The Maynard Stage Company presents one-act festival benefit show Feb 27th led by new faculty advisor; Fowler Middle School set to perform Mamma Mia March 27th/28th

It’s an exciting time for student theater, both at Maynard High School and Fowler Middle School! First The Maynard Stage Company (MSC) (formerly the Maynard High School Theater Company) is for the first time entering the Massachusetts Educators Theater Guild (METG) One-Act Drama Festival, led by vibrant new faculty advisor Ms. Jillian Wadland.  Come out and show your support! Purchase tickets here for Constellations by Nick Payne, their one-act competition entry being performed for the community Friday, Feb 27, 2026, at 6p and at 8p in the MHS auditorium ($10 adults; $8 stud/age 65+). This spellbinding, romantic journey begins with a simple encounter between a man and a woman. But what happens next defies the boundaries of the world we think we know—delving into the infinite possibilities of their relationship and raising questions about the difference between choice and destiny.  Told by multiple versions of the same couple, Constellations asks us to consider who we are, what we mean to each other, and what, if anything, is guaranteed. 

Save the date and be on the lookout for more details for Fowler Middle School’s performances of Mamma Mia March 27-28, 2026, directed by amazing Fowler teachers Ms. Michelle Travers and Mr. Travis Hales. Tickets will be sold at the door.  This delightful ABBA’s hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman’s search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. 

The Maynard Stage Company is delighted to be presenting the musical Camelot, directed by Ms. Wadland based on the 2023 Broadway revival  – be on the lookout for dates for May (later than in past years due to the festival; exact performance weekend TBA).  An idealistic young King Arthur hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of The Round Table.  His Ideals, however, are tested when his lovely queen, Guenevere, falls in love with the young Knight, Lancelot, and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance.

The Maynard Theater Association’s treasurer, Bethlyn Houlihan, had a chance to catch up with the new faculty advisor Ms. Wadland – learn more about her below. Maynard High School is very excited and lucky to have her!

Ms. Wadland! Tell us about yourself!

I am the sophomore English teacher at Maynard High School, and I am also the proud faculty advisor of the Maynard Stage Company! I am originally from just around the corner in Framingham, and was a proud member of the Framingham High School Drama Company, which was the highlight of my high school career and drives me to create the same opportunity for connection and joy here.  I attended Ithaca College for undergraduate degrees in Theatre Studies and English, where I nurtured my twin passions and began to combine them through both lesson planning and production planning! After graduating from Ithaca, I left snowy upstate New York behind and came home to Boston to attend Tufts University for my Masters of Arts in Teaching.  I taught English in Waltham Public Schools, and then made the jump here to Maynard! I have spent the last seven summers at Weston Drama Workshop, a youth summer theatre that makes its home at Regis College.  There, I am the Production Stage Manager for one of our mainstage musicals, and I have the pleasure of working with and learning from theatre educators from all across the state.

What do you see that makes Maynard so special?

I have known Maynard was special since I was a student in high school–  I came to see Godspell at MHS because I had been in a musical with some Maynard kids at Weston Drama Workshop the summer before.  I was instantly charmed and impressed.  I still remember where I sat, how great I thought the performance was, and some moments of the show that really imprinted themselves on my memory.  When I had the opportunity to come back to Maynard as a staff member, I was thrilled to see that the spark that I remembered still existed.  The students really are the heart of the program, and their willingness to try new things and put in the work is one of the main reasons that the theatre program still exists.  Their commitment and their joy form the foundation, and so anything we build already has a strong base to stand on.

What are you most proud of so far?

We jumped right in this year, even though our shows aren’t going up until the spring.  This fall, we worked on creating the Maynard Stage Company, which is now an official student organization.  Under the MSC, we have elected officers, created updated social media accounts, made facilities upgrades to the lights, curtains, and stage floor, held our own training workshops, and brought in multiple guest artists to teach workshops in musical theatre audition, lighting design, and acting for the camera.  None of this would have been possible without the students, of course, but also without the help of our school administration, the facilities staff, parent support including the Maynard Theater Association, and community support of fundraising efforts.  I am most proud of the way that the entire Maynard school and town community has embraced what we are trying to do, and has supported us as we work toward it.

What are you most excited about for what’s yet to come?

This year, I am most excited for our shows, of course! We have two really special shows to share with the community this year.  First up is Constellations, which is a one-act play that we are entering into the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild’s One-Act Drama Festival, a statewide competition and celebration of high school theatre with over 100 participating high schools! We will not only put on the show here in our auditorium, we will also travel with it, share it with other high schools, and see the wonderful work that those other schools put on. 

Right after Festival, we jump into the musical: Camelot! Based on the 2023 Broadway revival, this show is a blast, and allows us to collaborate with our friends in band and music.  It’s a show with a lot of fun and a lot of heart, and will be a great way to close out our first year together.

Where do you see the MSC in 3-5 years?

I can’t wait to see where we are in a few years! Our focus for the next few years is to set our future selves up for success: build quality stock set pieces, props, and costumes that we can reuse and repurpose, build strong systems of student leadership in order to pass down knowledge to future students, and build connections with other high school theatre programs as a way to share and support our regional arts programs.  I would like to continue to learn from guest artists, travel to regional theatre, and become a more active participant in the Massachusetts high school theatre community.  Maynard already has such a strong arts tradition and strong reputation, and we want to not only benefit from that, but also add to it!

Where can we find the Maynard Stage Company online?

Instagram: @maynardstagecompany
Facebook: Maynard Stage Company

Stay tuned for further updates! There is so much to celebrate in Maynard Public Schools student theater this year and the Maynard Theater Association is delighted to do our part to help student theater shine. We’ll see you at the theater!