Wheelock Family Theatre’s New Season Offers a Mix of Old Favorites and New Shows

Wheelock Family Theatre's New Season Offers a Mix of Old Favorites and New Shows

Executive Director Nick Vargas on the year ahead, and 45th anniversary celebration

When the curtain rises on Wheelock Family Theatre's new season on Thursday night, October 9, audiences will be treated to something different: a production staged by the award-winning Manual Cinema, a Chicago-based performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company whose shows combine handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen.

WFT is hosting Manual Cinema's Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster, based on two books by the beloved children's book author Mo Willems-Leonardo, The Terrible Monster and Sam, The Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World. The show tells the story of a monster who, despite his best efforts, can't be convincingly scary. When he meets Sam, who is afraid of everything, the two forge a surprising friendship.

The production combines live performers and hundreds of illustrated paper puppets, along with furry monsters and live music, to bring Willems' tales to life. Audiences can watch the story unfold onstage or on a big screen (via an overhead projection), or a combination of the two.

The show includes hundreds of illustrated paper puppets. Image by Manual Cinema, Characters © Mo Willems

Wheelock Family Theatre's season will continue with a production of the Tony Award-winning musical Annie (November 21-December 22), and an adaptation by Joseph Robinette of E. B. White's classic story, Charlotte's Web (April 1-26). And WFT will mark its 45th anniversary with a special event, Magic in the Wings: A Benefit Celebrating 45 Years of Wheelock Family Theatre, in early December, featuring live performances, food, and more.

BU Today sat down with Nick Vargas, WFT's executive director, to talk about the upcoming season.

BU Today: What led you to decide to open your season by hosting another company's show?

Vargas: I'd been a fan of Manual Cinema for years, and when I had the opportunity to see their production, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster, at a conference a couple of years ago, I knew it was something I wanted Boston audiences to see. This audience of hundreds of theater artists, administrators, and educators got to be kids again for 50 minutes-not only enjoying the artistic qualities they brought to their storytelling, but also to laugh and feel the big emotions the story so perfectly explores.

BU Today: What will audiences see onstage?

Vargas: There will be a performer who narrates the action through spoken, direct address to the audience, plays quirky songs, and speaks the lines for most of the characters in the show. You'll see a large projection screen and then, behind it, a green screen and a table that has a small camera attached to it. To the audience's eye, it will just look like a stack of paper. And, then, three actors will come out and they'll play all of the characters that we'll see, including the puppets. Audience members will be able to go from watching the story of the paper puppets unfolding on the screen to seeing the actors interacting with one another on the stage.

Lily Emerson serves as the show's narrator. Photo courtesy of Manual Cinema; photo by Rebecca J. Michelson

BU Today: What excites you the most about the production?

I'm excited to have a group of artists in our space that share our values and are bringing a level of artistry that took a decade to develop. And it's the perfect show for this time of the year. Who doesn't love monsters as we gear up for Halloween? To further engage audiences, folks can visit our gallery, which will feature an exhibit around Mo Willems and the artistic styles of Manual Cinema. And we're partnering with students from the College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts who are getting their degree in arts education to lead a one-day workshop involving a visual arts activity tied to our two productions on Monday, October 13.

BU Today: What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

This show is about friendship, overcoming our fears, and embracing the idea that it's okay to be afraid. Even as adults, we need to remember that our anxieties around the unknown are part of who we are.

BU Today: Later this fall, you'll direct a new production of Annie. WFT has staged it once before. Why did you want to revisit the show?

Annie is all about a young orphan trying to live through the Great Depression with a sense of optimism, and inspiring the adults around her to realize that, while it may be gray today, tomorrow there will be sun. I think that's a message that audiences need to experience now. When we staged it in 2010, Jane Staab, one of WFT's founders, directed it and I was her assistant director. She taught me that there's always substance and the characters need to be real, audiences need to understand that these are real people experiencing real things that we can relate to, especially when they sing and dance.

I've been trying to do Annie for many years. We were able to get the rights for our 45th anniversary year and in time for the holidays.

Posters courtesy of Wheelock Family Theatre

BU Today: You've produced Charlotte's Web numerous times. Why did you want to bring it back again this year?

Charlotte's Web is one of those stories that's always in school curriculums because it's such an important way to introduce young people to the cycles of life and death and the sacrifices we make for one another. We're really excited to bring it back this season. Audience members as young as three or four will understand that this is a story about a true friendship and the lengths that Charlotte goes to help Wilbur and what that means for her and him.

BU Today: And you've got an anniversary bash planned, yes?

Yes. Our 40th anniversary occurred during the pandemic and we had to celebrate it a year later and outdoors. This event, which we're calling Magic in the Wings, is on December 4. It's both a way to reconnect and a way to celebrate the storytelling and impact of what we do here, while building to our 50th year.

The event will feature delicious food, opportunities for guests to engage around WFT-branded activities, and support the theater by bidding on exciting items in our silent auction. The evening will also include performances by the cast of Annie, students in our education program, remarks from WFT community members, and the presentation of our WHEEL (Wheelock Heroes Enrich Every Life) Awards to individuals who have made an impact in the arts, education, and improving the lives of the communities in which they serve.

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster runs weekends through October 19 at the Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston. Performances are Fridays at 6 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 am and 2 pm. There will be additional performances on Monday, October 13 (Indigenous Peoples' Day), at 10:30 am and 2 pm. Ticket prices range from $26 to $52. BU students, faculty, and staff are invited free of charge opening weekend (to reserve your ticket, use code "BUOpen"). BU students can purchase $15 tickets to any performance using the code "College." Faculty and staff receive a 20 percent discount on full-price tickets with code "BUStaff." Purchase tickets here, call 617-353-3001, or email [email protected]. ASL interpretation/audio description performances are Thursday, October 16, at 10:30 am (student matinee), and Saturday, October 18, at 2 pm. The production is recommended for audiences ages three and up.

Annie runs November 21 through December 22 and Charlotte's Web runs April 1 to 26, 2026. Magic in the Wings: A Benefit Celebrating 45 Years of Wheelock Family Theatreis Thursday, December 4, at 5:30 pm at Wheelock Family Theatre.

Explore Related Topics:

• Arts on Campus
• Theatre
• Wheelock Family Theatre

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