The Un-Common Theatre Company, a production company founded in 1980, is truly unusual. We are one of the few children’s theatre companies in New England that provides aspiring young actors, singers, musicians, and technicians an opportunity to work under the guidance of theatre professionals and perform in professional theater spaces. We are a
non-profit volunteer organization which hires a variety of creative and technical personnel for each open auditioned production so as to expose our kids to various personalities and work environments.

Our vision is to develop the life skills of youth through the professional theatrical experience. The Un-Common Theatre Company seeks to develop children’s confidence, self-esteem, teamwork and effective life skills. Un-Common performs two to four shows a year at various locations in Mansfield and Foxboro, MA. Our teen improvisational comedy troupe, Improv Soup, performs monthly in Foxboro and at other local venues. Our casts are made up of actors aged 6 to 21, coming from dozens of towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Our Spring and Fall shows are performed at The Orpheum Theater in Foxboro, MA, after 10 weeks of rehearsals. Although generally full length musicals, we occasionally bring straight shows to this stage. The ages of each cast depends on the requirements of each show.

Our Young Performers’ Group was developed in 2004 to offer an opportunity for 1st - 6th graders to gain experience and confidence in a lower pressure environment, with performances in a local middle school and the opportunity to play major roles at a younger age. This show is also directed by a first-time director, usually a high school senior or recent college graduate, with most other production positions being filled by their peers. The process is supervised by experienced production managers.

Our Young Adults’ Group, formed in Summer 2005, is designed to offer 15 - 21 year olds an opportunity to be cast in cutting edge shows that they would not normally have an opportunity to be a part of at their age. This progra also requires all cast members to be an integral part of the production team so as to learn new skills and develop a full understanding of “putting on a show”.

Our Improv Soup Troupe is audition-based, rehearses weekly and performs monthly. Auditions are held when current members graduate high school and replacement members are needed. We also offer Soup Jr., an Improv workshop for middle schoolers, taught by Improv Soup members.

Chris Lowey - President

Chris stumbled into the children's theatre world behind her daughter who was born singing, acting and dancing but now she can't imagine a life without it. She has been on the board of The Un-Common Theatre Company for 6 years, was president for 4 1/2 years and is currently enjoying being Co-President. She has produced 10 shows with Un-Common and has met and worked with many talented kids from ages 5 - 21, directors, parents and tech crews. Chris's favorite part of working in youth theatre is watching kids (and adults) learn and grow from the wonderful process that is Children's Theatre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Van Dell - Co-President

Amy has been on the board of the The Un-Common Theatre Company for 5 years and is currently Co-President. She has lent her fundraising skills to create and build the membership program and special events as well as expand grant opportunities for UCT. Amy has also co-produced three Young Performers productions and will be producing this season's Wizard of Oz as well as the Young Performers Production. Having previously been a complete novice to the theatre world, she has thoroughly enjoyed working with the wonderful families and fellow board members.

 

The Performing Arts Center of Metrowest (PAC) is a non-profit, accredited member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, providing high-quality instruction in music, theater and dance to students in the Metro West area. PAC offers individual lessons in many different instruments, voice and acting; classes and workshops in music, theater, and dance; a pre-school music program; dance therapy; and special events such as guest performers, functions, and overnights. PAC is the home of the PAC Family Players and the Moving West Repertory Dance Theatre.

Sherry Anderson, Executive Director

Artbarn Community Theater

www.artbarn.org

Artbarn Community Theater is entering our tenth year of operations, providing quality family entertainment with twelve main stage productions each year.  Our season of shows integrates Broadway favorites with classics from literature alongside original shows that we write that deal with themes of character and making the world a better place.  Artbarn rehearses in Coolidge Corner and performs our shows at the Maliotis Cultural Center at Hellenic College in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Artbarn is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community theater arts program for children and youth from pre-school through high school. Artbarn provides a warm and creative after-school program where children and youth of all backgrounds can make friends, experience a creative process, and learn skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.

Students at every age level are active participants in all aspects of the production experience. They perform on-stage acting, singing and dancing, and also work behind-the-scenes on script ideas, writing, scenery, costume design and publicity.  High school internships allow older students to earn community service hours while they gain valuable job experience teaching theater arts. Student interns provide wonderful role models and mentors for the younger children.

Artbarn's mission is to support students working together in the performing arts and foster  creativity, self-esteem and social confidence.

More than 2,250 children ages 4 to 14 have taken Artbarn classes during its first nine years of operation. Students include publicly, privately and home-schooled children from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. The Artbarn staff has multiple years of training and experience in child development and the performing arts, experience which ensures that the child’s experience is developmentally appropriate and educationally based. No child has been turned away for lack of funds, and Artbarn has successfully integrated children with disabilities into its productions. Together, the children have produced 110 shows with a total of 220 performances. Approximately 18,500 parents, siblings, relatives, friends and area residents from Brookline, Jamaica Plain, and Greater Boston have attended the productions. Based on these early successes, Artbarn has also expanded its programming to include adults in their own production troupe, the Party Animals.

Artbarn has expanded beyond its walls, launching a community service component to its programming. Artbarn now takes traveling troupes “on the road” to the Brookline Public Library, the Senior Center, area nursing homes, homework clubs and after-school programs.

Each Fall Artbarn brings theater arts to the Brookline Elementary Schools by offering in-house productions designed to integrate theater arts with the K-6 curriculum.  Using storytelling, improvisation, role-play and musical comedy, our shows challenge the student actors and their young audiences to deal with important issues like bullying, voter apathy, historic hometown heroes and kid empowerment.

In nine years, Artbarn has grown into a well-known, loved and respected community resource with quality professional staff, a loyal following and a dedicated management team. Artbarn provides innovative theater, developmentally sound programs, and fun for children, adolescents, adults, their families, the schools and the broader community.

 

 

Matthew Kossack has been acting, directing and choreographing throughout the Boston area since graduating from Boston College in 2004. With young actors he has worked with The Performing Arts Connection in Sudbury, Arlington Center for the Arts, Creative Arts camp at Tufts University, and Bishop Elementary in Arlington. He now serves as Artistic Director of Artbarn Community Theater in Brookline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacquelyn Borck is Executive Director of Artbarn Community Theater which is now entering it’s tenth year of operations. Artbarn produces twelve shows each season with a focus on creating a mix of Broadway favorites, literary classics and original musical theater for students in grades K-8. This year Jacquelyn penned “Robin Hood” and co-authored “The Comic Book Kid to the Rescue” and “The Vortex.” Jacquelyn graduated from St. Lawrence University with a BA in French Literature and Fine Arts and Emerson College with a MA in Performing Arts and Theater Education.

Riverside Theatre Works

www.riversidetheatreworks.org

Watertown Children's Theatre

www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org

Watertown Children's Theatre was founded in 1983 by Artistic Director Dinah Lane, initially as a program of an existing organization known a the Watertown Center for the Arts. The WCA was formed for the purpose of obtaining a building to create an arts center on the property known as the Arsenal Mall.

Although the creation of an arts center was not successful at that time, the Watertown Children's Theatre flourished as an entity in its own right. Led by professional staff, supported by businesses and the public schools, as well as by scores of talented, dedicated parents and community members, the children's theatre grew into the vital creative and educational organization it is today.

In its more than 20 years of service to the town of Watertown and the surrounding communities, this award-winning program has enriched the lives of thousands of children and their families. Combinging values of artistic excellence with inclusiveness, reflected in its affordable fee structure, its open audition policy, and its involvement of entire families, the WCT has continuously ensured its place as a highly valued member of this flourishing artistic community.

As of September 2005, the WCT has moved into its new space at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. As the Center's Resident Children's Theatre, it offers year-round classes, rehearsals and workshops, collaborates with other arts organizations, and performs its mainstage productions in the beautiful new Mosesian Theatre.

The Watertown Children’s Theatre continues to provide a cultural and educational resource for children of all ages. WCT offers classes, productions, workshops, and mini-musical opportunities for all children to appreciate and participate in the performing arts.

WCT Mission

• To be a cultural and educational resource for the community by providing opportunities for all children to appreciate and participate in the performing arts.
• To provide a range of theatre experiences for children of diverse cultures and different ages.
• To foster self-discovery, creativity, confidence, group responsibility, & pride in accomplishments, as well as the development of skills in an enjoyable noncompetive atmosphere.

 

 

Dinah Lane -Artistic Director

As the Artistic Director for Watertown Children's Theatre since its inception in 1983, Dinah has taught countless classes and workshops and, until recently, directed most of the company's musical productions. She has been an artist-in residence in a number of Watertown Public Schools and has received awards both from Continental Cablevision for “Best Regional Programming for Children and Teens” and from the WBCC for “Outstanding Dedication and Service to Youth”. Last year she was awarded an “Honorable Heroes of Humanity” citation from the Art of Living Foundation in Boston, for her work in starting the WCT.

Before founding WCT, she performed professionally in Boston, New York, and in summer repertory theatres in Vermont, New Hampshire, Cape Cod and the Berkshires, as well as touring as an actress, director, and teacher throughout the Northeast, bringing classical and contemporary plays and theatre workshops to thousands of people of all ages through state Arts Council grants. She holds an MA in psychology, and in addition to her work with WCT, is a practicing family therapist.

 

 

 

Peyton Pugmire

Originally from Georgia, Peyton holds a master's degree in Theatre Education from Emerson College and a BA in Theatre Performance from The College of Charleston. As Program Director of the Watertown Children's Theatre, Peyton enjoys helping oversee the company's year round programming of educational programs and productions. In addition to WCT, Peyton stays quite active in the Boston area theatre scene directing, performing, and producing. Directing credits include The Shadow Box, Into the Woods, The Wiz, Ten Little Indians, Peter Pan (WCT), Legend of Sleepy Hollow (WCT), and Singin' in the Rain with the Footlight Club in Jamaica Plain. Favorite performance credits include Nunsense, A-Men!, Forever Plaid, Six Degrees of Separation, Sweet Charity, The Sound of Music (Wheelock Family Theatre), Emerson College's The Shakespeare Stealer (Irene Ryan nomination), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Brick).