Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation Celebrates 20 Years with Annual Gala

Fairfield - The Jamie Hulley Arts Foundation celebrated their 20th anniversary on Sept. 10 when the annual gala returned to the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. The foundation works for “artistic opportunities today for a more creative tomorrow,” a fitting legacy for the late daughter of Judy Primavera and Fred Hulley. The nonprofit has raised over one million dollars in their 20 years and enriches the lives of 1,000 artists each year.

During the hour-long reception, attendees were able to enjoy refreshments while buying raffle tickets and mystery gift bags. Supporters were able to avoid the wait and purchase Buy-It Now items or collect a piece of Jamie’s artwork. A variety of Jamie Hulley Foundation tee-shirts were available for purchase to add to one’s wardrobe, including a great black shirt with rainbow letters in honor of the 20th anniversary.

The co-host for the evening were the fabulous Jared Andrew Brown of Square Foot Theatre in Wallingford and Jamie’s younger sister Kari Hulley, the Vice President of the Board of Directors. From her loving sister we learned that Jamie had a drive to create in every type of art, and worked in the fine arts up until her final days.

Act 1 remains my favorite part of the entertainment, because it is a chance to see the young performers involved with organizations that are Foundation Partners.

First up this year was Amity Creative Theater from Woodbridge, introduced by Amity drama teacher Robert Kennedy. A group of Amity students beautifully performed “Our Time” from the Sondheim musical “Merrily We Roll Along.” Kennedy, who first met Jamie’s mother Judy Primavera when he was a new teacher at Amity High School, announced that this year’s play and musical will be “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “Beauty and the Beast.” The last in person gala was held at Amity High School.

Hulley alumni Connor Deane introduced the group of students from Broadway Method Academy in Fairfield, who performed “Revolting Children” from their production of “Matilda.”

The newest Foundation Partner is Center Stage Theatre in Shelton. Carla Sullivan introduced the teen performers who reprised “Holding Out for a Hero” from their sold-out production of “Footloose.”

Square Foot Theatre had the chance to show off the opening number from their recent production of “Chicago.” Patrick Laffin came out to introduce the cast members who sang and danced their hearts out.

Kimberly Jenna Simon, a member of the foundation’s “alumni family,” came out on the Quick stage to introduce her fellow alumni, including Talya Braverman, Peter Charney, Connor Deane, Caitlin Carlson and Zola Kneeland. The group performed my favorite song from the musical “Wicked,” the beautiful “For Good.”

The bar and the raffle closed at the end of the intermission, and the featured performers took to the stage.

The evening ended with a performance of “Oh What A Night!,” a musical tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The act is direct from Las Vegas and was written by George Solomon and directed by Michael Chapman.

The four very talented performers, Paul, James, Corey and Patch, performed a host of Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons’ hits. They began the first half of the show in shiny gray suits and then replaced the jackets with argyle sweater vests.

Interspersed between the musical numbers was patter that included some fun facts about the iconic group and some jokes. Most of the hits were performed by all four members of the cast, complete with complex choreography by Paul Holmquist and strong harmonies, but there were also a few important solos. Beginning with the group’s first hit “Sherrie,” moving through classics like “Walk Like a Man,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “Who Loves You,” and all of the group’s songs with a woman’s name as the title, all of the titles were well-rehearsed and fun.

There was a beautiful acapella version of “See You in September” and Billy Joel’s tribute song “Uptown Girl.”

In the middle of the performance, the Hulley family came out to thank everyone for attending. They were then presented with a check from Fairfield University alumni that totaled $11,000 in honor of the retirement of Prof. Primavera.

The professional production team for the two acts made sure that everything went smoothly. Credited as technical director was Patrick Laffin, also with Square Foot, Kelsey Sullivan as the stage manager, and Alan Dougherty as musical director. David Littlefield served in the black box theater as the barker. A surprise guest as the match challenge auctioneer was the families’ neighbor David Raffauf, who gave a heartfelt speech about his devotion to the Foundation.