Each year, over 10,000 students attend Wheelock Family Theatre productions and enjoy live theater! Learn more below about how Wheelock Family Theatre can make a difference in your student’s life this year.
Interested in joining us for our upcoming season? Continue reading below for information on what to expect, how to book and information about the trip. If you have any questions please email wftgroup@bu.edu for more information.
Students from all over New England join WFT for the Student Matinee Series. Whether it is your first show, or your 100th, Wheelock Family Theatre is the best place to enjoy an experience that will last your students a lifetime.
Please note: availability is constantly changing. Our Groups team does their best to respond to all emails within one week. Thank you for your patience.
WFT@BU is committed to promoting a safe campus environment. Our policy is regularly reviewed and the most up-to-date information will be posted on our website. Performers will be un-masked and abide by both BU and Actor’s Equity regulations. All WFT on campus staff are BU Covid-19 compliant. We also strongly encourage all visitors to campus to be vaccinated.
In accordance with current University safety protocol, audience members are required to wear a mask indoors at all times. WFT@BU will not be requiring audience members to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test. WFT@BU will not be socially distancing in the theatre. There will be no eating or drinking allowed in the theatre or the lobby. Any person with symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 should not attend WFT@BU. To learn more about our safety protocols, please click here.
Performance start time varies by production, please see below for more information.
The SpongeBob Musical
Performance time for SpongeBob starts at 10:30am.
- Friday October 4
- Thursday October 10
- Thursday October 17
- Tuesday October 22
- Thursday October 24 (Access: ASL & AD)
A Year With Frog and Toad
Performance time for Frog and Toad starts at 10:30am.
- Tuesday December 3 – SOLD OUT
- Wednesday December 4- SOLD OUT
- Thursday December 5- (18 SEATS AVAILABLE)
- Friday December 6- (12 SEATS AVAILABLE)
- Tuesday December 10- SOLD OUT
- Wednesday December 11- (15 SEATS AVAILABLE)
- Thursday December 12 (Access: ASL & AD)- ASL & AD ALLOTTED SEATS AVAILABLE
Flora & Ulysses
Performance time for Flora & Ulysses starts at 11:00am.
- Thursday February 13 (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
- Friday February 14 (BEST AVAILABILITY)
- Tuesday February 25 (BEST AVAILABILITY)
- Wednesday February 26 (BEST AVAILABILITY)
- Tuesday March 4 (EXTREMELY LIMITED)
- Wednesday March 5 (EXTREMELY LIMITED)
- Thursday March 6 (Access: ASL & AD) (LIMITED AVAILABILITY. ASL & AD ALLOTTED SEATS AVAILABLE)
The Prom
Performance time for The Prom starts at 10:30am.
- Friday May 16
- Thursday May 22
- Wednesday May 28
- Thursday May 29
- Tuesday June 3
- Thursday June 5 (Access: ASL & AD)
*Learn more about WFT Accessibility Performances here.
Please email wftgroup@bu.edu with the following information:
- Show Choice
- Show Date (Top Choice & Second Choice):
- School Name:
- School Address (Number, Street, Town and Zip):
- Contact Phone:
- Contact Email:
- Grade(s) of the students attending:
- Total number of tickets requested (students, teachers, and chaperones):
Please know that until you’ve received an official email confirmation your group has not been finalized. For most accurate date availability, please contact WFTgroup@bu.edu.
Student Matinees typically sell out. In order to best accommodate your group, please reach out early!
PRICING
Tickets to student matinees are $12 for all students, teachers, aids and chaperones. All tickets MUST be reserved in advance and coordinated through the Group Sales Coordinator to ensure seating for all attendees, as the theatre only has a finite number of seats. Tickets CANNOT be bought separately through the Box Office.
PAYMENT
Once your booking has been confirmed, you will receive an invoice. Group organizer must acknowledge the receival of this invoice by mail or email. The full payment of your reservation is due no later than the day of your attendance.
Should your group decide not to attend, please let the Groups Manager at WFTgroup@bu.edu know as soon as possible.
WFT does not offer refunds on any absent students. Your final count is to be given no less than 1 week before your arrival (3 weeks is preferred), and that is what your payment is based on. It does not matter, nor do we offer refunds, if a student is absent.
SEATING
Wheelock Family Theatre has two seating areas: the orchestra and the mezzanine. The first 10 rows in the orchestra section are on a slight slope heading down toward the raised stage. The remaining 11 rows in the mezzanine section are similar to a stadium style seating where there is a stair/step between each row. i.e. to get to row AA, you must go up one step, row BB, up two steps, etc.
There is excellent visibility with no obstructions from all seats. If your group has specific seating needs, please note that at the time of inquiry.
For the student matinees no printed or electronic tickets will be issued. We will reserve a block of seats for your group in the theatre based on the total number of people in attendance. Because we serve many school groups at each one of our shows, seating assignments are predetermined by Wheelock Family Theatre. We do our best to seat groups together, but in rare instances, this is not always possible due to the number of attendees. We are not able to distribute seating information for your group until you arrive for the performance.
LOCATION
Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University is located at 180 Riverway, Boston MA 02215. Boston’s Fenway Neighborhood.
HOW LONG IS THE SHOW and WHAT TIME DOES IT START?
Each production has a different run time. Please check your shows specific production page to find out the length and if your show includes an intermission. Performance start times for all student matinees is 10:30am. We ask all groups to arrive by 10:10 am to be seated by performance time.
BUS DROP-OFF and PICK-UP INFORMATION?
Please unload busses and other vehicles on the Riverway, we have a convenient drop-off area directly in front of the theatre’s doors. Drivers can look for our police detail service along with our staff members to assist you with your group.
The Riverway is a busy four-lane road and bus drivers should not drop off students on the side opposite of the theatre doors as there is no safe way for the students to cross the street.
Upon arrival, please send one representative from the group inside to check in with a staff member. They will instruct you group on next steps from there.
Buses are not allowed to park and wait on the Riverway for more than 10 minutes in front of the theatre, during unloading/loading or during the performance.
Bus parking is NOT available on the premises and is therefore the responsibility of each driver.
For other members of your group who are driving and meeting you at the theatre there are many garages in the area. Parking is at market rates. We do not validate.
MASCO Garage: 375 Longwood Ave. Boston, MA 02215
Landmark Center: 401 Park Dr. Boston, MA 02215
Pilgrim Road Garage: 170 Pilgrim Rd, Boston, MA 02215
CAN OUR GROUP EAT AT THE THEATRE?
If you want your students to eat before the show, note that groups will need to be seated by 10:20 am so please plan your arrival time accordingly. Our lobby opens at 9:45am.
Students are allowed to eat in the lobby before, during intermission and after the show. We also have a small gallery and classroom space where the students can eat, and of course, weather permitting, they can eat outside.
For shows with an intermission, students are allowed to eat in their seats, and we will provide large trash bins. We encourage teachers and chaperones to have additional trash bags with them, especially for larger groups. We ask that you help us keep our shared space clean!
After intermission we ask that all food goes back into students belonging as rustling bags can be disruptive to the actors and other audience members.
WHAT SHOULD MY STUDENTS BRING WITH US TO THE THEATRE?
Students are allowed to bring lunch/snack, water bottles and coats in to the theatre. Our theatre tends to be chilly, so we encouraged folks to bring a light sweater or sweatshirt.
ARE CONCESSIONS (food/drinks) AVAILABLE?
Wheelock Family Theatre does not sell concessions at our student matinees.
ARE SOUVENIRS AVAILABLE?
Wheelock Family Theatre does not sell souvenirs or other merchandise at our student matinees.
PROGRAMS
A group leader, teacher, or chaperone will be handed your groups programs at the time of seating. The programs are put in a bundle based on the number of tickets that were reserved. We kindly ask that the programs do not get distributed until your group arrives back at school so that they do not end up all over the theatre floor.
LATE ARRIVALS
As a courtesy to the many school groups attending each student matinee performance, we make every effort to start performances on time at 10:30am. If we do have to hold the performance for any reason, we will start no later than 10:40am.
Late comers will be seated as soon as possible upon arrival, but may be asked to wait until an appropriate break in the action before taking their seats. Groups arriving after the start time of the show will be seated at the discretion of the house manager to minimize disruption of the show.
Study Guides and Social Stories
Teachers can enrich their children’s theatre experience with our Study Guides, prepared with helpful background information for each production and available for download from the production page, beginning two weeks before the opening of each show.
Social stories were originally developed for children on the autism spectrum, but we have found that they are helpful for preparing any child who is very young or has never been to the theatre before. WFT@BU offers this general social story, as well as a customized one for each of our productions on our production page. We hope you will find them helpful!
School and Community Partnerships
WFT@BU partners with schools and community organizations through performance attendance, drama workshops for students, and professional development workshops that train teachers to integrate drama into the classroom. For additional information contact Jeri Hammond at 617-353-2994 or WFTEd@bu.edu
School partnerships are the fastest-growing program within the WFT@BU Education Program. School Partnerships usually begin by framing a public, private, or home school’s attendance at a stage production with a pre- and post-show educational package called a DramaShop.
Participating teachers receive a WFT@BU Study Guide before attending the play, with narratives connecting the play to history and/or literature, as well as numerous drama-related activities that are fun to do, connect to specific Massachusetts learning standards, and prepare the students and teachers to more deeply appreciate the play.
Our School Partnerships are designed to deepen in subsequent years, as the schools and the theatre get to know one another better. Once teachers, administrators, and parents begin to see how students are positively influenced by their interactions with cast members and artist-educators, schools will often ask for classroom workshops, artist-in-residence programs, and teacher professional development.
The goal of every School Partnership is to eventually move from direct services for students to teacher professional development. When classroom teachers develop the ability to infuse drama-related teaching and learning strategies across the academic curriculum, not only does their teaching become energized, but they are better able to serve the needs of ALL students. And their drama expertise resides in the school culture, not outside of it.
Community partnerships pair WFT@BU with non-school organizations, such as church groups, senior citizen centers, out-of-school programs, community theatres, and youth groups.
A good example is our community partnership with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusett (GSEM). The WFT@BU-GSEM Partnership began in April, 2002, when Girl Scouts from throughout greater Boston came to watch two deaf teenagers star in our production of The Trumpet of the Swan. Their troop leaders received Study Guides with descriptions of many drama activities connected to the play. They also participated in the DramaShop, which consists of a pre-show workshop and discussion about the play and a post-show question-and-answer session with members of the cast.
Rather than making specific connections to State learning standards as the school partnerships do, community partnerships use the study guides and DramaShop to connect with teamwork, character-building, and other life skills valued by community organizations like the GSEM.
If your school or community organization is interested in working with WFT@BU to create a collaborative partnership, please contact Jeri Hammond at 617-353-2994 or WFTEd@bu.edu.
