BETHEL — The auditorium at Bethel Municipal Center was alive with pre-performance buzz recently, as ERA Productions — in conjunction with Bethel Parks & Recreation — prepared to open its second season with The Addams Family at Bethel High School. Actors were adjusting costumes and trying shoes out on the stage, voices were warming up, stage managers were packaging props, and dancers were moving across the floor. The energy was palpable and infectious.

The Addams Family will open on October 26 and run through the weekend, at Bethel High School auditorium.

ERA Productions was conceived of and developed by Anthony Depoto of Newtown, along with Bethel residents Rob and Erin Volpintesta, in response to what they saw as a dearth of theatrical opportunities for Bethel youth. Joining forces with Bethel Parks & Recreation, with the help of Director Eileen Earle, space in the municipal center was made available for auditions and rehearsals, with main stage productions to take place at Bethel High School.

For their opening season, ERA produced the musical Hairspray with middle and high school students, and Peter Pan Jr for fourth to seventh grade thespians. In response to the call for actors and all manner of theater tech, students from Bethel responded, as did counterparts from as far as Woodbury. There were approximately 25 participants for the debut season of ERA.

Clearly, there was, and continues to be, a strong interest in the theater arts, for students in these age ranges.

Mr Depoto earned a BA in Theater Arts from WCSU and an MFA from Minnesota State University. Returning to Danbury, he set about applying his theater passion and skills working with children. The result was innerACT, a company he owns and operates with the objective of introducing students and employees to the collaborative and team-building aspects of creating theater.

He is also an adjunct professor in theater at WCSU and now adds the ERA project to his list of impressive credentials.

Explaining the mission of ERA, Mr Depoto stated that the goal is to offer theater arts, technical and performance, to students of the greater Bethel area.

“We are not grooming Broadway stars; we are providing an outlet for kids to perform,” he said, adding, “the confidence building, collaboration, and sense of community are valuable side effects of putting on a show.”

Ms Volpintesta is the former director of Spark Arts in Bethel. Her devotion to arts in her community is robust. Her husband, Rob, serves as sound engineer and master electrician.

Tomorrow’s audiences are nurtured through a love of drama which is developed early in life. The promise of local, community theaters is sustained by audience participation, fortified by youthful enthusiasm.

The excitement evidenced by the youth preparing to perform The Addams Family was eloquently expressed by actor Spencer Hall, a senior at Bethel High School. Mr Hall envisions his future in musical theater and is deeply grateful, he said, for the opportunities provided by ERA as well as “all the kids who come out to work on the show.”

Spencer has performed in each of the program’s productions to date, stating “I love being here and being able to be myself among so many amazing people.” When asked to sum up his feelings for ERA in a word, he said “home.”

In the job of Stage Manager for this production, Haley Cronin, a high school junior who has also been with ERA since its beginning, says she enjoys the opportunity to work both on stage and backstage. She has developed “a deep appreciation for all aspects of production.” She feels fortunate to be able to contribute in different capacities, she added.

As a stage manager, Haley feels “closer to her mentors,” as she acts as liaison between them and cast members. “I am grateful for their expertise and willingness to share it,” she said.

ERA represents all that is good in theater — all that can be achieved when cooperation and enthusiasm exist in the pursuit of a unified objective.

Performances are in the auditorium of Bethel High School, 300 Whittlesey Drive in Bethel, on Friday and Saturday, October 26-27, at 7 pm; and Sunday, October 28, at 2 pm. Tickets are $10-15, and they can be purchased at [naviga:u]ticketpeak.com/res/bethelparkandrec[/naviga:u]. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.