ORIGIN: In the 1920s and 1930s opulent palace-like movie…read moretheaters were constructed. As part of Hollywood's Warner Bros collection of theaters, the Warner Theatre in Torrington was built in 1928, with doors opening in 1931. Both use and condition of the theater declined, ultimately leading to impending demolition in the early 1980s. A visionary group of community members created a non-profit to save the theater and raise funds for its restoration. Evergreene Architectural Arts and Sevigny Architects helped restore the surfaces that had been designed by legendary Thomas Lamb. Full restoration of the structure and internal systems was achieved and celebrated in 2002. CONCEPT: The restored Warner Theatre has expanded its activities beyond film screenings. Opportunities for patrons to see various performing arts, including dance, music, and plays, are now available within the original theater and surrounding spaces. There is something for everyone -- see the theater's website for upcoming schedule of activities. It's one of several rewarding ways the restored theater can be supported. LOCATION: The theater is located along the main thoroughfare for Torrington. EXPERIENCE: I enjoyed a performance of Swan Lake thanks to World Ballet Company and had opportunity to marvel at both the performance and building interior. TIPS: Make a memorable evening by dining before the event at Geppetto's, just around the corner, and/or head to Sasso's secret lounge (Franklin Lounge) for a post-event cocktail. A free parking lot is near the theater. The theater offers costume rentals. Schedule a visit to their 8,000 square foot storage room by contacting Renee Purdy.

This venue is excellent. It's beautiful, clean and well staffed…read more We were there last night for a Paul Anka concert. Everything was perfect. The employees were helpful and friendly. The seats were comfortable and the stage couldn't be better. It's a very classy locale.

ORIGIN: The site of the Bantam Cinema & Arts Center is said…read moreto be the oldest movie theater in Connecticut. A local grocer, Domenico Evangelisti, opened the then named Rivoli Theater in 1929. Apparently equally visionary, the owner of neighboring Bantam Ball Bearing Company had periodically entertained employees with silent movies, and sold the projector to Evangelisti's son before shifting manufacturing out-of-state to be near the emerging South Bend automobile industry. CONCEPT: Their vision has since been sustained by local aficionados of the arts -- most recently a dedicated group of community members who established non-profit status for the historic theater in 2021. EXPERIENCE: Expect to see viewers reconnecting and chatting before and after the showings. The Cinema remains a community space. TIP: Enjoy dinner, sweet, and/or drink at neighboring restaurants -- La Catrina, Arethusa, Materia.

Attended an amazing 20 year anniversary The Devil's Reject screening with a Q&A with Rob Zombie and…read moreSherri Moon Zombie. I must say the event was handled very professionally. The parking had check-in on arrival . Entering the cinema there was a quaint concession stand that supports local breweries, LOVE THAT ! I enjoyed a Kent Hills Pilsner "The Hollow"- a clean, crisp, and hoppy canned beer . Reasonable prices for freshly popped popcorn topped with REAL butter . Cookies , candies other goodies for sale. This cinema is a non profit organization run by some awesome people . It was a pleasure supporting such a wonderful event and local community.

The Forman School quite literally changed the course of my daughter's life. The caring and…read moresupportive faculty know how to make the educational experience amazing for every student. My daughter went off to her first choice college and will graduate in weeks. She was ready for the rigors of college and had the tools and knew how to use them to get the most out of her college career. I would not hesitate to recommend Forman to any parent who thinks their child needs a little more guidance to not only succeed academically but to enjoy learning again. These are amazing, smart kids who learn differently. Forman gives them opportunities to explore subjects that they are passionate about and supports and encourages their passions. The state of the art Visual and Performing Arts Center is to open in Fall of 2017 and the Fabrication Lab opened this year. It is the perfect school for an "outside the box" kind of student who wants more from a school.

We are so thrilled that we found Forman. It has certainly been a game changer for my son. He came…read morein as a rising Junior full of self doubt about his future and capabilities, and will graduate in a few months as a Senior who has been accepted by an excellent selection of quality colleges. He "found" his learning style with the help of the caring, talented educators at Forman. This DID NOT happen at his large public (highly rated) high school. Socially, he "found" his voice and "his people". If you have a child who struggles due to learning differences, please give Forman a look. They KNOW what they're doing, and do it well.

Yeah, we're fans. The Opera House is a magnificent historical landmark in Thomaston. We've been to…read moredozens of shows here (hosted by Landmark Community Theatre) and consistently come away with wonderful experiences. The shows are first-rate, whether locally produced or visiting artists, whether for adults or youngsters, and we plead prejudice since we've appeared on stage in a few of them. That aside, the staff here couldn't be friendlier and more helpful, the newly renovated interior is clean and lovely and the seating mostly comfortable (the leg room can get to be an issue without an intermission, however) and they have some nice snacks and drinks for patrons.

Always have loved the Opera House. Beautiful inside and great performances. Excited they are…read morereopened!

The Goshen Playhouse is -- surprise! -- the home of the Goshen Players, a very good amateur actors…read moregroup that presents shows throughout the year. The theatre is a small one, no more than 100, we think -- but the proximity of the audience to the stage and the cabaret seating makes for a fun experience for everyone, we think. The seating on the main floor consists of four chairs around a series of tables, and the audience is invited to bring their own food and drink. A burger and beer is fine if that's your choice, or maybe some wine and cheese. Whatever, it makes for a very spirited evening. There is a balcony upstairs with the usual seating, so try to get your tickets on the floor. There are a couple of clean restrooms, and they do sell bottles of water. It's cozy, like we said, and it's fun in our experiences there. The only downside? There's no parking at the theater; you'll have to park across the street or down the road in a church or bank lot. Not very convenient especially in bad weather.

The Goshen Players Inc is a playhouse (or are a theater group who occupies a playhouse) at the…read morerotary in Goshen CT. It used to be the town hall, and may or may not be haunted. Town hall is now a bland complex but also supposed to be haunted. Anyway, the one detraction from this theater is there's no connecting parking lot. You can use the Congregational Church lot, or the United Bank lot, and one of these even has a crosswalk to navigate around it! Just look carefully and step lively. My PSA of the day - rotaries are great for driving, a million times better than lights or stop signs, but people are still idiots and make simple things hard. Once you get to the theater, it's amazing. There are two floors, and you can bring your own food and drink. They do generally sell water, but the tickets are sold in tables of four, so you can bring your charcuterie and make an event out of it! Every play I've seen has always had local performers, and they're having fun which feeds into the audience.

My cousin and I had a lil girls day and hit up the winery. An let me tell you a time was had, the…read moremanager was awesome that's my girl we friends now at this point lol. She'll deff get you a wine that you'll like. The hospitality was A1, we'll see you soon Katelyn lol. Ambiance was beautiful could only imagine when it gets hot out. I'll be back

Thank you for accommodating our party of 8 after being turned away from another vineyard! The staff…read morewere all so friendly and attentive, the wine was delicious, and we truly enjoyed the more intimate atmosphere here!

Wow, really liked the traveling company that we saw in Boone NC. My only disappointment was the…read moretraveling company seemed to have dialed back the R-rating to PG-13 for the traveling troupe (explained below). This modern dance / acrobatics troupe does wildly inventive and quite complex / difficult performances. If you think a 20-minute extremely strenuous interpretation of bird in flight, complete with actual simulated flying, nosedives and mating, but acted out by a group of ultra-fit human dancers, you get the general idea. As mentioned my major gripe was the "tone it down" for the touring company aspect. Near my old place in Manhattan, the Pilobolus dancers were butt naked and pretty clearly simulating sex on stage (not in any sort pornographic way, but freely artistic). Given the amazing acrobatic shape of the dancers that would have gotten an extra star. In Boone, it was a good bit less suggestive, and no full nudity. My heartfelt suggestion is to add back the edge (rap with cursing, etc) and the nudity for the touring troupe.

Pilobolus is a fungus…read more That being said, Pilobolus just recently opened Dance St. Louis's 2012-2013 season with these performances: Rushes Skyscrapers Gnomen All Is Not Lost Automation with films titled: Traffic Starlings Explosions I have no idea how to describe Pilobolus. It is a modern performance company made up of seven dancers. There is ballet. There is modern. There is interpretive dance. There are illusions and allusions. There is athleticism. Pilobolus re-invents the way we see dance and how choreography works and how dancers' forms are viewed from the audience. It draws from light, color, and rhythm. It's an experience. I spent all night comparing them to Momix, who is my favorite dance group ever, and I realize that's a bit unfair. Pilobolus is more raw and stark than Momix. It really is elemental and minimalist. I walked away from Momix thinking, "I want to see more...those colors and the dance flow was awesome!" I walked away from Pilobolus thinking, "Holy cow, what the hell, I need to see more because I didn't understand it the first time around!" Not surprisingly, my favorite was their play on "Skyscrapers", which was originally a song and music video from the music group OK Go. I'd actually never seen the video before the dance, but the dance itself is the sultriest tango ever with three couples in numerous costume, backdrop, and color changes. The video goes through the colors of the rainbow, and I think the Pilobolus dance does too, but I was so busy being mesmerized by the dance steps, that I really don't remember. For real, if you don't want to jump your significant other after watching this dance, then I'm not sure what's wrong with you. My least favorite was Automaton. They use a lot of mirrors and single bright lights, and depending on how they're tilting the mirrors, the lights are blinding. I actually had to shut my eyes a couple of times. It's an interesting piece though. I like how they push the boundaries of dance, experimenting with other mediums and rhythms. Pilobolus does grow on you. It is a fungus, after all.

The Litchfield History Museum is located in the impressive colonial brick building that houses the…read moreLitchfield Historic Society. The small museum highlights life in Litchfield and surrounds with a series of small rotating exhibits. There's a small gift shop and the reasonable $5 admission includes admission to the Tapping Reeve House and Law School, which is right down the street. Open mid April through November.

From the owner: The Litchfield Historical Society is dedicated to presenting the history of the town of Litchfield,…read moreConnecticut through dynamic exhibits, diverse programs, growing collections, and innovative research. The Historical Society is comprised of the Litchfield History Museum, the Helga J. Ingraham Memorial Library, the Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School, and the Tapping Reeve Meadow. Free Admission.

If you are a history buff then this is definitely a place for you. My recent visit to Litchfield…read morewas a journey through the 19th century. While exploring I learned how Litchfield became such a valuable institution and game changer in the education system especially empowering women. The hands-on and interpretive exhibits alters your perception of what museums are for sure. Don't be fooled by the small size, the exhibits were beautifully laid out, very detailed and informative .. what I liked most is you can do it at your own pace. The museum is free to all and street parking is fairly easy. P.S: don't forget to catch a glimpse (across the street, while you still can) of the last sycamore tree planted by Oliver Wolcott...representing 13 colonies marking victory over British rule.

The Tapping Reeve House is the site of the first law school in America. Having gone to law school,…read moreand being kind of a nerd, I had to visit when I was in the area. There are only a few rooms with exhibits on the first floor of the house and no real tour, but the exhibits are informative, and the house itself is very nice inside. Tapping Reeve's first student was Aaron Burr, and as the school grew, he built a small classroom next to his house, which you can peek into. We skipped the 15-minute informative video, but the friendly staff member there gave us a brief synopsis of the history of the school, and I think that was enough. Admission is now free.