Sept. 17 will mark the first anniversary of the grand opening of the East Haven theater company Cabaret on Main. One of its co-directors, Billy DiCrosta, has already seen the excitement surrounding the interactive theater space by members of multiple communities.

“People are driving right now an hour-and-a-half across the state to come here to see shows,” says Billy. “The whole reason we opened the school in the theater itself is I grew up in East Haven...When I decided to move out of my home, and I was looking for a commercial space, I knew that there was still such a void in this town for arts programming.”

Billy knows a thing or two about the performing arts. Before opening the New Haven Academy of the Performing Arts with his husband and co-director Neil Fuentes, he was a lifelong performer who took his talents to productions all over Connecticut, to the Hart Conservatory, and cruise ships sailing the globe.

Cabaret on Main opened last year in East Haven as an offshoot of the New Haven school. Since then, Billy, an East Haven native, has seen a great reception from the people of his hometown and other towns regarding the arrival of an institution like Cabaret on Main.

“People come and they say, ‘Oh my God, this is like the hidden gem of East Haven!’ And I say, ‘Thank you, but I don’t want to be the hidden gem. I just want to be the gem.’” Billy says.

Billy saw the economic benefit that Cabaret on Main could have on East Haven.

“People are coming from out of town, but when they’re coming from out of town 99% of the time, they’re not just going to see a show here,” says Billy. “They’re going to see a show, but they’re also going to restaurants that are in the area, so they’re making money because of our company here.”

At the heart of making that gem shine brightly is ensuring that Cabaret on Main is a place for Billy to be involved in “constantly educating and changing the lives of both our youth and our adults through theater arts for the better.”

“It is, by far, a safe space that we’ve created where people can come as you are...Our common ground is art and creating together, and that’s how it should be,” he says. “I just think it’s a wonderful collaboration that you have all these people of different walks of life coming together to create something special.”

The “something special” are the productions that include its youth performers are willing to be a part of, as they are not the typical family-friendly high school type of stagings. One of the musicals from this past summer at the venue was Heathers: The Musical, a production that touches upon heavy subjects such as bulimia, bullying, and school violence.

Billy sees a production like Heathers: The Musical as an opportunity for its youth performers to delve into topics relevant for many teenagers, with theater being a significant outlet for discussing them.

“This is our opportunity to use our platform of fear to educate these children. Here is an open forum to talk and face conflict resolution,” he says. “These are the problems that these kids are actually dealing with in real life. Let’s open up a safe space for them to discuss how to work through it rather than brush it under the rug.”

Even with difficult subject matter in its productions, Billy’s leadership at Cabaret on Main has helped kids blossom into expressive performers, whether they are shy individuals or those with disabilities.

“We deal with a lot of students with autism and mental disabilities, ADHD...A lot of times, those are the kids that go through the biggest transformation because they tend to come in incredibly shy and don’t make great eye contact,” says Billy. “After diving into a program and working with us, they start to make friends, and they start having more confidence. Before you know it, all of a sudden, here’s a kid that literally couldn’t look at somebody in the eye, and now they’re in the lead of a show.”

Having performed on stages since he was a child, being offstage to watch an East Haven child “be happy and blossom” is the kind of moment Billy now lives for, to see “people tear and screaming for my kids and seeing what they’re going through and experience what they’re feeling,” he says.

The next show at Cabaret on Main will be an Xtreme Comedy Night on Oct. 6 featuring comedians Geno Bisconte, Kathy Arnold, and Giancarlo Biondino. Billy and the rest of the Cabaret on Main crew are looking forward to upcoming holiday-themed productions, including the 2023 NHAOPA Halloween Spooktacular on Oct. 21 and 22 and Elf the Musical from Nov. 10-12.

For more information on Cabaret on Main and upcoming shows, visit www.cabaret-on-main.com/shows—events.html