Local and State officials came together at Oddfellows theater to praise Governor Malloy's restoration of $15M in state funding for tourism advertising, and the Regional Tourism District. The press conference was attended by several reporters and a dozen supporters of the arts.
Matt Pugliese, Managing Director of Oddfellows Playhouse, was joined by Chris Donovan, Speaker of the House, Matthew Lesser, State Representative, Larry McHugh, President of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, and Deborah Moore, Executive Director of Wadsworth Mansion.
Pugliese said that Oddfellows draws kids from 27 different school districts for theater training, rehearsals, and performances, with families spending significant time in Middletown. He said that Oddfellows leverages each $1 in state grant funding into $15 in private donations. Oddfellows provides part-time work to over 50 artists living in Middlesex and Hartford Counties.
Donovan said that tourism and the arts generates $14 billion in income to the state, and $1.7 million in state and local taxes. McHugh, focusing on the region from Cromwell to the shoreline, said, "Tourism is an economic generator for our region."
During the question period, Robert Resnikoff expressed his reluctance to viewing the arts solely as a jobs-creation, economic driver. He said the work of Oddfellows and other arts organizations should be supported for their intrinsic value, "When people come here to watch a performance, they turn a town into a community."
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