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Cool off at Wellesley Theatre Project’s production of Frozen

July 8, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Join Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and more at Wellesley Theatre Project’s presentation of Disney’s Frozen, KIDS on Friday, July 8, 7pm; and Saturday, July 9, 2pm and 5pm. All performances will take place at the Sorenson Center at Babson College, located at 19 Babson College Drive, Wellesley, MA 02482.

Wellesley Theatre Project, Frozen
Wellesley Theatre Project, cast of Frozen. Photo by WTP.

Based on the 2018 Broadway musical and the 2013 Disney film, Disney’s Frozen, KIDS brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life, onstage; a story of true love and acceptance between sisters. When faced with danger, Princesses Anna and Elsa discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, it is sure to thaw even the coldest heart.

Tickets

Order tickets online or tickets may be purchased at the door.
In advance: $18 adults, $10 students and seniors
At the door: $20 adults, $12 students & seniors
Masks are required for admission to performances.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Theatre

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Follow the yellow brick road to Wellesley Theatre Project’s production of The Wizard Of Oz

May 18, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED CONTENT: Follow the yellow brick road for Wellesley Theatre Project’s (WTP) presentation of The Wizard of Oz: Young Performers’ Edition, on Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20, at 5pm and 8pm, and Saturday, May 21, at 2pm and 6pm.

All performances will take place at the Sorenson Center at Babson College, located at 19 Babson College Drive, Wellesley, MA 02482. Tickets are priced $18 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online at http://wellesleytheatreproject.org in advance, or at the door for $20 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Masking and up-to-date proof of vaccination are required for admission to performances, or—for attendees unable to be vaccinated—proof of negative test within 72 hours will be required. The performance will run for 90 minutes with intermission.

Wellesley Theatre Project, the Wizard of Oz
The Scarecrow (Liam Turner)), Tin Man (Adlai Elmore), Dorothy (Meghan Schott), and the Cowardly Lion (Oscar Allan) are off to see the Wizard!

The Wizard of Oz: Young Performers Edition follows all of your favorite characters in this classic story based on L. Frank Baum’s book The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 film of the same name, and the original Tony-award winning Broadway musical. This is the familiar tale of Dorothy’s tornado-driven adventure in Oz, and the wonderful characters who befriend and protect her: the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion. This show includes the toe-tapping favorites, “Over the Rainbow,” “If I Only Had A Brain,” “Merry Old Land of Oz,” and “Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead.” As part of WTP’s 10th anniversary season, all productions are revivals of community favorites from the first nine years. The Wizard of Oz was first produced by WTP in April 2014.

Wellesley Theatre Project, the Wizard of Oz
Dorothy (Saanvi Sharma) and the Scarecrow (Eva Bernhardt) help the Tin Man (Tyler Constantino) by oiling him.

SHOW DATES AND TIMES:
Thur., May 19 & Fri., May 20 at 5pm & 8pm
Sat., May 21 at 2pm & 6pm
LOCATION: The Babson College Sorenson Center, 19 Babson College Drive, Wellesley, MA 02482
BUY TICKETS HERE

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Filed Under: Entertainment, Theatre

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Wellesley POPS senior profile: Caroline Mack takes on theater both center stage & behind the scenes

May 10, 2022 by admin 1 Comment

Special to The Swellesley Report courtesy of the Wellesley High School Bradford and Parents of Performing Students (POPS). This is one in a series of POPS senior profiles we’ll be publishing.

The velvet curtains open, revealing an audience that spans the large theater. The heat of the blinding stage lights beat down onto your face as you stand center stage. A wave of applause and standing ovation rises in volume as you lower your head to take a bow. 

Many crave the adventure and excitement that an acting career can offer and dream of what success might look like. For Caroline Mack, Wellesley High School `22, that dream is becoming a reality. Mack is involved in both the Performing Arts and Choral departments at Wellesley High, and hopes to follow her passions both on and off the stage after she graduates. 

Caroline Mack `22 as Rosie Mulligan in Mamma Mia! - Photo credit Darren Bovie
Caroline Mack, WHS `22 as Rosie Mulligan in Mamma Mia! (Photo credit: Darren Bovie)

 

Mack began singing and acting in fourth grade when her parents signed her up for a kid’s theatre group called “Miss Cindy’s Theatre Company’s Cabarets.” Since then, Mack has been passionate about creating meaningful productions with compelling stories. Throughout her time in middle school, she participated in drama and chorus. At the high school, Mack has “been in every show at the high school that [she] possibly could be.” Mack is also an involved member of the Choral Department at the high school. She sings with Concert Choir, Song Sisters, and the Keynotes Singers select ensemble. `

“I have been involved all four years in the Performing Arts Department. I stay involved because I love it! I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else to fill up time. All of my friends participate in performing arts and it is just the best community,” said Mack, “I’ve also created such strong bonds with all of my teachers—especially the drama director, Ms. Sullivan.”

Mack is an excellent and hilarious actor—her skills on stage have warranted praise and many awards throughout her time in middle and high school. In addition to her on-stage presence, Mack’s role as a writer and producer on shows is impressive. Her sophomore year One-Act, Weird, won an acting award, and her freshman year One-Act, I Do You Die, placed third in a competition.

Kara Sullivan, the drama teacher at WHS, has been a guiding figure for Mack over the years. Mack first got to know Sullivan in sixth grade when she was the middle school drama teacher. Coincidentally, they both transitioned to the high school the same year.

“As my grade has grown throughout our time with Ms. Sullivan as our teacher, we have also seen her grow immensely. She is confident, powerful, and hilarious—and I wouldn’t have wanted any other teacher by my side these past seven years. She’s honestly a big part of the reason I am pursuing theatre in college,” said Mack.

Sullivan and Mack have worked together on many productions, student-directed projects, and written works, including the New Works revival for Acting 3. Sullivan commends Mack’s skill for leadership.

“She’s really good at recognizing where she is and where she wants to be and how she can get there, and I really appreciate that about her. She always tried to be better and better and better,” said Sullivan.

Looking to the future

When Mack looks to the future, she imagines herself participating in theatre in any way she can. 

“[I’m] definitely looking forward to opportunities in different locations,” said Mack, “I love New York City, obviously a theater hub. So living in different places and experiencing the theater scenes, in cities especially wherever I end up, I’m really looking forward to a broader spectrum of actors, singers, and artists.”

In addition to acting, Mack’s supporters hope that she continues writing and directing after high school. 

“Everyone knows Caroline as an actress, but I think she should also try directing. She incorporates feminism into everything in the best way possible, and truly brings so many great ideas to anything she works on—I think she should stick with it,” said Lucy Calcio `22, Mack’s friend and a fellow thespian. 

Mack has a passion for writing and poetry. Her favorite subject in school is English, though she is not always confident in sharing her writing. 

“[It’s] funny because you’d think someone who goes on stage and stuff shouldn’t be afraid of stuff like that, but I’m so afraid of criticism in my writing, maybe because I care about it so much,” said Mack.

The past two years have made live performances very difficult for the drama and choral departments, so for Mack the return to normalcy means more than just taking off her mask. The performing arts are about community, for Mack and for the people that participate in the department alongside her. 

“My favorite thing about being part of singing and acting at school is probably the community, which sounds cheesy. I think everybody has found their own places at the high school, whether you’re into art or sports or whatever. I don’t know where else I’d be if I wasn’t acting and singing.”

Mack was able to perform in the widely-enjoyed a cappella performances: Acatober, this past October, and Acastock in March.  Most recently, she performed in the school musical, Mamma Mia!, one of the first mask-less performances in a few years.

“It can be easy to forget why we perform until we actually get to do so. I miss the performance rush–the pre-show jitters, the post-show celebrations, the onstage connections–it’s something that feels like a long lost memory,” said Mack. “So I guess what I’ve learned is to appreciate every moment we get. We are so lucky to live in a town that allows us so many performance opportunities and we might never have this freedom and abundance of shows ever again,” said Mack.

Next fall, Mack will attend Marymount Manhattan College where she intends to pursue a BA in Theater Arts, with a minor in Gender and Sexuality studies. 

Article written by WHS Bradford staff: Clementine Zei `24, Special Projects News Editor, and Annabelle Nolan `23, Assistant Features Editor.

Caroline Mack
Photo credit: Paula Swift
Caroline Mack
Photo credit: Melissa Mack
Caroline Mack
Photo credit: Melissa Mack
Caroline Mack IMG_0157 - Credit Melissa Mack
Photo credit: Melissa Mack

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Filed Under: POPS Senior Profile, Theatre, Wellesley High School

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Wellesley Theatre Project presents Spring Awakening

March 28, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Update (3/30/22):
Due to a small number of Covid 19 positive cases among cast members, WTP has made the difficult decision to cancel the first week of performances for our production of Spring Awakening, April 1-3. 

For those who have purchased tickets for one of the canceled performances, we will make every effort to exchange your tickets to a performance of your choice during the following weekend, April 8-10, or you may request a full refund. 

We have also added an additional performance on Sunday, April 10th at 7pm.

As a non-profit organization, this is a challenging time for us. Ticket refunds will be processed if requested, but we hope you will consider converting your tickets into a tax-deductible donation. Please email info@wellesleytheatreproject.org to let us know your preference and if exchanging which day you would like to move them to. For additional questions, please contact the Box Office at info@wellesleytheatreprojec.org or 781-235-1550. WTP staff will process your request as quickly as possible and will send you an email confirmation as soon as it is complete. We thank you for your patience.
Wellesley Theatre Project, Spring Awakening

Wellesley Theatre Project (WTP) will present the Tony Award winning rock musical, Spring Awakening April 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, and 10th at the Wellesley Theatre Project Studio Theater located at 219 Washington Street Wellesley Hills, MA. Tickets are priced $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online at http://wellesleytheatreproject.org in advance, or at the door for $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Masking and proof of vaccination are required for admission to performances, or—for attendees unable to be vaccinated—proof of negative test within 72 hours will be required, or a rapid test must be done onsite prior to the performance.

Spring Awakening explores  the journey from adolescence to adulthood with a poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable. The powerful story and angsty score follows a group of late nineteenth-century German students on their passage as they navigate teenage self-discovery and coming of age anxiety in a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Entertainment, Theatre

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Wellesley HS Drama Society presents “Mamma Mia”

March 4, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

Tickets are on sale now for the WHS production of Mamma Mia.

Wellesley High School, theater

Filed Under: Theatre, Wellesley High School

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‘Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There’ in Wellesley Dec. 3-5

December 1, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

wellesley theatre projectWellesley Theatre Project presents Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There on Friday, Dec. 3 and 4 at 7pm and Sunday, Dec. 5 at 2pm. All performances will take place at the Wellesley Theatre Project Studio Theatre at The Wellesley Community Center,  219 Washington St.Wellesley Hills.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online, or at the door for $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Masking and proof of vaccination are required for admission to performances, or–for attendees unable to be vaccinated–proof of negative test within 72 hours will be required.

The play, adapted by Rosemary Nursey-Bray, finds Alice, on a sleepy afternoon, playing chess when she enters the looking glass into a world of strange back-to-front magic. Stepping through the mirror, she meets kings and queens of her chess set. The world inside the glass is marked out as a chess board, across which she must travel as a pawn. She meets talking flowers, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, sees Humpty Dumpty, meets the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, and witnesses the furious battle between the Lion and the Unicorn fighting for the crown. The gentle White Knight rescues her from the cruel Red Knight, as she is able to reach the eighth square and become queen. Or is it all a dream?

The play features a cast of 12 students between the ages of 12-17.

Other upcoming Wellesley Theatre Project performances include You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown Dec. 17-19, and Best of Broadway Jr. Revue, Dec. 18 & 19 at Babson College’s Sorenson Center for the Arts. Tickets are available at http://wellesleytheatreproject.org.

Filed Under: Theatre

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Live theatre at Wellesley middle schools: Matilda & A Midsummer Night’s Dream

November 17, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Middle School this week invites the public to attend Matilda: The Musical Jr. in person from Thursday, Nov. 18 to Saturday, Nov. 20. This will be the first in-person theater performance at WMS since before March 2020.

Ticket are on sale now.

Masks are required for all attendees, regardless of vaccination status. In addition, seating will be assigned to support social distancing.

matilda wms

The Dana Hall Middle School presents its fall play, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, on Thursday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m., in Bardwell Auditorium. The performance is free and open to the public.

Like with Wellesley Middle School, this is the first public performance at Dana Hall since early last year.

In keeping with current protocols on campus, all students involved in the production and audience members will be masked while in Bardwell.

Bardwell Auditorium is located on the Dana Hall campus at 37 Cameron St. Bardwell is not wheelchair accessible. For more information, please call (781) 235-3010 ext. 2731 or visit www.danahall.org .

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Filed Under: Art, Dana Hall School, Theatre, Wellesley Middle School

Wellesley Theatre Project presents Legally Blonde

August 16, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Legally Blonde, Wellesley Theatre Project

Wellesley Theatre Project’s (WTP) is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a revival production of Legally Blonde, The Musical, August 19-21, at the Wellesley Community Center at the WTP Outdoor Theatre, 219 Washington St. Attendees are asked to bring a folding/lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Parking is located next door at the Wellesley Hills Church at 207 Washington St. Wellesley. Tickets are priced $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online at http://wellesleytheatreproject.org in advance, or at the door for $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

Legally Blonde, The Musical features 23 hard working students between the ages of thirteen and seventeen years old, who have worked diligently over three weeks. These cast members reside in Wellesley as well as neighboring communities including, Needham, Newton, Natick, Framingham, Wayland and Cambridge.

DATES/TIMES:

Thursday, August 19, 8pm
Friday, August 20, 8pm
Saturday, August 21, 8pm

Legally Blonde, Wellesley Theatre Project
From left: Leo Harmon (as Warner Huntington III), Nicole Kirschy (as Vivienne Kensington), Riley Constantino (as Elle Woods), Louis Chiasson (as Prof. Callahan), Frankie Mendez (as Emmett Forrest).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Entertainment, Fashion, Theatre

Wellesley Theatre Project presents a hypnotic evening

August 11, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Join Wellesley Theatre Project (WTP) for a night of laughs Thursday, August 12, 7pm outside on the WTP Summer Stage for Family Night with Comic Hypnotist Frank Santos, Jr.

Wellesley Theatre Project, hypnotist

 

Come and be amazed when you, your friends, or strangers across the room become stars of the show, as Santos makes audience members believe that they are singers, dancers, and more.  In Santos’ energetic and unique performance, the audience becomes the main attraction.

This performance will take place at the WTP Studio’s Outdoor Theatre.  Please bring a folding/lawn chair or blanket with you to sit on. Parking is located at the Wellesley Hills Church, 207 Washington St. Wellesley.

Get tickets here ($25/per person)

Filed Under: Entertainment, Theatre

LINX in Wellesley to become all summer camp-focused, all the time

May 7, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Anyone who has signed their kids up for LINX enrichment classes during the school year knows the drill. Pull into the Linden Square location’s parking lot, wind your way around the traffic cones system, drop off your crew for dance or theater class, and pick them up later, tired and happy. A similar scene of excited kids spilling out of cars on their way to summer fun plays out when LINX shifts to its day camp program.

With the child-centered company’s new strategic vision, however, LINX operations are slated to focus solely on its summer day camps as of June 21, 2021. All current classes will continue through their scheduled end date, along with year-end recitals and performances.

LINX, Wellesley
Joe Kahn, LINX owner and founder, during a closing day ceremony at LINX Camps

 

Part of this camps-focused future includes spinning off two businesses that have operated since 2005 under the LINX umbrella—its dance and theater divisions. Both those divisions will become independent companies at the conclusion of the current program year and will be run by veterans of LINX Dance Studio and LINX Theater.

One spin-off company will become Momentum Dance, to be launched and co-owned by LINX Dance Studio’s Heather Emley, along with Dannea Reali, an assistant dance Director at LINX Dance Studio and a former Boston Celtics dancer. A majority of the former LINX Dance Studio instructors have joined the Momentum Dance staff. The new studio will be located in Linden Square in Wellesley, on the CPK side, and is currently registering students for fall 2021 recreational and competitive classes.

“I am incredibly grateful for the trust and support I had to grow LINX Dance Studio into an award-winning dance program. Many of our first dancers are now in college and pursuing careers from passions they developed and deepened with us. I can’t wait for Momentum Dance to influence a new generation of dancers,” Emley said.

The other spin-off company, Community Theater Academy (CTA), will team with Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick starting fall 2021. CTA’s focus will be to bring students of all ages together to create and explore theater in an inclusive, diverse, and nurturing environment to perform small cast productions.

“We’re thrilled to be able to welcome more families excited about the arts to our campus in Natick. The LINX Theater spin-off to Walnut Hill School for the Arts Community Academy Theater is one more way students of all ages can connect on a deeper level with high-quality arts instruction in a safe and supportive environment,” said Antonio Viva, Walnut Hill’s Head of School.

Both Momentum Dance and Community Theater Academy will operate independently of LINX and will no longer have a business connection to the company. Most teachers and office staff have opted to continue their careers with either Momentum, CTA, or LINX.

LINX will continue to be headquartered at its offices in Wellesley where the team will work year-round on summer camp preparation.  Of the decision to devote company efforts exclusively to summer camp, LINX owner and founder Joe Kahn said, “Our 12-year track record of offering premier, innovative day camps will now set the focus for our future. Summer camp is more important than ever and we want to continue creating amazing experiences for each member of every family. LINX Camps embodies all of the attributes and hallmarks of the LINX experience. Even in a summer of unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, our phenomenal staff delivered programming that few other businesses could accomplish.”


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Filed Under: Business, Camp, Kids, Theatre

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