Middletown Legislative Delegation Condemns NEA Decision to Cut Funding for Oddfellows Playhouse

“One More Lawless Attack on the People of Connecticut”

MIDDLETOWN, CT — Today, State Senators Matt Lesser and Jan Hochadel and State Representatives Kai Belton and Brandon Chafee issued a unified and forceful condemnation of the National Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) decision—under the direction of President Trump’s administration—to abruptly withdraw previously committed federal funding for Oddfellows Playhouse, a cornerstone of youth arts education and social engagement in Central Connecticut.

In a letter received this week by Oddfellows Director Dic Wheeler, the NEA informed the organization that its $10,000 grant, which was intended to support a theater production centered on the lived experiences of underserved high school youth, had been revoked due to new policy priorities dictated by the Trump administration.

The NEA justified its decision by stating that the project “does not align” with new federal directives which now prioritize political and ideological goals such as “celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence,” “fostering AI competency,” and “making the District of Columbia safe and beautiful,” among others.

“This is one more lawless attack on the people of Connecticut by an out-of-control administration that is targeting arts, truth-telling, and young people,” said the delegation in a joint statement. “Oddfellows Playhouse has spent decades providing an essential platform for creative expression, empowerment, and community-building. For the federal government to strip funding from a program that uplifts underserved youth—simply because it doesn’t fit a political agenda—is disgraceful, retaliatory, and deeply un-American.”

Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, has served generations of Connecticut youth, particularly from marginalized communities. The canceled production was designed to amplify the voices of high school students whose stories are too often left out of public discourse—a mission that aligns precisely with the NEA’s founding purpose: to support creativity, inclusion, and free artistic expression.

The delegation called for immediate congressional oversight of NEA decision-making, transparency in the implementation of these new funding priorities, and a reversal of what they describe as “ideological cleansing masquerading as arts policy.”

“This isn’t just an attack on a theater. It’s an attack on free expression, local communities, and the very idea that art belongs to everyone—not just to those who serve the President’s agenda,” the statement concluded.