FCCF Giving Day to Support Ridgefield Playhouse's Backstage Improvements, 3/5

Fairfield County Community Foundation has designated Thursday, March 5, as the 2nd Annual Fairfield County Giving Day, and The Ridgefield Playhouse, a 501 (C) (3) not-for-profit performing arts center, is hoping that people who appreciate the enriching nature of the performing arts will help raise the $20,000 needed to improve the backstage experience for the hundreds of artists who perform there each year. The FCCF Day funds will help preserve and enhance the theater, originally designed in 1939. The Top 5 non-profits will also qualify to win extra prizes ranging from $25,000 to $5,000. For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org/cm/Giving%20Day.html.

"The backstage area used for prop storage, the Green Room and Star Dressing Rooms where the performers and tech crews wait backstage are in need of a makeover. Since we opened our doors 15 years ago, we've been able to enhance the patron experience with state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and stage accouterments, new seats and floors, with little funding left over to improve the backstage area. We are so hoping that people will choose The Ridgefield Playhouse as their charity of choice on FCCF's Giving Day," explains Suzanne Brennan, Chief Development Officer for The Ridgefield Playhouse. "Most of our building is in original condition and in great need of attention. Every donation makes a difference and will help increase the excitement and momentum for giving throughout the day AND allow us to continue sharing our love of the arts with so many."

As patrons of the Playhouse can attest, the 500-seat performing arts center and movie theater boasts an intimate ambiance for live performance of all kinds. It has become not only the cultural hub of Ridgefield but has put the bucolic town on the map as a popular destination. The Ridgefield Playhouse has helped fuel the economic engine that drives the town through its mutually beneficial affiliations with area business, retail and restaurant partners.

The Playhouse is committed to making the performing arts part of the daily diet. In the words of American philanthropist John D. Rockefeller III, "The Arts are not for the privileged few, but for the many. Their place is not on the periphery of daily life, but at its center. They should function not merely as another form of entertainment but rather, should contribute significantly to our wellbeing and happiness."

For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org/cm/Giving%20Day.html and ridgefieldplayhouse.org.