If you happen to be strolling down Washington Street and notice a historic building with a colorful façade bearing the moniker “Oddfellows Playhouse,” you have stumbled upon a student-founded Middletown gem.
In 1975, four University undergraduates—Nat Needle, Alida Jay, Sandy Cohen, and Amy Bloom—took it upon themselves to introduce Middletown children to the joys of participating in live theater. Thirty-six years later, Oddfellows Playhouse serves over 2,000 students annually from 31 towns in central Connecticut. For these youths, Oddfellows has become a second home, a place where they build confidence and develop a myriad skills that serve them in both theater and life.
Oddfellows reaches out to prospective students through a variety of venues and media.
“When we have programs coming up, we send out flyers and sometimes give talks and workshops at schools to pique people’s interest,” Program Coordinator Joanna Perricone said, the for Oddfellows Playhouse. “But we’ve been around for so long that we actually gain a lot of kids just from word-of-mouth.”
Executive Director Matthew J. Pugliese began working with Oddfellows as a teaching artist about six years ago. Pugliese, a Middletown native, was an actor/director seeking employment.
“When I got involved with Oddfellows, I realized that not only was it an opportunity to do work in the arts, but it also gave me a chance to have an impact on kids’ lives, and that made me feel good at the end of the day,” Pugliese said.
According to Pugliese, after the four University students established the program, the local arts community quickly recognized the value of this venture. Consequently, the program developed into a partnership of University students, parents, and artists committed to keeping Oddfellows going.
“The goal of the Oddfellows programs is for positive youth development,” Pugliese said. “It isn’t just about the performance or the production—it’s the artistic experience for the kids. They’re growing in self-confidence, making new friends, and the work that we’re doing is allowing the kids to look critically at their own world and their place in it. So it’s really much more than just ‘Let’s do a play.’”
Pugliese explained that casting and admission to the program is conducted in as egalitarian a manner as possible—the ultimate objective being to accept all who apply and to find the role best suited for each student.
“At Oddfellows there is a place for every student—whether they want a large role, or to play a critical role behind the scenes,” Pugilese said. “As our method for admitting students into the Teen Repertory Company we use cold readings right now. But not cold readings in your traditional ‘Here’s your side, you’re up in five minutes,’ way. We host pre-audition workshops because we really don’t want the audition to be an intimidating part of the process. It is about learning—learning how to audition. We all want the students to be successful—not intimidated.”
Classes are oriented specifically towards respective age groups. Younger children develop acting skills that are focused upon the use of their voices, bodies, and imaginations, as well as on understanding stage directions. After the youngest children have developed a basic skill set, they are ready to move on to mini productions.
“We try to open the kids’ eyes up to not only the classics, but also things they would never be exposed to at school—such as West African folktales, which we’re doing next semester,” Pugliese said.
Along a similar vein, Oddfellows includes a variety of programs to help students find their niches. One such program, “Arts Explorers,” is a year-long, in-depth mentoring program geared towards middle schoolers. In this program, artists of various disciplines mentor students in their chosen field.
“In the past, we have also had play-writing contests for high school students,” Pugliese said. “One of our alumni from this program, Christopher Shinn, was a finalist in 2008 for the Pulitzer Prize for his drama ‘Dying City.’ And he wrote his first play for the Oddfellows playwriting contest!”
This winter, Middletown is hosting a New Year’s Eve Festival on Main Street called “Midnight on Main 2012.” The event will feature a variety of performances and activities from 3 p.m. to midnight. Oddfellows Playhouse will be one of the participants.
“Because Middletown hasn’t had an event like this before, Mark Masselli, CEO of the Community Health Center and Wesleyan alum, felt that it would benefit Middletown residents and businesses,” Oddfellows Director of Development Courtney Antonelli said. “Middletown is a place for families to go, and this event will help communicate that. They’ve been planning it for three months now, and they’re supposed to have over 60 acts. Here at Oddfellows, there is going to be something going on almost every hour between 3pm and midnight on December 31st.”
True to its roots, Oddfellows Playhouse provides many opportunities for University students to be involved. There are positions available as assistants in production, administration, and teaching.
“Being a teaching assistant is very rewarding,” Perricone said. “You watch these kids make progress. If they’re shy, you can watch them come out of their shell. You are a part of that process.”
Teaching assistants commit to one to two hours a week for an eight-week session. There are generally two assistants and one teaching artist for every class of 15 to 20 students, meaning there is ample room for Wesleyan students to participate. Oddfellows sees their internship opportunities as a way of giving something back to the institution that helped establish it.
“At Oddfellows, we say that we’re a youth theater rather than a children’s theater because it’s all about youth and that learning process,” Pugliese said. “When you’re in college, you’re still learning, so we can figure into a Wesleyan student’s education and development. That’s a part of what we’re doing too.”
This article has been updated on October 28, 2011 to correct an error concerning the involvement of Oddfellows Playhouse in the “Midnight on Main 2012” event.