The Madison Theatre at Molloy University in Rockville Centre is not a typical theatre program: the cast and crew are made up of nationally recognized talents on Broadway and students in the Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21).
Angelo Fraboni, Madison Theatre’s program director, previously spent his career on Broadway and performed internationally before he brought what he learned on Broadway to the program 14 years ago.
“It’s a gathering place for the community and a gathering place for the university,” Fraboni said. “We try to make sure that we are doing both entertainment and art as well as authors and speakers to create conversations around topics.”
Madison Theatre secures licenses when deciding what shows to produce, as the theatre needs to produce shows that are not on tour or on Broadway, although on a smaller budget and shorter planning period.
“I don’t realize the limitation of what we have, so I create sets that should be run on automation and I want them to run like they would on Broadway when we have manual labor moving them,” said Fraboni. “Things move a little slower than they do on Broadway… you’d have three to four weeks of tech work. Here, we have three to four days of tech work before we have to put on a show.”
Many theatres around New York face similar issues when competing with Broadway and other major theatre productions.
“I don’t think our limitations are unique…but like I’ve always said to people that I’ve worked with, sometimes money gets in the way of creativity,” said Fraboni. “Sometimes you throw a lot of money at a show and it doesn’t make it any more creative. When you’re limited, you have that ability to find new creative ways of accomplishing the same feel or the same look for a show.”
Despite these limitations, Fraboni has a cast and crew who have experienced Broadway life, which allows for the show quality to remain consistent despite budgeting or timing. The crew consists of Grammy and Tony nominees.
“I have great people working for me who are very creative and they understand how to make things great without a lot of money,” he said.
One of Madison Theatre’s beloved traditions is The Nutcracker, which is produced by the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts but hosted at the Madison Theatre. People all over Long Island look forward to the production every year.
When asked why this has become such a Long Island staple, Fraboni highlighted how tradition has a safety blanket and how consistency creates normalcy and comfort in today’s world.
“Freud said, “Nothing succeeds like mediocrity,” said Fraboni. “People understand it, they don’t have to think too much. It’s just a beautiful show and it’s beautiful music and it’s something that they all recognize.”
With the season well underway, Fabroni said that the Madison Theatre has plenty of new projects for
people to get excited about.
“Once we get through Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, we do have our Give Our Regards to Broadway concert coming up on October 4, which is a salute to its 21st-century musical,” said Fabroni. “Next year we’re looking at doing Dear Evan Hansen and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
The program also sends students abroad to experience performing internationally, making the CAP21 program at Madison Theatre the place for students to experience the life of a professional performer.
“I fly to Edinburgh with a group of students to perform there,” said Fraboni. “I try to make sure that the students are getting an experience and getting the experience that they need and the training they need.”
And when the students return, the Madison Theatre gets back to work bringing Broadway productions to Long Island.
“I think Long Island residents really look forward to coming to theaters like Madison because they don’t have to go into the city,” said Fraboni. “We bring the city out here.”
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