Details Set for CIRCUS FIRE at TheaterWorks Hartford
Circus Fire is written by Connecticut-based playwright Jacques Lamarre, and directed by Jared Mezzocchi.
TheaterWorks Hartford has revealed details for its upcoming World Premiere production of Circus Fire, which will be performed at the historic First Company Governor’s Foot Guard in Downtown Hartford.
The production has already been extended due to increased demand, running from April 16 - May 23, 2026. Circus Fire is written by Connecticut-based playwright Jacques Lamarre, directed by Jared Mezzocchi, and is conceived by Lamarre, Mezzocchi, and TWH’s Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero.
In July of 1944, with the nation at war and a heat wave settling over the city, the residents of Hartford, Connecticut eagerly await the arrival of “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The unthinkable occurs when a fire turns the big top into an inferno. In the minutes, hours and days following the blaze, two communities – Hartford and the Circus – find themselves irretrievably intertwined by tragedy, blame, heroism, and healing. This multimedia World Premiere honors the power of community in TheaterWorks Hartford’s 40th Season.
The cast of Circus Fire includes 10 Connecticut-based actors - Olivia Nicole Hoffman, Caroline Kinsloving, Janelle Anne Robinson, Mike Boland, Constantino Fernandez, Stuart Rider, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., Marco Verna, Rebecka Jones, and Dan Whelton - and two students from the Hartt School of the Performing Arts - Anastasia Maglaras and Eric Orsini.
The creative team for Circus Fire includes Brian Prather (Set Design), Arthur Wilson (Costume Design), Rob Denton (Lighting Design), Lindsay Jones (Sound Design), and Tom Kosis (Stage Manager).
Circus Fire will take place at the First Company’s Governor’s Foot Guard in Downtown Hartford. The move off-site aligns with the play’s themes around remembrance and Hartford-centric history. It also offers TheaterWorks Hartford an exciting canvas of space for the multimedia components of the show, the opportunity to perform the piece in the round, and for TWH to engage in a new community partnership and bring the story into the city of Hartford.
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