David Mamet’s controversial play “Oleanna” was an Off Broadway sensation in 1992 and went on to a long, successful run in London. 

When it debuted in the wake of the 1991 Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas hearings on Capitol Hill, “Oleanna” seemed to encapsulate the stormy national debate over sexual harassment. In its gripping dramatization of an ambiguous, increasingly tortured exchange between a male professor and his female student, it challenged the rampant political correctness of the time.

By showing that conflicts between superiors and subordinates are far more complex than conventional victim-centered feminism allowed, Mamet dared to suggest that both parties bear equal responsibility in any social transaction. “Oleanna” forces the audience to become a jury, a voyeuristic Greek chorus who must scrutinize the behavior of the two clashing characters and weigh their testimony. Different viewers will come to different conclusions. There is only perception of right and wrong.

TOWN PLAYERS OF NEW CANAAN - HISTORY OF THE POWERHOUSE THEATRE

In 1979, the original Power House to the Waveny Estate, located in what is now Waveny Park, stood empty and purposeless, falling prey to vandalism and deterioration. At the same time, the Town Players of New Canaan were looking for a home, a place to store costumes, build sets and perform. It was a perfect match that the abandoned building and the homeless Town Players should come together. The task of restoring the powerhouse and converting it to a theater, however, was a monumental undertaking and required serious fundraising and the efforts of hundreds of volunteers over a three-year period.  The result is a intimate 115-seat theater for the community to enjoy.

Since opening in 1983, the Town Players of New Canaan at the Powerhouse Theatre has performed hundreds of productions, staged readings, special events, theater educational classes and workshops, run children’s programs, etc., and is still going strong.  During Covid, we had a few months to step back and re-evaluate, and we decided it was time to come back even better!  In working again with the Town of New Canaan, we will be doubling the size of our lobby, updating to current ADA compliant restrooms, and hopefully establishing the additional Shed Theatre on the property to expand our theater education program, and well as providing a black-box theater for unique and intriguing productions.

The Town Players of New Canaan is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit community theater now in our 77th Year.  Established in 1946, we moved from place to place until finding our forever home.  We hope you will join us in your support of the new Powerhouse Performing Arts Center.

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