Square Foot Theatre Presents 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'

Wallingford, CT - ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ opened on Friday and runs through June 16, 2018 at Square Foot Theatre in Wallingford. The Square Foot Theatre is a BYO venue. Patrons are encouraged to bring their favorite food and drink.

The Square Foot Theatre is sponsored by the Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation. This foundation came into being 15 years ago in celebration of the life of Ms. Hulley and her insatiable love for the arts. Her dedicated parents founded the program after they lost their daughter to cancer and her legacy lives on in so many ways. Jamie A. Hulley provides educational programs for schools, with 23 funded in 2017. They provide several different kinds of scholarships which are all renewable, including funds for college, summer theater camp and talent development.

The foundation also offers grants to individuals and community groups to try something innovative, follow a dream, and to share the gift of the arts with their community. Jamie A Hulley has been a creative partner of Broadway Method Academy since 2015, a sponsor of Theater Fairfield's Independent Project since 2003, a sponsor of several programs at Amity Schools, and a part of a School Readiness through Dance program to Bridgeport preschoolers since 2011. In addition to Legacy Programs and Awards that were established to recognize places and activities that had a major impact on Ms. Hulley's development.

The parents of Ms. Hulley held a fundraiser for the foundation at the final dress rehearsal of Square Foot's most recent production, an excellent rendering of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame.’ I was excited to be invited to attend the preview performance and speak with the cofounders of the theatre.

The Square Foot Theatre Company was founded in 2007 by Jared Andrew Brown (Executive Director) and Patrick Laffin (Director of Education), with the help of their headlining sponsor, the Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation. The Square Foot Theatre officially became a not-for-profit company in 2013. Two years later it moved into its current venue in Wallingford, Connecticut, featuring an intimate theatre experience with cabaret-style seating. Now in its 11th season, The Square Foot Theatre has produced more than 60 shows, cast more than 950 actors, and hosted more than 25,000 patrons.

Square Foot Theatre strives to give opportunities to performers who might not otherwise have them, and actively encourages everyone interested in a show to audition for roles in their many productions. Their mission is to offer a non judgemental venue for all ages at all levels of experience, in keeping with the vision of the Jamie A. Hulley Foundation.

The Square Foot production of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ is a sweeping musical featuring a very talented, mostly young cast of local performers. As always, I was impressed with all the technical aspects that showcased the performances of the up and coming artists involved in the show.

From the Academy Award-winning team comes a lushly scored retelling of Victor Hugo’s epic story of love, acceptance and what it means to be a hero.

Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ showcases the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz. Peter Parnell’s new book embraces story theatre and features verbatim passages from Hugo’s gothic novel.

The musical begins as the bells of Notre Dame sound through the famed cathedral in fifteenth-century Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer who longs to be "Out There," observes all of Paris reveling in the Feast of Fools. Held captive by his devious caretaker, the archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, he escapes for the day and joins the boisterous crowd, only to be treated cruelly by all but the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda. Quasimodo isn’t the only one captivated by her free spirit, though – the handsome Captain Phoebus and Frollo are equally enthralled. As the three vie for her attention, Frollo embarks on a mission to destroy the gypsies – and it’s up to Quasimodo to save them all.

Square Foot Theatre is located at 950 Yale Avenue in Wallingford directly of Merritt Parkway Exit 66. Doors open at 6:30pm and the performance begins at 7:30pm. Tickets are available online

Coming on August 8, 2018 is a preview night fundraiser of ‘Once on this Island.’

The 16th annual Evening for the Arts will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018 at the Quick Center at Fairfield University. There will be 6:00pm preview and reception, with a 7:00pm performance featuring the Broadway Boys. 100% of the profits of the evening will be used for scholarships and grants.

Square Foot Theatre is supported by the Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation. This nonprofit organization’s mission is to provide opportunities for young artists and early career professionals to expand their artistic talent and pursue their dreams. Ms. Hulley was a young woman who dreamed of pursuing a career in the arts, but her dream was cut short when she lost her battle with an aggressive lymphoma just two weeks before her 21st birthday. Her parents, Judy Primavera and Fred Hulley, and friends established the foundation 15 years ago to support the artists who share their daughter’s creative passion and her love for taking artistic risks. The Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation sponsors a wide range of annual scholarships, awards, grants, and educational programs in the arts.