Motivated by a sense of history, a commitment to excellence in the arts and the need for a revitalized New London and Southeastern Connecticut, a group of community leaders created the Garde Arts Center in 1985 as a non-profit performing arts organization.
Their goal was to save the historic Garde theatre, one of the few remaining historic movie palaces in Connecticut.
Built in 1926 during the golden era of the motion pictures and vaudeville theatres, the recently restored one-of-a-kind Moroccan interior of the Garde Theatre, along with the new seats and state-of-the-art stage equipment, provide a very audience-friendly theatre venue in a warm and beautiful atmosphere.
Today the Garde is nationally recognized for its unique architecture and multi-faceted programming playing host to Broadway touring shows, opera, dance, music and family theater.
Eugene O'Neill Theater
305 Great Neck Road, Waterford, CT 06385
Founded in 1964 by George C. White and named in honor of America's only Nobel Prize-winning playwrite
The O'Neill is home to six distinct programs: The O'Neill Playwrights Conference, National Theater Institute, Critics Institute and the Monte Cristo College in New London
