum of world cultures. The CFA is internationally recognized for its world music and dance programs, and the strength of the Music Department’s graduate program in ethnomusicology. The CFA presents in an eleven-building arts village that includes arts department facilities, a theater, two concert halls, a cinema and a contemporary art gallery. In 2005, the CFA, Wesleyan and community partners founded the Green Street Arts Center located in the poorest neighborhood in the city.
Programming at the CFA includes exhibitions in the Zilkha Gallery, a nationally recognized contemporary art gallery; the Crowell Concert Series, an eclectic mix of classical, world music and jazz; the Breaking Ground Dance Series, which brings companies noted for their artistic rigor and innovation; the Outside the Box Series of discussions and performances in theater; and annual interdisciplinary arts festivals. The CFA attracts nearly 42,000 campus and community audiences annually to over 260 events and exhibitions.
Charter Oak Cultural Center
21 Charter Oak Avenue | Hartford, CT | 06106
Donna Berman, Artistic Director
Charter Oak Cultural Center, a beautiful historic landmark and vibrant arts center, contributes to the revitalization of Hartford by bringing the community together through open and equal access to the arts, through a deep commitment to social justice. The three main goals that feed the mission of Charter Oak are 1) To provide wide access to the arts for all who wish to engage in them, regardless of income 2) To do the work of social justice through the arts 3) To celebrate the heritage of our historic building and to preserve it in perpetuity. As an arts presenter, Charter Oak hosts cutting-edge, thought-provoking visual and performing arts exhibitions and performances. The organization’s overall goal is to provide access to the arts to all who hunger for them. As a matter of policy, Charter Oak offers as many of our performances and events as possible can for free, keep prices as low as possible and never turn anyone away who cannot afford the price of a ticket. In the course of a year, Charter Oak presents over 100 professional events that include every variety of performing art—dance, film, theatre, concerts and more. In its two art galleries, both emerging and established artists from various cultural backgrounds exhibit their work. At Charter Oak, we support art that moves the world. (capacity=150)
Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities at the Univ. of Saint Joseph
1678 Asylum Avenue | West Hartford, CT | 06117-2791
Steven Raider-Ginsburg, Director
The mission of the Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities is to provide transformative experiences which affirm the arts as essential to the human endeavor and to an understanding of human life, and to serve as a cultural resource for Saint Joseph College and the greater Hartford community. (capacity = 365)
The Dirt Salon
50 Bartholomew Avenue | Hartford, Connecticut | 06106
860.978.9345
Cynthia Dodd
The Dirt Salon is a social enterprise offering affordable studio space to Hartford area artists and creative enterprises, artistic venue rental, and collaborative opportunities to area artists, musicians and patrons. The Dirt Salon is fashioned after the art salons of Europe, which were cultural gathering places, hosted by women in their homes, to encourage the sharing of cultural pursuits and to support the artistic, literary, and musical communities. It is our hope and mission to have the Dirt Salon become a well-used haven for artistic enterprise, musical enrichment and good creative fun, always keeping in mind that the support of a community’s art and culture is the foundation for a grand city. Each day at the Dirt Salon is a new adventure in creative expression. My fellow artists who I create along side of as well as the patrons, which have come to our call, never cease to amaze and inspire. Viva the Dirt Salon! (405 square feet featuring a soaring ceiling with full-width skylights)
Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Connecticut
2132 Hillside Road, Unit 3104 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | 06269-3104
Rodney Rock, Director
Opened in December of 1955, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is the largest college-based presenting program in New England. Each season, Jorgensen events attract more than 70,000 students, faculty and staff from the University of Connecticut, as well as residents from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Jorgensen presents 25-30 nationally and internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles annually, ranging from classical music to world music and dance, classical and contemporary dance, comedy, family programming and contemporary entertainment. Presentation, education and outreach are at the center of the Jorgensen mission. (capacity = 1500-2345)
Real Art Ways
56 Arbor Street| Hartford, CT | 06106
Will K. Wilkins, Director
Real Art Ways is one of the United States’ leading innovative contemporary arts organizations, with programs in Visual Arts (commissioned public projects, curated exhibitions, education), Live Arts (innovative music of all kinds, performance, spoken word) and Film and Video (feature films and artists’ videos). Real Art Ways is an alternative multidisciplinary arts organization that presents and supports contemporary artists and their work, facilitates the creation of new work, and creatively engages, builds, and informs audiences and communities.
Theater of the Performing Arts at the Learning Corridor
359 Washington Street | Hartford CT | 06106
James Keller, Managing Director
The Theater of the Performing Arts 622-seat, state-of-the-art proscenium theater. Facilities also include a 120-seat Black Box Theater, classrooms and support spaces. There’s plenty of free, secured parking in the Learning Corridor parking garage. Enjoy our spacious, state-of-the art performance spaces where we present a spectrum of diverse programs, showcasing Arts Academy talent and local artists and organizations. Our spaces are available for rent to outside groups. (capacity = 120-622)
