Fairfield Community Theatre
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA former community movie theater and arts venue in Fairfield, Connecticut, later redeveloped as Sacred Heart University Community Theatre.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Fairfield Community Theatre was a historic neighborhood movie theater and community arts venue in Fairfield, Connecticut. The venue began operating as a local moviehouse in 1920 and occupied a prominent location on Fairfield's main street at 1424 Post Road. Although it was principally associated with film exhibition, the building also had a history of stage use and retained architectural features associated with older theatrical venues, including balconies and a stage that was reportedly served by a lift capable of bringing an organ up from the basement. The theater's physical configuration changed over time. A second screening room was added in 1979, while earlier alterations had modified spaces behind the balconies and affected a former office and lounge. The building was used for stage performances in an earlier period before becoming primarily a cinema in the 1970s. In the late 1990s, the Loew's chain attempted to operate the site as an art-house cinema, but the effort was unsuccessful and the theater closed in spring 2001. The closure prompted a local preservation and revival effort. Fairfield real-estate investor Leo Redgate, who had personal memories of visiting the cinema, established a foundation, contributed funds to rehabilitate the property, and recruited community volunteers, including local high-school students. The theater reopened by the end of 2001 under the Fairfield Community Theatre Foundation. During this period, the venue functioned as more than a conventional cinema: it provided film programming, community events, educational activities, and a setting for cultural gatherings. The final public showing under the Fairfield Community Theatre identity took place on September 8, 2011. The venue was subsequently acquired by Sacred Heart University. The property later remained vacant for an extended period before Kleban Properties purchased it in 2019 and leased the space to Sacred Heart University. The renovated or repurposed venue began operating as Sacred Heart University Community Theatre in 2020, ending the Fairfield Community Theatre brand as the site's principal public identity. Under the university-operated model, the site became a multidisciplinary performance and cultural venue rather than solely a movie theater. Its programming has included music, comedy, film screenings, conversations, educational activities, and family-oriented events. The later venue has presented jazz, Broadway-related performances, singer-songwriter concerts, rock, world music, classical programming, local-artist events, film series, question-and-answer screenings, and educational initiatives. This later activity represents the continuation and expansion of the building's community-oriented cultural role, but it should be distinguished from the former Fairfield Community Theatre organization and brand.
History
The theater began operating in 1920 as a local moviehouse in Fairfield, Connecticut. Its location on Post Road placed it within the town's central commercial area and helped make it a recognizable community venue. The building was not exclusively devoted to cinema throughout its history. It had hosted stage performances in an earlier period, and its design included a stage, balconies, and backstage or ancillary spaces that were modified as the venue evolved. The theater underwent a significant physical change in 1979 when a second screening room was added. Other alterations reflected the changing needs of the building and its operators. Accounts of the theater describe an office and lounge located behind one of the balconies; in 1950, the office was expanded at the expense of part of the lounge. The building also reportedly used a mechanical lift to move an organ from the basement to the stage, illustrating its earlier theatrical and performance functions. By the 1970s, the venue had been converted primarily into a movie theater. In the late 1990s, Loew's tried to reposition the site as an art-house cinema. That operating model did not succeed, and the theater closed in spring 2001. Its closure created concern that an established local cultural building might be lost or remain unused. Leo Redgate, a Fairfield real-estate investor who remembered attending the theater as a child, organized an effort to restore and revive it. He established the Fairfield Community Theatre Foundation, invested personal funds in repairs, and recruited volunteers from the surrounding community, including high-school students. The work enabled the theater to reopen by the end of 2001. In its revived form, the venue operated as a community cinema and cultural center, showing films while also supporting educational and public programming. The Fairfield Community Theatre era ended with the venue's final public showing on September 8, 2011. The property was later acquired by Sacred Heart University. It then spent a substantial period vacant before Kleban Properties bought the theater in 2019 and leased it to the university. Beginning in 2020, the building operated as Sacred Heart University Community Theatre. The university-era venue broadened the site's role. In addition to film, it presented live music, comedy, conversations, family events, and educational programs. Later programming described for the venue included jazz, Broadway-related performances, singer-songwriter events, rock, world music, classical music, local-artist showcases, cinema-history programs, blockbuster screenings, film discussions, a family film series, a thought-leader series, and movie-making education. The venue also employed university students in roles such as box office support. From 2021, executive director Matt Oestreicher oversaw the theater's operations and helped assemble a team of production, operations, and technical personnel. These developments belong to the successor Sacred Heart University Community Theatre, but they demonstrate the continuity of the property as a community-facing arts venue.
- 2021
Matt Oestreicher becomes executive director
[1]Matt Oestreicher is identified as executive director during the university-operated period.
- 2020
University-operated successor opens
[1]The site begins its current phase as Sacred Heart University Community Theatre.
- 2019
Property is acquired by Kleban Properties
[1]Kleban Properties purchases the long-vacant theater and leases the property to Sacred Heart University.
- 2011
Final public showing under the former identity
[1]The last public showing under the Fairfield Community Theatre identity takes place on September 8.
- 2001
Loew's art-house operation closes
[1]An unsuccessful Loew's art-house operating period ends when the theater closes in spring.
- 2001
Community foundation reopens the theater
[1]Following a local rehabilitation campaign led by Leo Redgate, the venue reopens by the end of the year as a community theater.
- 1979
Second screening room added
[1]The theater expands its cinema capacity with a second screen room.
- 1970
The venue becomes primarily a movie theater
[1]After earlier stage use, the building is converted into a primarily cinematic venue during the 1970s.
- 1950
Interior office and lounge are altered
[1]The owner enlarges an office behind one of the balconies, reducing the adjacent lounge area.
- 1920
The moviehouse begins operation
[1]A local movie theater begins operating in Fairfield, Connecticut, at the site later associated with Fairfield Community Theatre.
Products and positioning
A community-oriented cinema and cultural venue
Cinema programming · 1920
Film exhibition
The theater's core historical offering was public film exhibition. Across its different operating periods, it functioned as a local moviehouse, an attempted art-house cinema, and later a community film venue. Its programming identity included general movie screenings as well as community-oriented and independent-film activity.
Cultural programming · 2001
Community film events
During the foundation-led revival, the venue served as a setting for public film events and cultural gatherings in addition to ordinary screenings. The community model emphasized local participation, volunteer involvement, and the preservation of a neighborhood cultural space.
Performing arts · 2020
Live and educational venue
The building's stage and theatrical layout supported uses beyond cinema. In the later university era, the successor venue expanded into live music, comedy, talks, family activities, and educational programming. These offerings are associated with Sacred Heart University Community Theatre rather than the discontinued Fairfield Community Theatre brand.
Marketing campaigns
- 2001Community theater revival
Fairfield, Connecticut, United States
Leo Redgate created the Fairfield Community Theatre Foundation, contributed to building repairs, and organized volunteers to revive the closed cinema as a locally supported cultural venue.
Outcome. The theater reopened by the end of 2001 and operated for approximately another decade under the community-theater identity.
Brand decisions
2019
Property transferred to a new operating arrangementM&ABackground
After the former theater had been vacant for an extended period, a new ownership and institutional-use structure was arranged.
Action taken
Kleban Properties purchased the property and leased it to Sacred Heart University.
Aftermath
The site was developed into Sacred Heart University Community Theatre, which began operating in 2020.
2001
Conversion into a community-supported cultural venueStrategyBackground
The theater's closure threatened the continuation of a familiar local cinema and performance space.
Action taken
The Fairfield Community Theatre Foundation raised local support, funded repairs, and reopened the property with volunteers.
Aftermath
The venue returned to public operation by the end of 2001 under a community-oriented identity.
1990
Attempted repositioning as an art-house cinemaStrategyBackground
In the late 1990s, Loew's attempted to operate the venue as an art-house movie theater after the site's long history as a local cinema.
Action taken
Loew's ran an art-house-oriented operation at the theater.
Aftermath
The effort did not succeed, and the theater closed in spring 2001.
Sources1 sources
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