About the Grades 6 to 8 Programs
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Developing artists will build upon foundational actor’s tools and explore storytelling through different genres: ensemble acting, musical theatre, and more! With a rich variety of course offerings students can deepen their skills while stretching themselves to try new artistic approaches, developing their own unique voice and style.
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.
Actor's Toolbox: SCENE STUDY
Online registration is closed. Please email wfted@bu.edu to see if space is still available in this program. Our Actor’s Toolbox series engages students in the creative process and supports their growth as actors, individually and in an ensemble. In Actor’s Toolbox: Scene Study, students will learn how to unpack the “given circumstances” of a scene and work collaboratively with a scene partner to convey the heart of a piece. In the final class, students will share what they’ve learned with friends and family. We recommend students take this class if they’ve taken Actor’s Toolbox: Fundamentals of Acting or have previous experience. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.
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.
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.
Tuition: $360
Saturdays (1/28 - 4/2) No classes 2/18 & 2/25 9:30am - 11:00am
Taught by: Danny Bolton
Taught by: Danny Bolton
Sundays (1/29 - 4/3) No classes 2/19 & 2/26 9:30am - 11:00am
Taught by: Dev Luthra
Taught by: Dev Luthra
Musical Theatre Revue: Scenes into Song
Online registration is closed. Please email wfted@bu.edu to see if space is still available in this program. This class builds on the foundational skills of musical theatre as students apply those skills to the process of developing a musical revue of scenes and songs. Participants will create characters and expand theatrical storytelling techniques as they sing, dance and act. Through solo, small-group, and ensemble work, students will learn how to transition from scene to song, creating a believable shift that allows the audience to follow a character’s journey. We recommend this class for students who have taken Fundamentals of Musical Theatre or with previous musical theatre experience. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.
Tuition: $360
Saturdays (Jan 28 - April 2) No classes 2/18 & 2/25 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Taught by: Zoe Nadal, Alisa Cassola
Taught by: Zoe Nadal, Alisa Cassola
Sundays (Jan 29 - April 3) No classes 2/19 & 2/26 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Taught by: Zachary D McConnell
Taught by: Zachary D McConnell
Lights, Camera, Action: Acting for the Camera
Online registration is closed. Please email wfted@bu.edu to see if space is still available in this program. An exploration of the technique needed to adapt the craft of acting to the screen. Students will learn how to create a natural, believable performance for film and television through on-camera exercises, monologues, and scenes. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.
Tuition: $360
Saturdays (Jan 28 - March 26) No Class Feb 19 & 26) 11:00am - 12:30pm
Taught by: Stephanie Charlton
Taught by: Stephanie Charlton
Sundays (Jan 29 - April 3) No classes 2/19 & 2/26 11:00am - 12:30pm
Taught by: Stephanie Charlton
Taught by: Stephanie Charlton
The Actors' Studio: Art of the Audition (Now Grades 8 - 12)
Online registration is closed. Please email wfted@bu.edu to see if space is still available in this program. In our Actors' Studio series, serious acting students will move deeper into developing their craft. The Art of the Audition guides students through the audition process from monologue selection and development to cold readings and understanding what happens in a “working audition”. Understanding the monologue is one of the essential skills of the actor. Building on foundational acting techniques, students will explore the nuances of both comedic and dramatic monologues. Students will also explore the practical side of the theatre industry by learning the ins and outs of audition self-taping, a ‘must-have’ skill for today’s actor. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.
Tuition: $480
Saturdays (Jan 28 - April 2) No classes 2/18 & 2/25 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Taught by: Alex Leondedis
Taught by: Alex Leondedis
Sundays (Jan 29 - April 3) No classes 2/19 & 2/26 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Taught by: Greg Allen
Taught by: Greg Allen
February Vacation Programs
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.
Jukebox Musicals of the 50's, 60's, & 70's (Grades 4 to 6)
An action-packed, one-week journey through scenes, song and dance numbers from some of the most well known Jukebox Musicals featuring popular music from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s such as All Shook Up, Beautiful, Mama Mia and Motown. With an emphasis on developing strong ensemble skills, this class engages all three of the student’s musical theatre skills: acting, singing, and dancing! A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the final day of the program.
Tuition: $480
Monday, Feb 20 - Friday, Feb 24 9:00am to 3:30pm
Taught by: Zachary D McConnell, Stefani Wood
Taught by: Zachary D McConnell, Stefani Wood
Jukebox Musicals of the 80's, 90's ,10's & Today (Grades 7 to 12)
An action-packed, one-week journey through scenes, song and dance numbers from some of the most well known Jukebox Musicals featuring popular music from the 80’s to today such as & Juliet, Jagged Little Pill, Head Over Heels and Moulin Rouge. With an emphasis on developing strong ensemble skills, this class engages all three of the student’s musical theatre skills: acting, singing, and dancing! A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the final day of the program.
Tuition: $480
Monday, Feb 20 - Friday, Feb 24 9:00am - 3:30pm
Taught by: Brad Reinking, Stefani Wood
Taught by: Brad Reinking, Stefani Wood
April Vacation Programs
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.
Playwriting to Performance: Graphic Novels & Comic Books (Grades 4 to 6)
Like traditional novels, graphic novels have exciting and complex plots, characters and conflicts. The visual images of graphic novels inspire imaginative storytelling, with complicated plots, dynamic characters and complex conflicts. Over the course of the week, students will work as playwrights, actors, and designers to create engaging scenes based on graphic novels. Students will learn first-hand what it takes to bring a story from page to stage. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.
Tuition: $480
Monday, April 17 - Friday, April 21 9:00am - 3:30pm
Playwriting to Performance: Memoir & First Person Literature (Grades 7 to 12)
In memoir, authors choose a pivotal moment in their lives and try to recreate the event through storytelling, holding onto facts but emphasizing their feelings, providing readers with a heightened and more personal experience. Over the course of the week, students will work as playwrights, actors, and designers to reveal the humanity of characters and give voice to stories that inspire them. Students will learn first-hand what it takes to bring a story from page to stage. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place on the last day of class.
Tuition: $480
Monday, April 17 - Friday, April 21 9:00am to 3:30pm
Performance & Design Classes
Check back on 12/1 for more information on winter/spring 2023 design and performance programs for middle and high school students.
Summer Vacation Programs
Summer 2023 classes will be online and available for registration starting January 2, 2023.
Summer Vacation Programs
Please note, all grades refer to placement in the fall of 2023
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. You’ll have the option to purchase by day or for the entire week.
Under the Big Top
Come one, Come all to the Greatest Show on Earth! We will kick-off our summer program with a rousing week-long exploration of the theatrical world of the circus. Professional Boston area circus artists will lead classes each day in circus skills such as clowning, juggling, tumbling, spinning plates, hula hoops, acrobatics, Chinese yo-yo, and more! In partnership with Cirque Us, students will learn the skill and storytelling involved in contemporary circus performance. All together, making for a three-ring circus of an experience!
Families are invited to join us under the big top at 2:00 p.m. on the last afternoon for a sharing of the week’s learning.
Families are invited to join us under the big top at 2:00 p.m. on the last afternoon for a sharing of the week’s learning.
Tuition: $480
Monday, June 26 - Friday, June 30 9:00am - 3:30pm
Puppet Academy: Dream it. Make it. Share it.
Dive into the wildly creative and interdisciplinary world of puppetry arts! This summer, students will learn the secrets of crafting extraordinary puppet characters and bringing them to life. In partnership with Puppet Showplace Theater, students will work with professional puppeteers, as they 1. create a puppet, 2. learn the skills involved in bringing the puppet character to life, and 3. share their creations with an audience. Join us for a fun and imaginative start to summer vacation!
Families are invited to join at 2:00 p.m. on the last afternoon for a sharing of the week’s learning.
Families are invited to join at 2:00 p.m. on the last afternoon for a sharing of the week’s learning.
Tuition: $288
Wednesday, July 5 - Friday, July 7 9:00am - 3:30pm
Musical Theatre Production: Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka Jr.
This program focuses on coordinating the instruments of voice and body to create dynamic musical characters. In this 3 week program, students will participate in classes on acting, dancing, singing, and puppetry each morning, while spending each afternoon applying those to the rehearsal of the musical Willy Wonka. This program is open to anyone interested in deepening their musical theatre experience. The program will culminate in a 7 p.m.Thursday evening performance the final week.
About the Show: Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR. follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whomever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats, but the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka's rules in the factory — or suffer the consequences. (from MTIshows.com)
About the Show: Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR. follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whomever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats, but the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka's rules in the factory — or suffer the consequences. (from MTIshows.com)
Tuition: $1290 *Early Bird Tuition (1/3-1/31): $1140*
Monday, July 10 - Friday, July 28 (Three Week Program) 9:00am - 3:30pm
Theatre Design Intensive I
This program is a dynamic immersion in the theatre crafts that are vital to professional stage productions. This course balances theory with practical experience through the study of scenic, prop, costume, lighting, and sound design. Students will work with WFT’s professional technical staff during this three-week intensive, designing and building technical elements for a number of WFT’s Summer Productions such as Willy Wonka & Shakespeare on the Green. Work will be shared at the final performances of each production.
Tuition: $1290 *Early Bird Tuition (1/3-1/31): $1140*
Monday, July 10 - Friday, July 28 (Three Week Program) 9:00am - 3:30pm
Shakespeare on the Green: As You Like It
This program continues the tradition of Shakespeare in the Park with students performing an abridged version of As You Like It on the WFT@BU green. Students will decode the sometimes perplexing language of Shakespeare to find meaning, humor, and more behind the words. Students will delve into some of the Bard’s most famous scenes and characters, making connections with their own experiences. Families are invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair and join us on the green for this classic tale of mischief, mishap and magic. The program culminates in a 6:30pm performance on the final Friday of the program.
About the show: Shakespeare's classic comedy of romance and mistaken identity. Frederick has usurped the dukedom from his older brother. Their daughters, Rosalind and Celia, are best friends, and when one is banished from court, they both flee to the Forest of Arden, disguising themselves as country folk. But they're not the only ones fleeing to the forest! Soon this refuge becomes a haven for the lessons of love, complicated by disguise and circumstance -- but ending happily despite everything.
About the show: Shakespeare's classic comedy of romance and mistaken identity. Frederick has usurped the dukedom from his older brother. Their daughters, Rosalind and Celia, are best friends, and when one is banished from court, they both flee to the Forest of Arden, disguising themselves as country folk. But they're not the only ones fleeing to the forest! Soon this refuge becomes a haven for the lessons of love, complicated by disguise and circumstance -- but ending happily despite everything.
Tuition: $1290 *Early Bird Tuition (1/3-1/31): $1140*
Monday, July 10 - Friday, July 28 (Three Week Program) 12:00pm - 6:30pm
Making a Scene: Devising, Directing & Acting
In this program students will put their acting skills to work as they develop and rehearse short scenes with fellow classmates. Understanding the meaning and given circumstances of a scene, as well as their character’s objective, will be emphasized. Students will collaboratively create original work. Learning how to both give and take direction will be an important part of the work, as well. A final demonstration for family and friends will take place at 2:30p.m. on the last day of class.
Tuition: $480 *Early Bird Tuition (1/3-1/31): $430*
Monday, July 10 - Friday, July 14 9:00am - 3:30pm
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