Restoring the Historic Theatre

In July 2011, Keely Baisden Knudsen, an award-winning actress, director, choreographer, and professor and Stephanie Stiefel Williams, an actress and former attorney, incorporated the Legacy Theatre as a non-profit entity. Knudsen and Williams then retained Webb Management, North America’s leading provider of development, planning and consulting services for arts and creative entities, to conduct a Feasibility Study. The Study concluded that:

• There is unmet demand for arts and cultural programs along the Shoreline Region

• The available performance facilities are of relatively low quality and have limited availability

• New arts and cultural programs could support the area in a number of ways by improving the quality of life for residents, offering educational opportunities for children, and boosting the local economy. The Feasibility Report defined the need, size and scope of an additional successful professional theater in the Branford/Guilford area.

In their search for a theater location, Knudsen and Williams came upon the Stony Creek Puppet House in Branford, CT. Once Knudsen and Williams looked at the building and history of the Puppet House, they wanted to continue its legacy. In March 2013, the Legacy Theatre purchased two adjacent properties which accommodate the theater and a neighboring George Victor Artist’s Cottage, serving as an abode for visiting artists, playwrights and designers. The Legacy Theatre feels it an honor to be at the helm of the buildings’ restoration and revitalization.

Legacy Theatre is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.