Center Stage Theatre

After nearly 30 years of directing, Gary and Francesca Scarpa opened Center Stage in February of 2005. The seed of the idea was planted the previous spring when Francesca attended a motivational seminar given by Oprah Winfrey. Inspired by Ms. Winfrey, Francesca, with the help of Gary, brainstormed and came up with the idea of opening an independent bookstore/coffee shop, which would also house a black box theatre, in downtown Shelton.

In short, the theatre thrived while the bookstore did not, and the Scarpas proceeded to focus all of their energies on theatre activities. Center Stage Theatre soon became a non-profit organization, and a major theatre venue for residents of Shelton and surrounding communities.

In the fall of 2010, Center Stage moved into the vacant Crabtree Hass car dealership on Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton, where the theatre resided for eighteen months. Center Stage currently resides at Lafayette School, 54 Grove Street, Shelton, where it hopes to have a long life.

The theatre produces six full scale productions a year, five of which are with age appropriate casts and one of which is its annual Youth CONNection summer musical, with a cast of high school and college students. The Youth CONNection, now in its 28th year, was founded by the Scarpas in 1983, and the Youth CONNection summer musical has become an event that is anticipated by residents of Shelton and nearby communities.

Center Stage is also a leader in theatre education. In addition to the Youth CONNection, Center Stage presents its annual and highly successful Teen Musical Theatre Workshop for high school students, directed by Gina and Mia Scarpa, Gary and Francesca’s daughters. Center Stage also offers theatre classes for elementary and middle school children throughout the year as well as a summer theatre camp program that has been in existence, under the Scarpas’ guidance, for 25 years.

Throughout the year, Center Stage also presents a variety of cabaret events, which feature Broadway, jazz, folk, and rock performers. In addition, the theatre hosts events for civic organizations like the Valley United Way and the Valley Community Foundation, to name a few.

Center Stage Theatre’s talented performers and behind-the-scenes set builders, lighting technicians, and costumers are all volunteers -- a community of creative people who love theatre and who also love the community for whom they present theatre.

Now in its seventh season, Center Stage hopes to continue to provide great theatre and to be a major entertainment venue in the Lower Naugatuck Valley for many years to come.