Remembering Marilyn at the White Barn Theatre

First posted here on January 14, 2015

According to New Canaan Advertiser, the site of the former White Barn Theatre in Norwalk, Connecticut is being eyed by a housing development firm. The Save Cranbury Association opposes the plans to build on the two-acre site. “This is one of the last pieces of open space,” said local resident Tim Hawks, whose house abuts the land. “I’m all about protecting it.”

The White Barn Theatre was founded by actress, producer and impresario Lucille Lortel on the property of her estate. Numerous plays from major dramatists premiered there, including Rosten’s 1966 work, Come Slowly Eden. Eileen Heckart, Marilyn’s co-star in Bus Stop, performed there in Unfinished Business (1989.)

As this photo reveals, Marilyn visited the theatre (circa 1955) and signed its guestbook. Another rare photo, seemingly from the same visit, shows her with poet Norman Rosten, a close friend. The theatre was situated close to the home of another friend, Milton Greene, in Westport. A 2012 article for CT Insider states that Arthur Miller also visited the theatre.

UPDATE: The former White Barn Theatre was demolished in July 2017; and in January 2021, a longstanding local campaign to preserve the site was also defeated.