Woodland Theatre Company Finds New Home in Medfield

Broadway is ready to call Medfield home.

Sherborn’s Woodland Theatre Company has reached an agreement with to perform its 2012 season in the Lowell Mason Auditorium of , according to Bob Maguire, Superintendent of Schools.

“I’m really enthused because I’m hopeful that it will be something that people can come to the school and have a nice cultural theatre activity that they don’t have to go too far away for and hopefully it will be great for the town,” Maguire said.

The Woodland Theatre Company, according to its website, is a “non-profit, federal tax exempt 501(c)(3) theatre dedicated to bringing affordable, high-quality musical theatre productions to the metro-west area of Boston. The company’s goal is to create a place where family and friends can come together and experience an evening of wonderful, imaginative and meaningful entertainment not far from home.”

Woodland Theatre has been performing at the Sherborn Community Center, but space constraints forced the company to explore other facilities to enable it to grow.

“We’ve had conversations now for probably about two months with [Woodland Theatre Company], which [had been] running into some issues with trying to grow their program over [in Sherborn] due to space and they approached us.”

Maguire said the Woodland Theatre Company met with high school music and orchestra administration and drama and music faculty to discuss the use of the Lowell Mason Auditorium.

“After a lot of hard work and trying to figure out scheduling, we have reached an agreement with the company to move over here,” Maguire said.

Maguire made the announcement at Monday’s School Committee meeting and the theatre company posted a similar message on its website:

“Woodland Theatre Company is taking up residence at the Lowell Mason Auditorium on the campus of Medfield High School. We invite you to join us on our journey as we continue Bringing Broadway Home!”

The agreement, according to Maguire, is a one-year lease for the 2012 production season, which includes performances of “Cabaret,” “Guys and Dolls,” and “Into the Woods.” The season produces a performance in January, May and October.

“They are scheduled to have a play in January,” Maguire said, referring to the Jan. 27-29 performance of “Cabaret.” “It’s an adult group and they do bring in people from New York to help them with lighting and other [production needs]. I think they are really looking to grow [the program]. They are trying to make it professional.”

Maguire weighed the benefits of the Woodland Theatre Company’s move to Medfield at Monday’s School Committee meeting.

“We signed a lease for one year with them, which will not only provide some form of revenue to us for the use of the facility, but more importantly it brings the theatre group to Medfield and one of the things that was very important awhile ago when we were talking about building the schools was the building of that auditorium,” Maguire said.

It was the desire of many during the building of the new Medfield High School to provide the school and community with various cultural activities, Maguire said. The school’s agreement with the Woodland Theatre Company is a result of those desires and hard work.

“We have worked out an agreement where [the theatre company] will work with some of our folks from an educational point of view,” Maguire said. “So when they bring these people up from New York, they will run little workshops and clinics and things for our kids. … They will try as much as is appropriate to involve students in some of their activity that they do with their production.”

Woodland Theatre Company’s 2012 Production Lineup

Cabaret

Jan. 27-29
There was a cabaret. There was a Master of Ceremonies. There was a city called Berlin in a country called Germany. It was the end of the world, and I was dancing with Sally Bowles, and we were both fast asleep.

Guys & Dolls

May 11-13
It all begins with a bet! Nathan Detroit bets high-rolling gambler Sky Masterson that Sky cannot persuade Save-A-Soul Missionary Sister Sarah Brown to accompany him on a trip to Cuba. While the worldly Sky works his charms on a wary Sarah, Nathan is doing his best to stay outside the matrimonial clutches of his long-suffering fiancée, Miss Adelaide.

Into the Woods

Oct. 12-14
Once upon a time there was a beleaguered young maiden called Cinderella, an abstracted boy named Jack and a childless Baker and his Wife. Each went into the woods seeking to have their wishes granted. Along the way, they discovered what happens AFTER happily ever after.

For more information on the Woodland Theatre Company, click here.