Square Foot Theatre Awarded Shuttered Venue Grant

Wallingford - The Square Foot Theatre and Tavern has been awarded a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who worked on the bipartisan bill, made his first visit to the venue in Wallingford on July 16 to make the announcement.

Hamden residents Patrick Laffin and Jared Andrew Brown run the Square Foot Theatre and Tavern located in the Yale Plaza.

“Everyone deserves a chance to fulfill their dreams. Leave their mark. Continue their mission. Now we can, with a little help from our Federal friends,” the couple proudly posted on the venue’s Facebook page with a video of the announcement.

Square Foot was founded by Brown as a graduation gift to his husband. The team had been working with up and coming performers ever since, until the pandemic shuttered the stage for 17 months. Before settling into the space in the Yale Plaza, this community theatre had moved around, performing in middle school auditoriums, pool clubs, retail storefronts and synagogue social halls.

One thing about Square Foot has remained permanent, namely the endless love and devotion to everyone that walks through their doors. The company is made up of all ages and walks of life who have the passion and drive to create an atmosphere that nurtures as well as inspires. All of these “square feet” make them who they are: “a true community theatre in every sense of the word - community.

“It allows us to keep the arts alive at a time when it is needed the most.” - Jared Andrew Brown, Executive Director of Square Foot Theatre

Two years ago, the couple purchased the former pool hall next door to the theatre and added “Tavern” to their name. Now audience members can mingle with members of the cast and crew after a performance or simply hang out in the large space.

The $76,720 federal grant will allow the community theatre to begin its 15th season. After their best season ever, Square Foot’s 14th season was lost as a result of pandemic restrictions, although the company did present a Spotlight Series that featured cabaret performances by local performers initially outside and now inside the theatre.

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program is the $16 billion grant program administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Sen. Blumenthal stated that he preferred the initial name for the bill, which was “Save Our Stages.”

About $11 billion of the funds in the grant has been awarded to businesses around the country, and the Senator strongly encouraged other businesses to apply for the aid.

Just as he had done during his recent visit to Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, Sen. Blumenthal stressed the importance of theatrical venues in bolstering the local economy, as it brings people together for a cultural experience that “contribute to our quality of life.” While acknowledging the big names in the state such as the Bushnell and Goodspeed Musicals, the senator called Square Foot “a gem.”

On hand to thank the Senator in person was Judy Primavera, the founder for the Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation, the presenting sponsor of Square Foot. On July11, Primavera was recognized for her lifetime of service with the 6th Annual O'Sullivan Award of the Orange Democratic Town Committee by Senator Blumenthal. With the support of Janie’s family and friends, she founded this non profit in memory of her daughter to support the arts, with a special focus on encouraging young artists to take artistic risks.

With the help of the Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation, Square Foot was able to thrive before the pandemic hit, with 2,000 actors cast in 90 shows presented for 32,000 patrons. Brown, the executive director of the theatre, referred to the venue as “a constant reminder that dreams do come true'' and gratefully acknowledged that now it “has been given a new lease on life” thanks to the grant. “It secures our legacy,” he added.

Laffin echoed the lyrics of the title song of “Rent,” that now the venue would be able to pay “last year’s rent, this year’s rent, next year’s rent.”

When the musical “Eddie and the Palaceades” made its world premiere at Square Foot Theatre in 2017, I was honored to sit at a table with lyricist and book writer Roy O’Neil. I got to see the wonderfully talented Moses Beckett in “Rent” and “Children of Eden” and I was also invited to enjoy the Square Foot productions of “13 The Musical” and “Next to Normal.”

I distinctly remember watching Nathan Clift, then a Western Connecticut State University student, play Quasimodo in an excellent production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Clift recently wrote the script for the theatre’s production of “The Cast Will Scream,” an original murder mystery comedy.

Auditions have been announced for “Rent,” to be directed by Laffin and presented in September. Square Foot Theatre and Tavern is located in the Yale Plaza at 950 Yale Ave. in Wallingford.