by Ava Cashman
Kingswood Oxford’s theater program is a creative powerhouse, and new Middle School Performing Arts Director Matthew Wiggin is committed to bringing it to the next generation of artists.
KO has been a distant but notable influence in most of Mr. Wiggin’s life, having grown up in Simsbury and attending Suffield Academy for high school. After graduating from Suffield Academy, he went on to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater from Santa Fe College of Art and Design and his Master’s in Arts Administration from the University of Connecticut.
Mr. Wiggin’s family runs an art organization and a summer music camp in Maine, and his experience directing the program has driven his teaching. Mr. Wiggin has 11 years of experience teaching theater in schools, and he began his performance education career at his alma mater, Suffield Academy. For the past five years, he taught at the Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in New Jersey.
This year, Mr. Wiggin will be teaching Computer Technology and sixth-grade Intro to Theater. He also will teach seventh-grade Public Speaking, eighth-grade Advanced Public Speaking, and eighth-grade Advanced Acting, which will culminate in a spring performance.
Mr. Wiggin was inspired by KO’s mission and core values. “The biggest thing that drew me to KO is, if you go and read the mission statement of the school, it’s all about building community,” Mr. Wiggin shared. “I think any theater person would be excited to be in a place where you can invest in the community, because that’s what we do as theater artists.”
Reflecting on the performing arts as a whole, Mr. Wiggin hopes to bring their unique power of self-expression and vulnerability to Kingswood Oxford. “Whether it’s theater, playing the violin, dancing, or ballet, the arts, in general, give people an access point to share their soul, and I think that’s something we don’t necessarily do enough of in this world.”
Off stage, Mr. Wiggin is excited to coach the Middle School Girls A Basketball team and the Middle School Girls Tennis team. In his free time, Mr. Wiggin enjoys playing on a basketball team that competes across the country and helping to run his family’s summer arts festival in Maine. He can often be found cheering on the UCONN women’s basketball team and spending time with his Basset Hound, Norman.
Looking ahead to his future at KO, Mr. Wiggin is excited to build a robust Middle School theater program that supports young artists and feeds into Mr. Reynolds’ Upper School program. “I have the ability over their three years to sort of arm these students with opportunities for them to step into the program freshman year.”
Mr. Wiggin is also looking forward to producing a middle school musical or show for the spring of 2024 that can uplift creativity in the middle school. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the community in action.”
We are thrilled to have Mr. Wiggin as a part of the KO community and we are looking forward to seeing all of the creativity he will help our campus embrace!
