Bristol’s residents have been anxiously awaiting the day when the Rockwell Theater at the Memorial Boulevard Arts Magnet School will begin putting the gorgeous newly-renovated Rockwell Theater to more frequent use for the entertainment of the populace. Well, the waiting will all end soon.
Arianna Therriault, the arts and culture supervisor for the Bristol Park System, has announced the first four productions for the upcoming fall season are on the schedule. She has been working for the past month or so securing contracts with the performing groups, and the following performances have been set.
Celebrating Queen, featuring Bristol’s own Joe Archambeault, is scheduled for Sept. 9. The doors will open at 7:30 p.m., with the show scheduled from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Rocky Horror Picture Show with Live shadow-casting by RKO Army, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 28. The doors will open at 6:15 p.m., with the show at 7 to 9 p.m.
Scenes – A Billy Joel Experience, is slated for Saturday, Nov. 18. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., show at 7-9 p.m.
Christmas with The Nashville KING, Starring Bristol’s John Beardsley, will be on Saturday, Dec. 16, with the doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show from 7 to 9 p.m.
Theriault has only been on the job for approximately six weeks, and she is hard at work reaching out to groups and individuals to fill a nice schedule for 2024 as well. She pointed out that the arrangement on the theater with the Board of Education is that for “60 to 80 days a year” the theater will be available for “shows- comedians, concerts, and things of that nature.”
Therriault is looking for a wide range of entertainment for the people of the area.
“It is such a great theater with the modern sound and lighting systems, so I think it would be great to get some sort of a live theater type of show,” she said in reference to something like off-Broadway plays.
The reality of booking acts is that there are many factors involved making the job complicated. The schedule of the groups has to mesh with the booking dates. Accommodations for the people involved can get convoluted, with different people arriving on different schedules.
The price range being considered for the shows, Therriault said, was at a price range of about $35 to $50, depending on the show. They have surveyed prices being charged at venues such as the Warner in Torrington or Infinity Hall in Hartford and Norfolk, and that is the price range in those theaters. She also mentioned if they could book a big-name comedian like an Adam Sandler, the price would be adjusted accordingly, maybe $100 or more.
Therriault is also working on a system of on-line purchasing of tickets, which will be announced soon this summer. It will be “a full ticketing platform with an interactive user face to purchase tickets.” They will also be setting something up on the Arts and Culture Commission Facebook page that will show all of the different events that will be happening.
“And actually, I’m going to bring up a really fun program for the Arts and Culture Commission to run a five-dollar movie night on Fridays at the theater,” said Therriault. “Maybe once a month or every two months, this would be a way for the Arts Commision to be involved in the community, and it would give the people an opportunity to go to a movie in Bristol again.”
Therriault comes to her new job after working for about 10 years at ESPN, working on the Sportscenter set as a Steadycam and Jig operator. Most of her hours were during second and third shift, and for the ten years on the job, she never had a weekend off.
But things changed dramatically for her when she had twin babies last year, and her new job with much fewer hours fits her needs perfectly. Now she knows she can be home with her babies on a much more desirable schedule.
It looks like this hire was a big win, both for the City of Bristol and for Arianna Therriault personally.
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