Oddfellows Playhouse 40th Birthday Party Set for This Weekend

Oddfellows Playhouse will celebrate 40 years of playmaking with a two-day party, this weekend, June 12 and 13, at the Playhouse.

This birthday party continues an Oddfellows anniversary tradition. "Every five years the Playhouse has a big gathering of the Oddfellows community - artists, alums, current Playhouse students and families, everybody - to celebrate its birthday," says Executive Director Betsy Morgan. "It's non-stop creative play for all ages - and it's free."

Festivities begin at 7pm, Friday, June 12, with a "(pay the) Rent Party," a potluck fundraiser. This event is a chance for supporters to eat, drink, be entertained, and raise some cash to help pay the bills. Everyone is asked to bring something to sip, a snack to share and, of course, a checkbook! Music will be provided by Dirck Westervelt and friends.

Family fun is scheduled from 1-5pm on Saturday, June 13. Art activities will be scheduled throughout the afternoon, and videos, photos and other memorabilia will be on display. Spaces will be set aside for friends to meet and catch up. The afternoon begins with a Juggling Jam at 1pm. At 2pm, Nat Needle, a Playhouse founder, leads a sing-along. Then at 3pm, there will be family improv games and a reunion of the Neighborhood Troupes. The afternoon concludes with "Big Wigs" formal program, cake, and a group photo at 4pm.

A dinner break, from 5 to 7pm, will give people an opportunity to visit downtown Middletown restaurants.

From 7 to 9pm, Oddfellows alumni will offer skits, songs, monologues, circus acts and other entertainments. Oddfellows alumni interested in participating should contact the Playhouse soon - there are a limited number of performance slots available. The celbration concludes with a dance party, beginning at 9pm, led by Eric Kuhn and friends.

Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is a community-based youth theater devoted to providing a safe space for youth of all backgrounds to build essential life skills through the performing arts. Over the years, the Playhouse has been honored with several awards for its commitment to young people and inclusion, including a Community Champion Award from Citizens Bank and a Community Service Award from the Middlesex NAACP.

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