Short Takes
News from Hartford Stage
LOBBY: Outrageous! Audacious! Adults Only!
Check out the cabinets in the Geo & Laura Estes (Lower) Lobby for a glimpse into the titillating world of our February/March production of Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill, directed by Elizabeth Williamson. Cloud 9 is a brazen, savagely funny exploration of the blurred lines between gender and identity. And Churchill’s carnal circus really puts it out there—from hedonism to genderism, and even ventriloquism. What do you need to reach Cloud 9?
Tiny Tim’s Food Drive Tops Last Year
Our second annual Tiny Tim’s Food Drive topped the first year’s total, raising 1,716 pounds—an additional 622 pounds—in donations for Hands on Hartford! Hands On Hartford’s programs serve the city’s most vulnerable citizens: the homeless, children and families in crisis, and low-income senior citizens. Thank you to all of our ticket buyers to A Christmas Carol—A Ghost Story of Christmas for their donations.
So Long, Bill Raymond
On December 30, Hartford Stage bid a fond farewell to actor Bill Raymond, who left an indelible mark on Hartford audiences after 17 years of portraying Ebenezer Scrooge. During an emotional sendoff after curtain call—which featured tributes from Darko Tresnjak, Michael Wilson and Mike Stotts—Bill was presented with his top hat and slippers, a first edition copy of A Christmas Carol from the cast and crew, a set of keys to the “kingdom of A Christmas Carol,” a proclamation from Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, and hundreds of letters from Hartford Stage patrons and staff. A plaque dedicated in Bill’s honor also will be installed in the men’s dressing room upon completion of renovations in 2018.
Left to Right: Bill Raymond and the cast of A Christmas Carol. Bill Raymond and original A Christmas Carol director Michael Wilson. Bill Raymond and Hartford Stage Managing Director Mike Stotts. Current director of A Christmas Carol Rachel Alderman and Bill Raymond. Photos by The Defining Photo.
