Wheelock Family Theatre Announces 2018/2019 Season

Wheelock Family Theatre (WFT) proudly announces three shows coming to the mainstage in our 2018-2019 season. With adaptations of novels by Lois Lowry, E.L. Doctorow, and Roald Dahl, WFT's upcoming season offers all the wonders of literature come to life. Characters give voice to their own stories and inspire others to, in the words of Coalhouse Walker, Jr., from Ragtime, "Go out and tell our story. Let it echo far and wide." Join us as we celebrate the power of the individual and collective voice.

Just in time for back-to-school, Gooney Bird Greene and Her True Life Adventures is an adaptation by Kent R. Brown of the Lois Lowry book that charts the quirky course of Gooney Bird, a new student at Watertower Elementary with a flair for the theatrical. Gooney Bird inspires her classmates to maximize their own self-expression through wearing brightly-colored mismatched ensembles and telling wildly imaginative stories that are 100% true. Gooney Bird Greene and Her True Life Adventures will be produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing. Performance dates are October 26 - November 11, and the show is recommended for all ages.

The season will continue with the musical Ragtime, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow with book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, a kaleidoscopic journey through the turn of the 20th century. Nick Vargas directs, in collaboration with Music Director Jonathan Goldberg, this story of immigration, innovation, and "a dream of what this country could be." Ragtime will be produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International. Performance dates are January 25 - February 17, 2019. The show is recommended for ages 10 and up.

For the third show of the season, WFT will bring Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach to the stage. This adaptation of Dahl's classic story by the musical team behind Dear Evan Hansen, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, along with Timothy Allen McDonald, gives us delicious rhymes and delightful music that triple the cherished whimsy of the original. Emily Ranii directs this thrilling quest for family and home with Music Direction by Matt Stern. James and the Giant Peach will be produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International. Performance dates are April 12 - May 12, 2019, and the show is recommended for ages 6 and up.

To quote a line from James and the Giant Peach, we invite you to join us in WFT's 38th season as we "reach into the great unknown and find out what's inside."

Founded in 1981, Wheelock Family Theatre produces plays and musicals and offers educational programming for ages 4-18. WFT is a professional theatre that operates under a contract with Actors' Equity Association (AEA). At WFT, children perform alongside professional adult actors, and performances include weekend, school vacation week, and weekday matinees for school groups. Audition dates for AEA and non-AEA actors of all ages for principal, featured, and ensemble roles will be announced in the upcoming weeks. WFT's Education Program offers a year-round schedule of classes for children and youth who wish to gain and improve performance and auditioning skills.

On June 1, 2018, as a result of the merger of Wheelock College and Boston University, Wheelock Family Theatre will become a program of Boston University. Wheelock Family Theatre will continue to offer our full range of innovative Education Programming and enrollment for the 2018 Summer Education Program is now open. For more information, please visit wheelockfamilytheatre.org or call our office at 617-879-2300.

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