One more act in the life of the historic theater

By Ruth Melville

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” sang Bob Dylan, and if you lived in Norfolk you didn’t need a crystal ball to know that change was coming to Infinity Hall. A glance at the venue’s diminishing concert schedule was enough to cause uneasiness.

Faced with decreasing revenues and rising costs, the owners of Infinity Hall, GoodWorks Entertainment Group, based in Fairfield, Conn., have decided to turn the building over the Town of Norfolk to be run as a nonprofit.

The idea is that a newly created 501(c)(3) and its board of directors, not the town itself, would own and operate the building. The switch to a nonprofit would cost the town tax revenue, but First Selectman Matt Riiska hopes that an arrangement can be made for a payment to the town in lieu of taxes, as has been done with other nonprofits in town.

The details are still being worked out, but ideally the building could be used for a variety of purposes—as an auditorium for lectures, plays, music and dance, or maybe as a party venue or meeting place.

GoodWorks bought Infinity Music Hall and Bistro, with venues in Norfolk and Hartford, from Dan Hincks in 2019. At the time, CEO Tyler Grill and cofounder Dave Rosenfeld were eager to take on the new task of running a concert hall and said that they hoped to combine concert promotion with community building in Norfolk.

But after only a year in operation, Covid struck, and all plans were temporarily put on hold. The business was closed for over a year, reopening in the summer of 2021.

During the hiatus, GoodWorks upgraded the lighting and sound systems and worked to maintain the historic building.

Infinity Hall reopened last summer, but unfortunately business in Norfolk never returned to normal. Concert attendance did not rebound, and the restaurant, with a sharply pared-down menu, was only open on concert nights.

The Infinity Hall website lists one upcoming show in Norfolk, Todd Snider on Sept. 9. The Hartford venue is unaffected by the changes in Norfolk.

Libby Borden, co-chair of the Economic Development Commission, says that people she has talked to in town have been enthusiastic about the possibilities the handover offers. But she cautions that things are still in the very early stages. “If the planning works out, who is hired to organize the shows will be key,” she says.

Infinity Hall has been instrumental in bringing people to Norfolk, to eat and shop as well as attend concerts. It is hoped that, with luck and planning, the building will continue to be an economic driver and community resource for the town.