Legacy Theatre
Legacy Theatre is the current live-theater venue occupying the historic Stony Creek Puppet House in Branford, Connecticut.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Legacy Theatre is the modern operating identity of a historic theater building in the Stony Creek section of Branford, Connecticut, near New Haven and the Thimble Islands. The building was constructed in 1903 as a silent-movie venue known as the Lyric Theater. Its subsequent history spans community theater, professional summer stock, wartime manufacturing, puppet theater, and contemporary live performance. The venue became especially associated with the Parish Players, a Stony Creek community theater organization that acquired the building in 1920 and renamed it The Stony Creek Theater. During this period, the theater developed into a significant regional performance space. In 1929, the Parish Players worked with producer Lee Shubert to present a pre-Broadway production of Death Takes a Holiday. During the 1930s, the building operated as a professional summer-stock theater, connecting it with the seasonal theater movement that helped develop performers and productions outside New York. The venue’s most notable theatrical episode came in August 1938, when Orson Welles staged Too Much Johnson, an adaptation of a farce by William Gillette. The production featured performers including Joseph Cotten and other members of Welles’s creative circle. Welles had intended to use motion-picture sequences to provide exposition, but the theater lacked suitable projection facilities. The resulting production was difficult to follow and was withdrawn after its limited run from August 16 to August 29, 1938. Despite its short life, the staging remains an important part of the site’s cultural history. During World War II, the building was converted into a parachute factory, temporarily ending its theatrical use. In 1960, it returned to performance activity as the Stony Creek Puppet House. The puppet theater became known for traditional Sicilian marionettes used in Opera dei Pupi, a storytelling tradition based on European chivalric romances and epics. The collection included large puppets attributed to the Sicilian maker Sebastiano Zappala. These figures were constructed from reinforced wood, hemp, canvas, and carved walnut, and were presented in elaborate costumes representing knights, rulers, peasants, and figures from North African and European traditions. The Puppet House closed in 2009 after building and fire-code violations. Ownership changed in 2013, after which the historic structure was renovated for renewed theatrical use. Operating under the Legacy Theatre name, the venue held its grand-opening event on April 23, 2021. Its 2021 live-performance calendar included Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park as an early production. The Legacy Theatre therefore represents both a continuation and a new chapter in the building’s long performance history: it preserves a Connecticut landmark while presenting contemporary theater and live entertainment.
History
The building now associated with Legacy Theatre was erected in 1903 in Stony Creek, a section of Branford, Connecticut, and originally operated as a silent movie theater called the Lyric Theater. Its location placed it within a coastal community near New Haven and the Thimble Islands. In 1920, the Parish Players, a local community theater group, purchased the building and reopened it as The Stony Creek Theater. The venue became a home for community productions and later developed into a professional summer-stock theater. Its regional importance increased in 1929, when the Parish Players collaborated with Lee Shubert to stage a pre-Broadway production of Death Takes a Holiday. This period established the building as more than a local entertainment site; it became part of the professional theatrical network linking regional stages with New York production interests. The theater’s best-known historical association dates from 1938. Orson Welles mounted Too Much Johnson there from August 16 through August 29. The production was adapted from a William Gillette farce and included Joseph Cotten, Edgar Barrier, Ruth Ford, Mary Wickes, Richard Wilson, and others in the company. Welles planned to incorporate film sequences that would explain elements of the plot. Because the theater did not have appropriate projection facilities, that material could not be used effectively. The surviving stage production consequently suffered from narrative confusion and was permanently shelved after its short run. World War II brought a major change in use. The theater was converted into a parachute factory, demonstrating how the building was incorporated into wartime industrial activity rather than continuing as a performance venue. In 1960, it returned to theatrical use as the Stony Creek Puppet House. The Puppet House was known for its large Sicilian puppets associated with Opera dei Pupi. The collection included traditional figures measuring roughly four to five feet tall and weighing approximately eighty pounds. The puppets were attributed to Sebastiano Zappala and used reinforced wooden bodies, hemp and canvas coverings, carved walnut heads, painted details, and highly elaborate costumes. Their repertory drew on stories such as The Song of Roland, Orlando Furioso, Orlando Innamorato, and Jerusalem Delivered. Performances featured knights, kings, emperors, Moors, villains, heroes, and comic figures, with action supported by improvised dialogue, music, and battle effects. Puppeteers worked from an elevated bridge above the stage and manipulated the figures with rods and strings. The Puppet House closed in 2009 because of building and fire-code violations. Ownership changed in 2013. The building was subsequently renovated as a live theater venue and reopened under the Legacy Theatre identity. Its grand opening took place on April 23, 2021, and its early programming included Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. The site’s present identity combines the practical role of a contemporary theater with the preservation value of a Connecticut Historical Landmark and a building that has passed through cinematic, community, professional, wartime, puppet, and modern live-performance uses.
- 2021
Legacy Theatre grand opening
[1]Following renovation, the venue opens as Legacy Theatre on April 23, 2021.
- 2013
Ownership changes
[1]The building changes ownership during the period preceding its renovation and restoration as a live theater venue.
- 2009
Puppet House closes
[1]The venue closes because of building and fire-code violations.
- 1960
The building becomes the Stony Creek Puppet House
[1]The site returns to theatrical use as a puppet theater specializing in traditional Sicilian marionette performance.
- 1940
Conversion into a parachute factory
[1]During World War II, the building is repurposed for parachute manufacturing.
- 1938
Orson Welles stages Too Much Johnson
[1]Orson Welles presents a short-lived production of Too Much Johnson at the theater from August 16 to August 29.
- 1929
Pre-Broadway production of Death Takes a Holiday
[1]The Parish Players collaborate with Lee Shubert on a pre-Broadway presentation of Death Takes a Holiday.
- 1920
Parish Players acquire the theater
[1]The local Parish Players purchase the building and operate it as The Stony Creek Theater.
- 1903
Building opens as the Lyric Theater
[1]The building is constructed in Stony Creek, Branford, Connecticut, as a silent-movie theater.
Products and positioning
A historic Connecticut theater venue combining preservation of the Stony Creek theater tradition with contemporary live productions and cultural programming.
Performing arts · 2021
Live theater productions
Legacy Theatre presents live stage performances in the renovated historic Stony Creek theater building. Its programming continues the site’s long association with community theater, professional summer stock, and other theatrical uses. The 2021 calendar included Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, identified as an early production after the venue’s reopening.
Cultural venue · 1903
Historic theater venue
The Legacy Theatre venue occupies a building with a documented history reaching back to its 1903 use as the Lyric Theater. The site has served as a movie house, community theater, summer-stock theater, wartime factory, puppet theater, and modern live-performance venue.
Puppetry · 1960
Sicilian marionette tradition
The former Stony Creek Puppet House was known for large traditional Sicilian puppets used in Opera dei Pupi. The figures represented characters from European chivalric epics and were manipulated from an elevated bridge using rods and strings. The repertory combined heroic combat, romance, fantasy, improvised dialogue, music, and comic relief.
Brand decisions
2021
Reopening as Legacy TheatreStrategyBackground
After the Puppet House closed in 2009 and ownership changed in 2013, the historic building was renovated for renewed public use.
Action taken
The building was relaunched as the Legacy Theatre, with a grand opening on April 23, 2021.
Aftermath
The venue resumed live theatrical programming, including Barefoot in the Park in its 2021 calendar.
1940
Wartime conversion to parachute manufacturingStrategyBackground
During World War II, the theater building was no longer used primarily as a performance space.
Action taken
The building was converted into a parachute factory.
Aftermath
The site later returned to theatrical use, becoming the Stony Creek Puppet House in 1960.
Sources2 sources
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