By Maddie Orton
Arts Correspondent
Chris O’Connor is a man who wears many hats. He’s an actor, playwright, director and nearly 14 years ago, he added the title of producer when he founded Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken.
“I started grad school in my late 40s, and I knew when I got out, I would need some credits to help me launch my career,” said Founder and Artistic Director O’Connor. “And I was also interested in having an academic career as a teacher, so, on a personal level, this was a way that I could do my own work.”
O’Connor learned the ropes of theatrical producing on the job. He said if he knew how challenging it would be, he’s not sure he would’ve done it. But years of hard work have paid off. The nonprofit theater’s participating artists, operating budget and offerings have grown exponentially. And this week, the company opens its first mainstage show in its new home on Clinton Street.
“I have to say, it’s really satisfying to be in this space. I pinch myself every day,”‘ said O’Connor.
A short ride from Manhattan, the company is in close proximity to one of the greatest cities for theater in the world. O’Connor says the company is starting to get attention and audience members from New York, but there’s no mistaking, Mile Square Theatre is primarily there to serve the greater Hoboken area.
“Mile Square Theatre is named after the Mile Square City, which is what Hoboken is called. It’s literally a square mile of real estate,” O’Connor explained.
An exhibit of Hoboken-inspired art lines the walls, and one of the organization’s most beloved programs highlights Hoboken history.
“It’s like, if I die, on my gravestone I think it will say my best idea was ‘7th Inning Stretch’,” joked O’Connor.
The baseball-focused play festival solicits 10-minute pieces about America’s pastime. The first officially-recorded organized game was played in Hoboken in 1846.
“Baseball has so many universal themes and so many aspects to it: the fans, kids playing baseball and parents, the professional baseball and the farm teams,” said O’Connor. “And I found that a lot of playwrights had stories in them that they wanted to write about.”
Playwrights like Broadway’s Neil LaBute, Theresa Rebeck and Lee Blessing. But right now, O’Connor’s focus is the company’s production of ‘Circle Mirror Transformation’, the Obie Award-winning play about a community acting class in Vermont, and building his own offerings for the Mile Square City.
“We want people to wonder, ‘OK, what’s going on at Mile Square Theatre?'” O’Connor said.
This new venue also means that Mile Square Theatre will host its first full theatrical season including the return of the ‘7th inning Stretch’ play festival in September.