Featured Artist: Joel Oramas
Actor-Musician-Teaching Artist
Bridgeport native Joel Oramas is an actor, musician, and teaching artist whose career has taken him from local roots to stages across the U.S., London, and Canada. His theatre work includes Off Broadway at the New Victory Theatre and performances with companies such as Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, Hartbeat Ensemble, and Connecticut Free Shakespeare.
He just finished starring in the play The Motherf*cker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis at the Red House Arts Center in Upstate New York!
Joel also gives back to the community as a professor of Speech and Theatre at CT State Housatonic and Borough of Manhattan Community College.
This spring, he will appear in the short film Welcome Home, Jeremy Diaz as it begins its festival run. We recently sat down with Joel to learn more about his journey, artistry, and inspirations as our February 2026 Artist of the Month!
You’re originally from Bridgeport and now teach the next generation of artists at Housatonic Community College and beyond. How has growing up here shaped you both as an artist and as an educator?
I grew up surrounded by hardworking, wildly talented artists, poets, musicians etc in Bridgeport, and I also grew up hearing the stereotypes about our city. That combination shaped my perspective and my daily routine.
We have pride but for some like myself, I’ve always felt like we have something to prove.
Bridgeport taught me resilience and preparation. I like to brush up on theatre history or learn a skill relevant to my craft every day so I’m ready when opportunity shows up. When you work with an artist from Bridgeport, you’re getting someone who’s done their homework and shows up ready.
You recently played the character of Jackie in The Mtherf*cker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis at Redhouse Arts Center in Syracuse. What drew you to that role, and what did you discover about yourself through that character?
I love anything by Stephen Adly Guirgis and I’ve been eyeing this play since grad school, so this was definitely one of those “bucket-list” roles. I can’t help but feel tons of empathy for Jackie. He wants better for himself, but his impulsive nature keeps getting in his own way. That push and pull between hope and self-sabotage is something a lot of us understand.
I realized I’m stubborn in a similar way. When I have an ambition, I’ll try a hundred ways to make it happen. Even if it fails, I don’t have any regrets. I feel at peace knowing that I gave it a go.
You identify as Afro Latino. How does your cultural identity inform your work, the roles you pursue, or the way you approach storytelling on stage?
I grew up immersed in both Latino and Black American culture in Bridgeport. As I’ve learned more about Puerto Rican history and the parallels in Black experience in this country, it’s deepened how I approach storytelling.
I love Shakespeare. I love musicals. But nothing excites me more than reading a script and thinking, “Yo! They’re talking like us!” I love any chance to play a role, but those are the ones that keep me up at 2 a.m.
What is one lesson or piece of advice you hope your students carry with them, not just about acting, but about being an artist in today’s world?
Fully embrace yourself and the all the quirks that come with you. You have your own voice, your rhythm, facial features and expressions, maybe even a stammer that someone once teased you about: that might be exactly what makes people lean in and want to listen.
You are enough. And also… go to therapy. Talent is great, but we’ve got to take care of yourselves, too.
As someone who actively works as a professional actor while also teaching, how do those two parts of your life influence each other?
Part of what we emphasize at Housatonic Community College is knowing your script, being punctual, being a good collaborator, and understanding your objective.
So when I book a job, I walk in with the eagerness of some of my students. I’m prepared, curious, and I want my effort to demonstrate appreciation for the opportunity. I also want what I’m teaching to be relevant to their experiences in the real world. Teaching keeps me accountable. Working professionally keeps my teaching honest.
As someone who has built a career beyond Bridgeport while still staying connected to this community, what does it mean to you to be recognized as an artist from Bridgeport, and what do you hope to contribute to the city’s creative future?
Being recognized as an artist from Bridgeport means everything. Whether it was church plays at Good Shepherd Christian Church, or our local program at Neighborhood Studios, to studying and now teaching at Housatonic, it all started here.
Geoff Sheehan (my former teacher and current boss!) has given me opportunities to grow as an educator. I’ve been fortunate to help launch our first Musical Theatre and Acting for the Camera courses and host a monthly Theatre Slam for students to share their work. (If you’re curious about the last one, stop by our office and let’s chat!) Bridgeport produces artists with grit and authenticity. I’m proud to be one of them and proud to help develop the next generation.