Thank you for your commitment

Dear Friend,

As it is for you, June is a busy month at Wheelock Family Theatre--auditions for our upcoming shows, preparations for our summer education programs, and renovations of the auditorium. As we complete our 35th year, we have much to celebrate. Our productions of The Trumpet of the Swan, Mary Poppins, and A Year with Frog and Toad brought beloved books to life, broke box office records, and delighted theatre-goers of all ages. WFT also received several regional theatre honors this year: the 2016 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Design to the team of Mary Poppins and IRNE Awards for Best Actor and Best Costume Design for last season's Shrek the Musical.

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"I just wanted to write to you and send you a huge THANK YOU for organizing our school's trip to the Wheelock Family Theatre to see Mary Poppins! I am happy to report that all of our students absolutely LOVED the play and were absolutely blown away by it. I would say about 99% of them had never seen a play before and it was incredible watching them watch the show. So thank you for helping to make that possible!" 

- Boston Public School Teacher

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Since WFT's inception in 1981, we have intentionally used the unique qualities of the theatre experience to lower barriers between people, to create community, and to model the possibilities of a better world.  The existence of places like Wheelock Family Theatre--nonprofits that emphasize friendship, family, and community, and that teach empathy and collaboration to young people--is more critical than ever.  And support from those who share our values and vision is essential to our success.

Please consider making a gift to Wheelock Family Theatre before we close our fiscal year on June 30, 2016. Your support will help us continue to bring school groups to our performances, provide tuition assistance for young people, and keep WFT's professional productions affordable for all members of our community. Visit our website to make your gift today.

And do join us for our 2016-2017 season productions of Akeelah and the Bee, Billy Elliot the Musical, and Charlotte's Web. You will be sitting in a new seat, thanks to the generosity of many friends of WFT and the Massachusetts Cultural Council!

Thank you for your commitment to our mission and for your support of Wheelock Family Theatre.

Best wishes for a wonderful summer!

Linda Chin
Executive Director, Wheelock Family Theatre

P.S. Your contribution makes theatre accessible to all!

DONATE TODAY

Create Your Child's Perfect Summer

Customize Your Child's Summer at Wheelock Family Theatre

Spaces still available for Summer 2016

At Wheelock Family Theatre, we know that every child has different interests. So we've created a roster of classes and workshops that can be mixed and matched to create your child's perfect summer.
Choose one or two half-day classes, or combine multiple workshops into an immersive theatre experience. Our programs are flexible and there are great choices for kids at any skill level.

• Morning workshops include Stage Combat Techniques, Broadway Song and Dance, Shakin' It with Shakespeare, and many more.
• Afternoon classes—such as Improv for the Actor, Creating 5-Minute Plays, Comedy Jam, and many more—can be combined with morning workshops to create a full day.
• Teen Technical Theatre Workshops in Scenic Design, Props, and Lighting Design can be taken individually—or take all three to become eligible to work with WFT's professional technical staff to design and build stage elements for our Advanced Performance Intensives.

All of our Summer programs—created and run by theatre professionals—provide a fun, educational adventure for children age 4-18. Your child will learn not just the how but also the why of onstage thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Spaces are still available in many of our classes, but programs are filling quickly. Register now to secure your child's space!

Announcing our 2016-2017 Season

We are thrilled to announce our 2016-2017 season! Join us for three dazzling productions based on classic stories that the whole family will love

• Akeelah and the Bee
• Billy Elliot the Musical
• Charlotte’s Web

Order a 2016-2017 season subscription now before June 30th and receive all the benefits of a subscription: priority seating, free date exchanges, free study guides, discounted guest tickets, special prices for special events, and a free Circle of Friends card.

As an added bonus for subscribing early, you will receive a special gift: free tickets for new friends! This free ticket voucher is good at any performance during the 2016-2017 season and is perfect for surprise guests, visiting family, or gifts to introduce new families to the wonders of Wheelock Family Theatre.

The Bell of Amherst Returns

Join us for a special Broadway-worthy performance of the one-woman show about the life and work of Emily Dickinson, featuring Wheelock’s very own Jane Staab in the title role.

First performed on the Wheelock Family Theatre stage in 1983, this production is the Broadway version for which Julie Harris won a Tony. The one-woman play is a living biography of Dickinson from age 15 to age 53.

Come into her home and life; gain insight into the driving forces behind her work.

Please join us at this special production to benefit Wheelock Family Theatre.

TRAILER: A Year with Frog and Toad

A delightful story based on the picture books by Arnold Lobel, this musical adaptation is a treat for all ages; children and the child within.

Presenting the 2016 WHEEL Award to Willie Reale

performance | reception | auction

Please join us in presenting the 2016 WHEEL Award to WILLIE REALE 52nd Street Project founder, MacArthur Fellow, and co-creator of the musical A Year with Frog and Toad 

Andrea Ross Visits To Sing Some of "Her Favorite Songs!"

Andrew Lloyd Webber protégé and actor Andrea Ross will be visiting Wheelock Family Theatre on Saturday, April 2 at 10am. Ross is in town for the Broadway in Boston run of The Sound of Music (Boston Opera House, March 29-April 10), in which she plays Ursula and u/s Maria.

Mimi Katano ’93MS: A Wheelock Family Theatre “Homecoming”

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2016 edition of the Wheelock Magazine.

Mimi Katano ’93MS calls what will be her return to Wheelock Family Theatre (WFT) to direct A Year with Frog and Toad from April 15 to May 15 a “homecoming.” Mimi, who is now the artistic director at Youth Theatre Northwest (YTN) in Seattle, planted roots with WFT 29 years ago during her freshman year at Emerson College in Boston, where she earned a degree in General Performing Arts. She played Eliza in The King and I, and two years later — as a junior — she played Josie Pye in Anne of Green Gables. And this was just the beginning.