The stage on Whisconier Road belongs to Amélie through early December. Brookfield Theatre for the Arts opened its production of the musical on Friday, November 13, and it runs weekends through Saturday, December 5, in a building that has been the home of community theater in Brookfield, on the southern shore of Candlewood Lake in northern Fairfield County, since 1960.

The show closes the theater's 2026 season. Its 2027 season, already announced, will mark the organization's 70th anniversary.

The show

Amélie is the stage musical based on the film written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant. Its title character is a young woman who lives quietly and covertly arranges small, surprising acts of kindness for the people around her, until a chance at love means she has to speak up for herself. The stage version has a book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé, and lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Daniel Messé.

Brookfield's production is directed by Matt Austin and Jessica Chesbro, with Jessica Chesbro as choreographer and Sarah Fay as musical director. It is produced by Lou Okell and Jen MacNeil Danenberg. Auditions were held in August.

Performances and tickets

  • Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
  • Sundays at 2 p.m.
  • Final performance: Saturday, December 5.

Seating is reserved. Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors and $25 for students, sold online through the theater's box office. Refreshments are available an hour before each show and at intermission, with limited beer and wine service for patrons 21 and older.

One more show before the year ends

After Amélie closes, the theater hosts a holiday concert by Lunar, an all-female a cappella group, on Saturday, December 19. Doors open at 7 p.m., and all tickets are $25 online or at the door.

A gymnasium turned playhouse

The theater's own history traces the building back to 1897, when it was the gymnasium of the Curtis School for Boys, on land that was the home of the Paugussett and later the center of colonial Brookfield. The Country Players of Brookfield, founded in 1957 by Tillie Ciccala and Dot French, spent their first years performing in church halls, firehouses and school auditoriums before buying the building in 1960 and refurbishing it as their permanent stage.

The group renamed itself the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts in 2003, to reflect a wider mix of concerts, exhibits and workshops, and a new lobby annex with gallery space was dedicated in 2005. It remains an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization. Its annual Paddy Awards, named for Pat Ciccala, the founder's husband, honor the previous season's work; the awards for 2026 are set for January 2027.

The 70th anniversary season

The 2027 lineup includes The Drowsy Chaperone, The Whales of August, Gypsy, Hangmen and POTUS. Season subscriptions are on sale now and include discounted tickets.

Getting there

Brookfield Theatre is at 184 Whisconier Road, on Route 25 next to the Brookfield Library (the theater suggests searching for the library on GPS). The building has designated parking, accessible side doors, ramps and accessible restrooms. For special requests, the theater can be reached at brookfieldtheatrect@gmail.com.

Sources