Community and collaboration sit at the very heart of Circuit Arts. Working together, the organization’s 35-member team brings diverse artistic experiences to the Island community year-round. It provides an avenue for a rich array of local talent, while also showcasing those with international fame, continually feeding Vineyarders’ thirst for the arts.
Circuit Arts’ origins are rooted in the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival (MVFF), which started 25 years ago. Brian Ditchfield, Circuit Arts’ executive director, says, “Oddly, the story begins around my parents’ kitchen table. Brooke [Hardman Ditchfield] and I were working on a movie, “The Last Will and Testament of Marlboro Patch,” which I had produced and written. Our friend Thomas Bena worked on the production crew, and we were talking about projects we wanted to pursue next, and he wanted to create a film festival, which became a three-day event at the Grange Hall.”
Thinking back on those early days, Brian recalls that it was a very different time for film, and for the Vineyard at large: “The motivation for the festival was to gather in community. There were a few places to see commercial films, but it was hard to get independent films and alternative entertainment compared with today. We also included films by Islanders, and it was intentionally done in March, a quiet month when we come out of hibernation and want to regather.”
The festival continues to thrive and provide a much-needed boost to moviegoing Vineyarders as the cold months drag on. That boost was supercharged this year, as everyone who attended the New Zealand documentary “Prime Minister” can attest. The post-screening discussion featured its subject: the Rt. Hon. Dame (and former prime minister) Jacinda Ardern. The film, among a rich panoply of others, will be playing during the Summer Film Series, which began as an annual event in 2004.
For the MVFF, the concept of community has always been multigenerational. Initially, programming included children’s films, along with a live children’s show featuring an elephant puppet and a ringmaster that reinforced the themes of the feature films. It has since evolved to include a children’s film festival.
In 2010, the staff started running programs in the schools. “It was filmmaking and media literacy,” Brooke explains. “There was a lot of conversation about responsible screen time, and how to talk about content then, as there still is. We went into the classrooms and worked with the third and fourth graders. They created original plays and films, learning how to shoot and edit. It was the beginning of the partnerships with the schools we have today.”
This fall, they will be launching afterschool programs in theater and film as well. “We found there was a need,” Brian explains about the new endeavor. “As a parent, we’re always looking for activities for our kids to do after school, and the programs create a place for children who want to dive deeper than we can in the classroom.”
In 2018, the organization expanded, adding a production arm. The film team, directed by Ollie Becker, along with Danielle Mulcahy and Tim Persinko, has created impressive feature-length documentaries, such as the “Great Ponds” films, which explore the ecological threats to our treasured bodies of water. They also produce shorter works in collaboration with Island nonprofits, including the Island Housing Trust, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
Another enduring collaboration, the Summer Drive-In at the YMCA, was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we couldn’t gather in our usual ways. Entering its sixth summer, the partnership continues with another enticing lineup of films, allowing families to watch movies on the big screen under the stars. There are crowd pleasers each weekend from July through September
By 2021, it became clear that the organization was more than just a film festival. “It was a moment for us to take stock of what we had become, how we’d grown, and where we intended to go,” says Brian. Speaking about selecting the term “Circuit Arts,” he continues, “We reflected on how circuits connect and have energy. We felt that spirit aligned with who we are and what our values are, and also has a great Vineyard connection with Oak Bluffs’ Circuit Ave.”
Circuit Arts worked in concert with the Vineyard Preservation Trust, donor support, and a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to renovate the Grange Hall into a modern performing space. About selecting the Grange, Brian explains, “At a time when a lot of new buildings were beginning to sprout up and all these capital campaigns were happening, we took the opportunity to repurpose an existing space. It is part of our responsibility not to be building something new when we can transform what already exists.”
Importantly, too, adds Brian, “It also brings back our incredible history. That theater has been around for 165 years, and the community has gathered in that space for that long. So, reimagining how we could regather in this era was really important.” However, the space was in critical need of revitalization and updating, including the elevator, modern screening technology, and air conditioning, among other improvements. With its comfortable seating, the venue offers an intimate setting for stellar entertainment of all types throughout the year.
With its new name, the evolution continued in 2023, when Circuit Arts took over the Martha’s Vineyard Children’s Theater Camp, which Island Theater Workshop had run for 53 years. Brian had, in fact, attended as a child, and now his and Brooke’s daughter, Isla, will be a counselor-in-training. Youth from about 100 Island families write and perform their own productions every summer, becoming the next generation of artists.
But the stage wasn’t just a place for kids. That same year, all the live theater, comedy, dance, and music programs that had been happening were grouped under Circuit Stage, with Brooke as director. “As a theater person,” she says, “all I want is to keep the lights on and keep that stage active, alive, and open for our community, whether that’s for our incredible local artists, performers, and theater professionals, or for bringing in world-class performers.”
Brooke is particularly excited about their co-production of the new hit Olivier Award–nominated West End and Broadway play “The Shark Is Broken.” (See accompanying article.)
With its dedication to making the arts accessible to everyone, Circuit Arts offers a pay-what-you-can model for most of its events. Likewise, it provides scholarships and affordable rates for Island families attending the theater camp, supported by grants and donor funding for educational programs. In fact, as of the end of last year, the organization was not only helping audiences afford the arts, but also enabling artists to raise the funds necessary to pursue their work.
Kelly Kaye, operations director, explains, “Circuit Arts is well-sized, and has an infrastructure that makes it possible to be a resource to all sorts of artists.” To further this vision, she developed a fiscal sponsorship program, which provides the administrative support for local artists and organizations to raise funds under Circuit Arts’ nonprofit status. This makes it easier for creators to focus on developing their projects and share their art with the community.
Brian fosters creativity and initiative within his team, of whom he is immensely proud. Minah Oh, director of film programming, says, “When I came in January 2021, I saw Circuit Arts was a communal, collaborative environment. It’s a collection of artists, each one of whom is giving back to the community. I love that Brian instills that everyone working at Circuit Arts, no matter what position, has a seat at the table.” Shelagh Hackett, co-director of the Martha’s Vineyard Children’s Theater Camp and production assistant, agrees: “It’s just a nurturing group. You’re encouraged to create, and if you do, they’ll find the space to make it happen. It’s an inspiring, creative place.”
Brian reflects, “The Vineyard is such an incredibly creative community. That’s part of what makes the Vineyard the Vineyard. Our job is to foster, nurture, and share that with the Island. We have incredible talent that live here and work here. Circuit Arts views it as part of our job to give everyone a platform.”
For more information about Circuit Arts and tickets for this summer’s events, visit circuitarts.org.
