Education: Grades 1-3 – Wheelock Family Theatre

About the Grades 1 to 3 Programs

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Rooted in process-based story drama, students are introduced to the actor’s tools of body, voice, mind and imagination. Students develop characters, solve creative problems and enter the world of the story. Students have fun while also developing valuable literacy and life skills such as communication, critical thinking, collaboration, focus and creativity. Each session, there is a new theme to spark the imagination, creating a fun, new experience each class!

If you have questions about whether a program is the right match for your child or if your child needs accommodations to access any of our programming, please reach out to Jeri Hammond, Director of Education, at jerih@bu.edu

Weekend Classes

8-week sessions on Saturday & Sundays starting January 28 & 29 running through April 2nd. There are no classes on the weekends of 2/18, 2/19 & 2/25, 2/26 due to February school vacation week.

Stories On Stage: Imaginary Worlds

Get ready to enter magical and mystical realms where anything you can imagine is possible. Each week students will discover imaginary worlds as they travel through fiction’s most awesome stories, all while never leaving the classroom. Students will use their actor’s tools (body, mind, voice, and imagination) to create dynamic characters in the most fantastical and mysterious of places, even an imaginary world of their own making! Through theatre and hands on visual art experiences students will bring these stories to life. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.

Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade | Type(s): Acting, Creative Drama, In Person |

Tuition: $360

Saturdays (Jan 28 - April 2) No classes 2/18 & 2/25 9:30am - 11:00am

Sundays (Jan 29 - April 3) No classes 2/19 & 2/26 9:30am - 11:00am

Musical Mashups: The Villain's Story

Inspired by the most dastardly (and delightful) Musical Theatre villains, students will have great fun bringing those characters to life who are “rotten to the core”. They will learn to “sing a story” by exploring the various voices that can be produced by using the appropriate vocal technique. Students will connect the voice to posture, gesture, and full-body movement through improvisation to create vivid characters. They will “dance a story” by learning to use creative movement to bring their storytelling to life. Not all actors need to dance, but learning how to use a creative and flexible range of movement will help young actors feel more confident on stage, develop physically interesting characters, and add another skill to their actor’s toolbox. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.

Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade | Type(s): In Person, Musical Theatre |

Tuition: $360

Saturdays (Jan 28 - April 2) No classes 2/18 & 2/25 11:00am - 12:30pm

Sundays (Jan 29 - April 3) No classes 2/19 & 2/26 11:00am - 12:30pm

February Vacation Program

Monday to Friday, February 20 – 24. February vacation is all about Musical Theatre! Students will attend our mainstage production of Make Way for Ducklings. Before-care (8 am to 9 am) and aftercare (3:30 pm to 5:00pm) are available for all programs for an additional fee.

Making a Musical: Jungle Jams (Grades Pre-K to 1)

An action-packed one-week diving into the world of musical theatre by creating a short original musical. Utilizing popular music from across the decades, students will piece together scenes and songs to tell the story of jungle creatures that are “rockin’ around the clock.” While working on their musical, students will advance their acting, singing, and dancing skills. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the final day of the program.

Grades: 1st Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K | Type(s): In Person, Musical Theatre, Vacation Week |

Tuition: $480

Monday, Feb 20 - Friday, Feb 24 9:00am to 3:30pm

Making a Musical: Happily Never After (Grades 1 to 3)

An action-packed one-week diving into the world of musical theatre by creating a short original musical. Utilizing popular music from across the decades, students will piece together scenes and songs to tell the story of a fairytale that didn’t go as planned. While working on their musical, students will advance their acting, singing, and dancing skills. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the final day of the program.

Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade | Type(s): In Person, Musical Theatre, Vacation Week |

Tuition: $480

Monday, Feb 20 - Friday, Feb 24 9:00am to 3:30pm

April Vacation Program

Monday to Friday, April 17 – 21. Our April Vacation week programs all invite students to adapt and perform original stories. Students will see our mainstage production of Bud, Not Buddy. Before-care (8 am to 9 am) and aftercare (3:30 pm to 5:00pm) are available for all programs for an additional fee.

Page to Stage: Bedtime Stories (Grades Pre-K to 1)

As cozy as your favorite pair of PJs, students will spend the week enjoying some of the most beloved of Bedtime Stories and imaginatively bringing them from “page to stage”. Through creative movement, imagination, and hands-on art activities, students jump into the world of a new story each day and set sail on this interactive theatre experience specially designed for our youngest students. The morning will be spent engaging in creative drama and movement and the second half of the day will be our Afternoon Arts Adventure: hands-on visual arts projects inspired by story illustrations. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.

Grades: 1st Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K | Type(s): Acting, Creative Drama, In Person, Vacation Week, Visual Arts |

Tuition: $480

Monday, April 17 - Friday, April 21 9:00am to 3:30pm

Page to Stage: Mystery & Detective Stories (Grades 1 to 3)

It’s time to Get a Clue! Over the course of the week, students will work as playwrights, actors, and designers while being immersed into the mysterious world of the who- done-it. Suspects, witnesses, clues, a red herring or two and plenty of suspenseful twists and turns are in store as students learn first-hand what it takes to bring a mystery from page to stage. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.

Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade | Type(s): Acting, In Person, Vacation Week |

Tuition: $480

Monday, April 17 - Friday, April 21 9:00am - 3:30pm

Summer Programs

Our summer 2023 classes will be online and available for registration starting January 2, 2023.

Please note, all grades refer to placement in the fall of 2022

Before care (8am to 9am) and after care (3:30pm to 5:00pm) will be available for all of our vacation programs for an additional fee. Families will be contacted the week prior to the start of the program to register for either/both options. You’ll have the option to purchase by day or for the entire week.