Diana Stricker Photo
Francine Farkas Sears
It was just like real-life community theater in Stony Creek this week as the ongoing saga of the now-vacant Puppet House unfolded with a surprising last-minute plot twist.
It all began when a theatrical trio presented a proposal to the Stony Creek Association on Tuesday. The trio, led by Branford resident Susan F. Clark, outlined their hopes to transform the Puppet House into a community theater, reminiscent of the days when Orson Welles performed there. The 1903 venue has gone through several transformations — from a silent movie house, to a theater, to a girdle factory, to a puppet stage. It was shuttered by the town in 2008 because of code violations, and has been up for sale in recent months.
A standing-room only crowd of about 50 people were just about to finalize debate on the theatrical proposal, when an unexpected announcement changed everything.
Stony Creek resident Francine Farkas Sears, an internationally known businesswoman and entrepreneur, announced she made an offer to purchase the building. She hopes to turn the venue into a design studio.
“I just think it’s the most wonderful building,” Sears said as she spoke briefly about her project. “It’s pretty decrepit, but there’s a sentiment and a beauty to it.”
Sam Stricker File Photo
Sears said her offer to purchase the property at 128 Thimble Island Rd. is contingent on the results of testing and inspections. The asking price of the property is $475,000. She estimated renovations would cost a minimum of $400,000.
“It’s a work in progress. We’d like to make to something wonderful there,” Sears said in regard to the theater building. “But it would always be the Puppet House.”
Sears, who has lived in Story Creek 32 years, is the owner and president of Fabrique, a company which designs and manufactures computer cases, handbags and luggage for an international market. Prior to founding the company in 1978, she was a stockbroker and was fashion director of Alexander’s department stores in New York City, which were owned by her former husband’s family.
She said both Stony Creek and the Puppet House have a special place in her heart. She said the sellers have accepted her offer, but the sale depends on the odds of renovating the antiquated building. So the saga will continue.
Indeed the drama continued Thursday when the attorney in charge of the property informed the Stony Creek Association that the Puppet House is still on the market. Attorney Bruce S. Gordon confirmed that he has had offers but wrote that other offers could still be considered.
Plan B
Clark, who proposed the community theater concept earlier in the evening, told the group that her proposal could serve as Plan B, in case Sears’ project did not materialize. She speculated that perhaps there might be some way to combine the two concepts at the Puppet House. Several people signed up to continue the discussions and possibly form an exploratory committee.
The proposal by Clark includes co-collaborators David Mayhew and John Conte, both of Guilford. Clark said the trio has a combined total of more than 100 years experience in professional, non-profit theater.
“We have a great interest in saving the Puppet House,” Clark said as she began her presentation at the start of the meeting. “We are concerned about protecting and preserving this landmark.”
Clark, who described herself as a theater director and manager, said the project would be a publicly funded non-profit entity dedicated to theater and the arts. “My passion, my profession and my impetus in life have always been in the theater.” She envisioned the project as a collaborative effort to raise funds to purchase and renovate the building.
“The Puppet House has its roots so firmly in this community. I can’t imagine it not being here,” Clark said as she talked about how the village came together in the 1920’s to turn the former Lyric Theater into the Stony Creek Community Theater. It was owned by a local group called the Parish Players.
“When it was finished, it was considered to be one of the finest community theaters in the country,” she said, attracting Broadway shows and actors like Orson Welles. “It’s an amazing picture of a true grass-roots organization coming to fruition.”
Clark (pictured) was seeking a go-ahead from the Stony Creek Association before proceeding. “Our vision is malleable. We truly want this to be something the community wants,” she said. “We’re here to start a conversation with you.”
The conversation started immediately, with some people excited by the idea, others wary, and a few opposing it.
“It’s important that we as a community look at the options,” said Joshua Brooks, a member of the Representative Town Meeting. He said Clark’s plan could be a “best-case scenario.”
While many waxed nostalgic about the venue’s theatrical history, others spoke about the recent “bad history” when the site became an unsupervised hang-out for teenagers, where vandalism and drug problems ensued.
Stephen Stach, whose family has lived near the Puppet House for 42 years, said the site has always been problematic. “I cannot take it anymore. I think it should be bulldozed down,” he said.
Several people questioned how issues like traffic, parking and noise would be addressed. Others wanted information about renovation costs, market share, types of productions and fund-raising.
But it appears the key issue is timing and urgency.
“I applaud these people for having a grand idea,” First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos said in regard to Clark’s plans. “But we’re going to lose that building if we wait much longer.”
DaRos said the building is literally falling apart and may not last through a long fund-raising campaign. DaRos, whose family has lived in Stony Creek for decades, estimated it would cost more than $750,000 to renovate the building and bring it up to code.
That’s when Sears spoke up with her announcement.
“I’m very encouraged to have a Plan A and a Plan B,” said Ted Ells, adding that Sears has undertaken wonderful projects and that the theater plans were also interesting. Ells, an attorney, is a member of the committee working to create a Stony Creek Museum.
Saving The Puppet House
The concerns DaRos expressed about a lengthy fund-raising project to save the building were based in experience.
Several proposals have been made to revitalize the Puppet House, but none have succeeded.
The most recent was in 2010, when Branford teen-age entrepreneur Greg Nobile launched a campaign to turn the site into an art, music and theatrical venue for all ages.
He secured a rent-free lease for one year while he attempted to raise funds for renovations. After that, there were supposed to be a series of three-year rental options for the site.
However, in November 2011, Nobile announced the deal had collapsed and that his Puppet House Foundation would take their artistic endeavors “on tour” while providing cultural opportunities along the shoreline.
Speculation has also been ongoing about the fate of the rare Sicilian puppets (pictured) that once performed at the Puppet House with puppeteer Jim Weil, who also owns the property.
The theater/girdle factory was renamed the Puppet House in 1960 when Weil’s mother Grace Weil purchased the property to open a puppet museum. She filled the theater with about 200 puppets and marionettes she had collected during her world travels. The 52 Sicilian puppets, which weigh up to 80 pounds each, were handcrafted by Sebastiano Zappala more than 100 years ago.
Weil, who stopped giving puppet performances when his health failed, allowed the building to be used for other purposes until the town stepped in shut it down for multiple code violations.
Questions were asked Tuesday night about the puppets, but no one knew the answers.
So it seems the fate of the fabled theater and its puppets will continue as the next chapters unfold.
Stay tuned.
###