Weston Drama Workshop

08/28/2024

Missing our WDW family and Season 62 ♥ 🎭

We hope everyone had a wonderful remainder of their summer—happy Back to School! ✏ 🍎

📸 ASA Photographic, from Alice By Heart 2024

08/12/2024

After a wonderful Season 62, we're already looking forward to next summer! As of 9:00am today, registration is open for all of our programs. Register now at the link below and be part of the magic during Summer 2025! 🎭🎶💃

westondramaworkshop.org/registration2025

📸 Photo by ASA Photographic from WE WILL ROCK YOU 2024

07/30/2024

That’s a wrap on Season 62! We held our strike and end-of-season party yesterday, and after today’s Truck Day, some of our staff members enjoyed celebrating at Level 99 this evening ♥️

Thank you to our AMAZING staff, board, participants, and other community members who made Season 62 a smashing success!

07/27/2024

Coming up at 8… it’s the final performance of WE WILL ROCK YOU (and the final performance of Season 62 as a whole)! Tickets are still available at westondramaworkshop.org and at the door once online sales close. 🎟️

This is your LAST CHANCE to see a show… don’t miss it! 🤘 🎸

📸 ASA Photographic

07/27/2024

💡 STAFF SPOTLIGHT 💡

Chris Brindley
Producing Artistic Director
Director for the Phantom of the Opera

Chris Brindley will be returning for his 21st season with Weston Drama Workshop after serving as Executive Producer for seven years and nine years serving as Producer. Chris began his involvement with WDW as a sophomore in high school as a performer and started on staff as stage manager of the morning show. Chris is an active director, producer, and performer in the Boston area. He received his B.A. in Theatre Education and Acting from Emerson College where he received the Howard Waldman Award for excellence in Performing Arts and his M.S. in Arts Administration from Boston University. Chris is currently the Department Head of Fine and Performing Arts at Framingham High School and is on staff as drama teacher and director for the award-winning Framingham High School Drama Company. Chris is also an affiliated faculty member of Emerson College Dept. of Performing Arts and previous President of the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild High School Division and current President of the Musical Theatre Division. Previously Chris worked as the Theatre Director at Belmont High School. WDW Directing Credits include: Mean Girls, Something Rotten!, The Spongebob Musical, Spring Awakening, Disney’s Newsies, West Side Story, Evita, The Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Blood Brothers, James and the Giant Peach, Les Miserables, Wiley and the Hairy Man, Children of Eden, and the inaugural TYA Afternoon show, Charlotte’s Web. Much love to Ari, Aidan Tristan, Kyle, Judi, Sue, Lynn, the whole staff, and team Phantom for making this summer so fetch! He would especially like to thank Chris Holownia, S.J. and Emily Craver- reuniting with both of his dear friends this summer on the creative team has been a dream. Chris dedicates this and every show to his late mother and father, Linda and Doug, who were his biggest fans and supporters.

07/27/2024

EURYDICE takes its final bow later this afternoon 😢 Get your tickets now at westondramaworkshop.org and join us at 5pm in the Black Box! You don’t want to miss this beautiful show ☂️

📸 ASA Photographic

07/27/2024

“It’s over now, the music of the night…” 🎶

You only have one more chance to see THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: today at 2pm! Get your tickets now at westondramaworkshop.org and be immersed in the magic ✨

📸 ASA Photographic

07/27/2024

The eighth and final performance of EURYDICE is today at 5pm in the Black Box! We hope you will join us—grab your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org. 🎟 Read on below for an interview with director Tristan Burke! ✨☂

Tell us a little about your background and current career, as well as how you first got involved with Weston Drama Workshop.

I am entering my fifth year as the Drama Teacher and Director at Bourne High School. After attending Framingham High School, I went on to study Acting and Theatre Education at Salem State University where I received my B.A. in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Performance and my M.Ed. in Theatre Education. I began at Weston Drama Workshop in 2015 as a participant appearing as Cinderella's Prince and The Wolf in Into the Woods! After a few summers as a participant, I began on staff, assistant directing on the mainstage and co-directing in the afternoon program for a summer. Eventually, I got the opportunity to direct in the black box for the night show and this is my fourth summer doing so. In addition to directing, I have also served as an assistant producer for these four years, helping where I can to make our whole season successful.

What drove you to want to direct Eurydice? Did you have a clear artistic vision going in?

I was drawn to directing Eurydice because of its exciting blend of non-realistic elements and striking symbolism. Sarah Ruhl's poetic exploration of love, loss, and human connection provides a beautiful opportunity for the audience to reflect from varying points of view. Whether processing your own grief, grappling with challenges in your relationships romantic or otherwise, feeling existential, or simply living your life, there is something for everyone! It has been so much fun exploring the simplicity and rich thematic layers with the cast, amazing Assistant Director Celina Burgueño, and our brilliant Dramaturg Ali Courchesne!

In terms of artistic vision, it took me a while to land firmly in one spot, but ultimately, I was most drawn to Sarah Ruhl’s use of antithesis: Life vs. Death, Light vs. Dark, Rigid vs. Fluid and Remembering vs. Forgetting. This led to conversations with the cast and design teams centered on high contrast elements. I also love this play’s exploration of space, time, and things, both physical and imagined, which will definitely hold strong influence with the prop, lighting, and scenic worlds of this production.

What has surprised you about this show or this process so far?

I don’t think there is really anything that has surprised me—I have just really enjoyed a vibrant and collaborative process with the whole team. In shows that are a bit more abstract and/or stylized I enjoy implementing devised theatre practices, exercises, and build in a lot of time to just explore. There is never time spent on something, even if not used in the show, that I feel goes to waste when it is utilized engaging with fellow artists, asking interesting questions, and practicing play—this type of process, while at times non linear, is one that I find incredibly fulfilling.

Why should people come to see Eurydice, and what do you hope audiences will take away from the production?

People should come to see Eurydice because of the incredible creativity and dedication of the young artists with which we have the privilege to work. The most compelling moments of staging, vocal work, and characterization have all sparked directly from the performers themselves. I feel confident that this production of Eurydice won’t be like any other, not because it is necessarily better, but because I feel that it is truly original in its execution—only thanks to our deeply impressive participants and the absolutely out-of-this-world work of our designers and technicians.

I hope that audiences will be left pondering, curious, and excited. I hope that your hearts will beat, that you will laugh, and that you find the opportunity to look inwards.

07/27/2024

The final performance of ALICE BY HEART starts at 10:30am! Online sales are closed, but tickets are available at the door. Break a leg, Morning Show! ❤️

📷 ASA Photographic

07/27/2024

💡 STAFF SPOTLIGHT 💡

Aidan O'Hara
Producer
Director for Alice By Heart

Aidan O'Hara is the Drama Teacher and Director at Wayland High School. Previous to his 7 years there, he was a Drama Teacher at Weston Middle School for 15 years. This is his 18th summer at WDW - his 8th as a Producer; and 17th as a Director with last summer's Grease as his most recent production. He holds a MFA in Theatre Education and Applied Theatre from Emerson College. He would like to thank Chris, Ari, Sue, Lynn, the entire staff, as well as the entire Morning Show team in particular, for their commitment and camaraderie. And love to his incredibly supportive family - Beth, Dermot, Róisín, Maeve and Gracie.

07/26/2024

Tomorrow morning at 10:30 is your LAST CHANCE to see ALICE BY HEART ❤️ Get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org and join us for one last trip to Wonderland 🐰 ⏰

📸 ASA Photographic

07/26/2024

“All I Ask of You” is to join us tonight for the second-to-last performance of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! 🎶 🎭 Get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org and join us at 8 🎟️

Thank you to our amazing designers who worked on PHANTOM:

Scenic Designers: Kyle Stamm & Chris Fournier
Lighting Designer: Kyle Stamm
Sound Designer: Elliot Dupcak
Costume Designer: Kat Lawrence
Assistant Costume Designer: Tina Hicks
Make-Up & Hair Designer: Grace Graham
Sound Engineers: Mark DeLuzio & Andrew Woods
Scenic Construction: Wooden Kiwi Productions
Flying Effects: ZFX Inc.
Costume Pieces Provided By: Broadway Costumes Inc.

📸 ASA Photographic

07/26/2024

The final performance of OLD JAKE’S SKIRTS is about to begin… break a leg, Afternoon Show! ❤️

Shoutout to the incredible designers who made the OLD JAKE’S SKIRTS magic happen:

Scenic Designers: Kyle Stamm & Chris Fournier
Lighting Designer: Kyle Stamm
Sound Designer: Elliot Dupcak
Costume Designer: Keilah Rauch
Skirt Designer: Colleen Doucette

📸 ASA Photographic

07/26/2024

EURYDICE is back in the Black Box tonight at 7 for its second-to-last performance! Get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org and join us—don’t miss out! 🎟️

📸 ASA Photographic

07/26/2024

Only a few hours remain until the final performance of OLD JAKE'S SKIRTS! Read on below to hear from director Callie Llewellyn about the show and rehearsal process, and join us at 5pm in the Black Box—tickets at westondramaworkshop.org 🎟

Tell us a little about your background and current career, as well as how you first got involved with Weston Drama Workshop.

I started as an intern for Afternoon Show in the summer of 2016 with Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and haven't looked back! After that, I stage managed for one year and then began directing. During the regular year, I am a middle school theatre teacher in Melrose.

What drove you to want to direct Old Jake's Skirts? Did you have a clear artistic vision going in?

Old Jake's Skirts drew me in with its beautiful narrations and imagery. While reading it I could really see how the skirts could be more than just skirts—but symbols and stand ins for different objects in the world of our play. This is what drew me to it!

What has surprised you about this show or this process so far?

What surprised me about this is all the innovative ways the cast and I have found to use skirts! They are more than just costumes in this show—they can function as various props, set pieces, and so much more! The cast and I have had a great time finding ways to use them.

Why should people come to see Old Jake's Skirts, and what do you hope audiences will take away from the production?

This is a beautiful story about finding community. It's a story about hope. It's a story about magic. When you see our production of Old Jake's Skirts, you'll get to see a beautiful community come to life and how hope can change someone's life.

07/26/2024

We’re already missing SIX: TEEN EDITION 😢 Congratulations to our six Queens and the production team and crew on a fantastic final performance on Wednesday evening (and a fantastic run in general!) 🎤 👑

📸 ASA Photographic

07/26/2024

ALICE BY HEART plays its closing performance tomorrow at 10:30am! Want to learn more about this enchanting show? Read on below for an interview with director Aidan O'Hara, and get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org! 🐰 📖

Tell us a little about your background and current career, as well as how you first got involved with Weston Drama Workshop.

In Alice By Heart, Alice exclaims, "All I want is time with him [Alfred]. More time."

The Cheshire Cat responds, "It isn't how much time. It's how we use the time."

Not only is this a central theme from this beautiful musical, but it could be a parallel to Morning Show at Weston Drama Workshop. What this cast of 56 middle school-aged participants accomplishes and creates in such a short period of time is nothing short of amazing and inspiring. In four electric weeks, the company fosters a rehearsal process that stresses camaraderie, learning, singing, dancing, acting, and above all, a special human connection that only the arts can nurture.

This is my 18th summer at Weston Drama Workshop, and it's how our entire WDW family uses their time together that brings me back each summer. In 2007, I joined the staff as an Assistant Director for the Black Box play, Dancing at Lughnasa. Since then, I've directed 6 Night Shows and 11 Morning Shows. Outside of WDW, I'm the Drama Teacher and Director at Wayland High School.

What drove you to want to direct Alice By Heart? Did you have a clear artistic vision going in?

Alice By Heart can be an ideal musical for a middle school-aged cast. The show adapts Lewis Carroll’s famed fantasy into a London-set tale against the backdrop of World War II, as Alice and her friend Alfred journey down a rabbit hole to find love, loss, and the courage to move forward despite harsh circumstances.

It's a coming-of-age story that does not shy away from the complicated and messy questions of growing up. Why is the world around me changing? Why am I changing? What will it mean? How do relationships evolve? And who is the person I will be on the other side of adolescence? All of the questions are woven within the potent lyrics and book by Stephen Sater and hauntingly beautiful music by Duncan Sheik (who previously collaborated on their Tony Award-winning musical, Spring Awakening.)

What has surprised you about this show or this process so far?

Our rehearsal process balances the need to get the show learned and staged with the equal urgency to dive into these themes and content—all while making new friends and also deepening connections with people we're working with again. What surprises me most is how a musical likely written and intended for an adult cast and audience can resonate with a group of young adolescents. This group's intellectual, artistic curiosity and work ethic will be a hallmark and core memory of this production. This group is thoughtful and purposeful about how we use our time together, and that will stick with this group well beyond the final curtain.

Why should people come to see Alice By Heart, and what do you hope audiences will take away from the production?

If you want to see the very best of young adolescence, come see Alice By Heart. This age group gets a bad rap. You know the stereotype—screenagers who are stuck in their own thoughts and wants. A viewing of WDW's Alice By Heart will reinvigorate your confidence that this next generation of artists can be inspiring, reflective, authentic, and beautiful. It's a gorgeous musical with a hauntingly striking score. These children and teenagers are amazing young people! They are the best.

Come see Alice By Heart!

I can think of no better use of your time.

07/26/2024

Today at 5pm, it's your last chance to see OLD JAKE'S SKIRTS! Join Old Jake, his dog Shoestring, and the rest of the gang for this 40-minute heartwarming adventure ❤

Get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org 🎟

🎥 .videography

07/26/2024

Thank you, Linda Chin, for this wonderful review on Theater Mirror! Check it out at the link below, and get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org for THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA's final two performances: tonight at 8 and tomorrow at 2! 🎟 🎭

https://www.theatermirror.net/?p=7726

🌟 "The 35-member cast expertly executes the story’s emotional tension, complex score, and dance/movement..."

🌟 "The pitch-perfect performances by Antonio Mele as The Phantom, Anya Carroll as Christine Daaé, Sophia Keohane as Carlotta Giudicelli, and Miles Salerno as Raoul buoy WDW’s sensational production."

🌟 "Sitting in the audience of the theater at Regis College, you may wonder if you are watching a Broadway-caliber professional production..."

‘Phantom Of The Opera’ – Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics by Charles Hart. Book by Richard Stilton & Andrew Lloyd Webber; Directed by Chris Brindley. Musical Direction by Chris Holownia, SJ. Choreography by Emily Craver. Scenic Design by Kyle Stamm and Chris Fournier. Lighting Design by Ky...

07/25/2024

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is back on the mainstage tomorrow night, Friday, July 26! Read on below for an interview with the show's director, Chris Brindley, and join us at Regis tomorrow at 8—tickets at westondramaworkshop.org 🎟

Tell us a little about your background and current career, as well as how you first got involved with Weston Drama Workshop.

I first became involved with Weston Drama Workshop the summer of my sophomore year of high school when I performed in Cole Porter's Can-Can (opposite my dear friend Chris Holownia, S.J.—the Music Director of this show). It was at this first interaction with WDW that I knew that this would be my summer home for years to come. In the past 21 years with Weston Drama Workshop, I have had the opportunity to be a performer, the inaugural director of the afternoon program, night show director, Associate Producer and Executive Producer of the program. I attribute my greatest growth as an artist, educator and arts administrator due to my time at WDW surrounded by so many passionate and creative participants and staff members through the years. I consider it an honor to work here every summer and lead this team to mount these dynamic seasons year after year.

In addition to my work at WDW, my current job is serving as the proud drama teacher and Director of Framingham High School Drama Company as well as the Department Head of Fine and Performing Arts at FHS.

What drove you to want to direct The Phantom of the Opera? Did you have a clear artistic vision going in?

Madness.

In all sincerity, The Phantom of the Opera has always been a show I have been fascinated with. I never had an intense obsession with the story but more of an obsession of exploring the "why" and the "how" this show became the Broadway phenomenon that we know it to be today.

My first interaction with Phantom happened my junior year of high school when I got to see the original production in the West End. Swept away by the music and the incredible technical elements—I knew at one point in my life I wanted to be involved with this show. This past year, as I walked by the Majestic Theatre in NYC and saw brown paper covering up the doors of this 36 year old legend that had just moved out of the theatre, I realized that we have been given an opportunity to breathe new life into our version this summer.

Selecting Phantom was really a chance happening. Each year for over ten years we have applied for the rights to produce this show and due to the Broadway production and National Tour restrictions we are usually denied. This year, our contract was approved and I took it as a sign to move forward. This show has allowed me to reunite with my close friends and collaborators—Chris Holownia, S.J. and Emily Craver, who have both been on a hiatus from WDW for some time. When they said yes to this project, I knew I had made the right choice.

My vision for Phantom has come from working with this incredible artistic and design team—each member has brought their individual experiences and ideas to the table. A lot of our work has been informed by the dramaturgical historical context of the time period and location, and the original source material of the book by Gaston Leroux. The actors have been bringing informed choices to the rehearsal room and through conversation and exploration we are able to find Weston Drama Workshop's version of The Phantom of the Opera.

What has surprised you about this show or this process so far?

The Phantom of the Opera has delivered surprise after surprise in pre-production and in rehearsal. I knew that this show would be a challenge—first because it is just so iconic and second because of its grandness. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has created a masterpiece of music with this show. The layers of text work in these songs have taken hours for the cast and creative team to mine in rehearsal. Finding the motivation and purpose of each lyric has been the most time consuming and gratifying task.

What I had no idea about was just how hard it would be to nail the style of this show. This heightened ghost story has been a great challenge for me as a director. Not only is this show in a specific time period, it also has an operatic performance style, and a certain level of melodrama while trying to find the truth in each moment. There is so much more to these characters—their psychological life and physical life. There's also the technical challenge of singing this ridiculously challenging score which this cast is nailing.

Why should people come to see The Phantom of the Opera, and what do you hope audiences will take away from the production?

The Phantom of the Opera is an experience—lush in its music, story, and passion. You will see a company of 35 actors who have worked exceptionally hard over the past month to uncover the depth of these iconic characters. You will see the hard work of the designers and creative team who have brought this show to life in an epically spectacular feast for the senses. I am so proud of everyone involved with this project. I believe you will be dazzled by the "music of the night". There's no better reason to come to the theatre than to check out Phantom for the first time or your twentieth. You will not be disappointed.

07/25/2024

💡 STAFF SPOTLIGHT 💡

Ari Welch
Producer

Ari Welch is extremely excited to return to Weston Drama Workshop for her 12th season on Staff! She received a BFA from The Theater School at DePaul University in Chicago and is a Boston-based event planner, producer, and stage manager. In addition to her production work, she is the Programs & Special Events Coordinator and an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant for Art & Soul Consulting. Ari has been a part of the producing team for the past several years and was also a participant in the evening show program. At WDW she has stage managed Spring Awakening, Newsies, West Side Story, Evita, The Wizard of Oz and Chicago. Ari would like to thank her family and friends for their support and encouragement.

07/25/2024

Only a few hours left until WE WILL ROCK YOU’s second to last performance! Grab your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org and rock out with us tonight at 8 🤘

Thank you to the fantastic designers who created the world of WE WILL ROCK YOU:

Scenic & Projection Designers: Kyle Stamm & Chris Fournier
Lighting Designer: Chris Fournier
Sound Designer: Elliot Dupcak
Costume Designer: Rebecca Glick
Make-Up & Hair Designer: Grace Graham
Sound Engineers: Mark DeLuzio & Andrew Woods
Scenic Construction: Wooden Kiwi Productions

📸 ASA Photographic

07/25/2024

We can’t wait for another fantastic performance of EURYDICE tonight at 7 in the Black Box! Get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org and experience it for yourself 🎟️ ☂️

Give it up for EURYDICE’s amazing designers:

Scenic Designers: Kyle Stamm & Chris Fournier
Lighting Designer: Chris Fournier
Sound Designer: Elliot Dupcak
Costume Designer: Chelsea Kerl
Make-Up & Hair Designer: Michelle Moran

📸 ASA Photographic

07/25/2024

💡 STAFF SPOTLIGHT 💡

Tristan Burke
Assistant Producer
Director for Eurydice

Tristan Burke (he/him/his) has served as the Theatre Arts teacher and Drama Program Artistic Director at Bourne High School for the past four years. Directing credits at BHS include: Beauty and the Beast, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Newsies, Ada and the Engine, Our Town, Cinderella, Silent Sky, Alice in Wonderland, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown!, Charlotte’s Web, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other credits include: The Cherry Orchard (Director), Yerma (Fight Choreographer), Six Characters in Search of an Author (Director), Horse Girls (Fight Choreographer), Small Mouth Sounds (Fight Choreographer), Metamorphoses (Director), Red Speedo (Fight Choreographer), Spring Awakening (Assistant Director), Newsies (Assistant Director), The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Co-Director). Tristan is a graduate of Salem State University where he received his BA in Theatre Arts and MEd in Theatre Education. Tristan would like to thank the whole WDW team for making summers so much fun, and his wife Alyssa and the rest of his family for their endless support.

07/25/2024

Tonight, WE WILL ROCK YOU takes the stage for its second-to-last performance! Read on below to hear from the director, Skylar Grossman, about this amazing show—and get your tickets at westondramaworkshop.org! 🎟

Tell us a little about your background and current career, as well as how you first got involved with Weston Drama Workshop.

I have been involved with Weston Drama Workshop for the last 13 years. I originally joined the staff in 2012 as a choreographer for the Morning Show, and later became the Afternoon Show Director within the first 6 to 7 years of my residency. I now have been directing the Night Show for the last seven seasons, and have loved nothing more. When I’m not operating out of Regis, I teach high school theater arts, and also direct and produce their drama seasons. I spent my first eight years as a middle school drama teacher in the Tyngsborough public school system, and just finished a five year tenure as the theater arts director at Franklin High School. In the fall, I will continue my career as I begin working at Wellesley High School as the newly appointed Drama Director. Weston Drama Workshop has always been a place where I can continue to sharpen my tools as a director, all while working alongside some pretty extraordinary theatre educators.

What drove you to want to direct We Will Rock You? Did you have a clear artistic vision going in?

Like many of our seasons, putting together the gigantic puzzle of how the two night show musicals, now three, will complement each other is always a thoughtful endeavor. I spend upwards of 2 to 3 months collaborating with the artistic director on how these pieces will fit together. WE WILL ROCK YOU met all of the needs of the season: fun, different, high energy, and overall a production that our audiences are going to be able to identify as being an iconic jukebox musical. I’ve always enjoyed directing musicals that are inspired from various artists' music; it always provides such an amazing opportunity to capitalize on how the storytelling of what was originally written fits into the concept of the play. WE WILL ROCK YOU is a zany piece of theater, and does not require a massive amount of deep thinking. I wanted to do a show that the students could really buy into, and explore some of the origins of music, history, and that of Queen.

What has surprised you about this show or this process so far?

Needless to say, I think this show has opened up a lot of “realness” as I step into the role of director and my students step into the role of actors. There is a lot of strong relevancy to identity, and what would happen if we were to embark on a society where our mass media is controlled by a greater power. I find this to be topical to say the least. With a show that never made its way to the United States, I find that producing such a show at Weston Drama Workshop defines our mission in providing audiences with the opportunity to see musical theater they might not traditionally be able to see on a regular basis. The topical nature of the show draws on some incredible parallels between the life that we live now, and the life that these characters once remembered before rock 'n' roll died. It’s remarkable how a highly accessible book can draw upon so many relevant questions and thoughts.

Why should people come to see We Will Rock You, and what do you hope audiences will take away from the production?

First and foremost, if you love Queen, or rock ‘n’ roll in general, this is absolutely the show for you. As rehearsals progress, I find myself constantly tapping my foot or mouthing along with the songs that I grew up with. The near dystopian spin adds such a layer of beauty and surprise, and we sometimes forget that this is a jukebox musical. While most of the traditional roots of the book are written for a UK audience, I do believe US audiences will indulge in the fun, the passion, and most importantly, the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.