The Middletown Arts Center feeds the creative souls of Middletown

By:  | May 8, 2024 |  Entertainment |  Middletown

By William Clark

If you have never been to the Middletown Arts Center, now may be the time to change that. Serving as the creative soul of Middletown, this mixed-use venue is centered around the arts, as life pumps through each of its rooms at all hours of the day with programs that cater to everyone from the youngest newcomers through the most experienced veterans. There isn’t much that a lover of the arts can’t practice, interact with or appreciate at the MAC, as the list is seemingly endless. And if they don’t offer what you are looking for, there’s a chance that they’ll start soon. 

The unassuming look of the building from the outside hides its breadth and variety. Step further in, and visitors will find an art gallery displaying the works of local painters and photographers. 

This is where the office of Director of Community Engagement and Development T.J. Brustowicz is set up. Just six months into the job, Brustowicz has assumed the role of main cheerleader for the MAC. 

The cacophony of the space surrounding Brustowicz is omnipresent. The sound of brass and percussion pumps from the theater behind him, an outfit of senior gentlemen is using the space to rehearse. Classic big band hits provide the soundtrack for the staff of the MAC on this particular Wednesday afternoon, punctuated with solos and other performative flares. Several people walk in, hesitant to disturb the clearly valuable time the performers have in the space. Their heads gently peer around from the entrance, curiously eyeing the rehearsal until Brustowicz’s booming voice penetrates a building crescendo of trumpets and trombones.

“You can go in!” he encourages. “It’s open for all.”

The two share a grateful nod and wave and choose a few seats closest to the door. 

Unlike a proper performance, spectators will see the band stop when necessary. The smallest missteps today will be identified, corrected and hopefully perfected amongst the retirees. 

Just about a half an hour later, as a fitting bookend to the purpose of the center, a group of five and six year-old girls arrive after school for a dance lesson in the basement. The set up perfectly encapsulates the mission of the MAC to provide a space for all ages and abilities. 

Once ready, the girls will walk down to the lower level and into a spacious dance studio. Mirrors line the back wall and ballet bars run the perimeter at two heights. Dance instructor Andrea Wachholtz uses the facility to its fullest capabilities. 

“Usually you find something half this size,” Wacholtz notes. “So to be able to travel and dance on diagonals that are so deep, it's a dream. It's very free here.”

Wachholtz highlights the sprung floor that the dancers use which helps prevent injuries from repeated jumps and lands. Even at a normal stride, one can feel the bounce that the floor provides to the aching knee or back. 

Hidden downstairs are other rooms and studios, office space and storage. Relics of past productions and events are testaments to the years of work the center has done to provide opportunities to the center. This space became a positive consequence of a flood a few years back. The basement was inundated by a deluge of water after a mishap during some work on a nearby site. The foundation shifted in the building. 

“Everything was shut down for a while,” Brustowicz said. “This all got taken care of and the payoff was wonderful.”

But most people will experience the main floor and its spaces that provide the venue for much of its tentpole programming. 

In the center of the building lies the Gallery. During the month of March, the walls were lined with artwork from the Art Society of Monmouth County. Partitioned into different sections, the artwork shows off paintings in watercolor, pastels and oil in addition to mixed media and photography. The fluidity of two dancers is captured in one oil painting framed beautifully, underscoring the skill and love that these local artists take in their work. Painting classes, field trips, therapy sessions and other events will take place in this space, providing an opportunity for these labors of passion to be appreciated. 

Galleries in traditional museums may be staid and stoic, reinforcing the gravity of that art that was most likely meticulous and expensively curated. Visitors walk gingerly around the works of luminaries of the field. 

But the MAC will use this room to its fullest extent. The New Jersey Youth Symphony Orchestra will set up chairs, tune their instruments and fill the room with crashing melodies and rhythmic percussion. Neophytes and longtime painters will learn the finer points of painting and drawing. Young actors will explore how to use their bodies and voices to get audiences to laugh or cry, thumping across the floor or staring at the track lighting attempting to pull in the perfect moment to influence their performance. There’s no solemnity to this Gallery. No hushed voices or reverence. This space is alive and allows the artists within the community to grow and become the performers they hope to be. 

Brustowicz said that 60,000 people took part in the MAC last year. Many of those came to take in the performances and events that take place in the auditorium itself, which recently updated some of the lighting and features within it.

Recently, the MAC hosted its first Comedy Show. Brustowicz did not know what to expect. In the past, people came for movies and musicals, but would jokes hold the same draw?

Brustowicz is happy to say that the thirst for laughter is robust. Several of those that attended mentioned they frequented comedy clubs in New Brunswick and Point Pleasant and appreciated having somewhere somewhere in between to enjoy a stand-up routine.

Within it, the MAC hosts two sets of theater companies. One where the adults take the stage, the other for junior performances. As Brustowicz walked around the facility he pointed to all of the sets and props that would be utilized during the coming performance of “Lion King, Jr.” This summer, the musical version of the movie Legally Blonde will also take the stage. 

Recitals and other rentals utilize the auditorium frequently. The foundation that the MAC provides younger audiences is paramount in both training and the opportunity to display those skills. Attendees walk in on the same level as the stage, ascending through the rows to their seats. Where other venues may make a clear partition between the stars and the viewers, the MAC set up lends itself to a level of comfort for those just beginning their artistic journey. 

Executive Director Maggie O’Brien notes that in the MAC’s history she has seen several of its students go on to prestigious performing arts schools. Others have come back and become instructors themselves, feeding that artistic cycle for the next generation. 

“Everybody who comes through here just seems to have a great experience,” Brustowicz said. “And if you try one thing, then hopefully you're going to try something else, or if it's you with your kid, your kids are going to continue to grow up through here. The entry point for so many families is the kids programs, but we want to do stuff for the adults too.”

Brustowicz makes it clear that passions can be found at any stage in life. Learning the skills of painting does not require the student to turn around and monetize their skills. “You see so many folks come in who may not have tried something like that previously, and now are at a later stage in life discovering a new passion and doing something new and exciting for them, which is awesome,” he said. “There's very talented people around here.”

The MAC may be a nonprofit, but it still has to keep the bills paid and the lights illuminating the stage. Sponsorships from local businesses serve as important partnerships and Brustowicz extols the Middletown community for the amount of support it provides for the Center’s mission. 

This in turn allows them to support others. The orchestra that performs in the theater, plays for the love and passion of it, and uses this space free of charge.

“I think success is defined not just by registrations, but just the experience that people have while they're here,” Brustowicz said. “These guys, they play for free, like they're just here, we don't charge them rent to play. They're just hanging out and playing and having a great time and it's awesome. It's good for them. It's good for us. It's good for any person who randomly walks in just because it's enjoyable and the arts are important. And I think people tend to forget that.”