As of November, Pentucket Theater is beginning its biggest production of the year, Mary Poppins. At the same time, the middle school production of Newsies Jr. is in production. As we head into the busiest time of the year for Pentucket Theater, this is the best time to see what the theater community is all about. 

Mrs. Snow, the director of Pentucket Theater says, “We have two shows in production right now, Newsies Jr. and Mary Poppins, so we will be spending everyday rehearsing, building sets and creating costumes until March.” 

The school-wide winter musical this year is Mary Poppins. The cast was announced on November 15, after an almost week-long audition process. Mary Poppins will take place in March 2025.

When asked about what challenges come with bringing Mary Poppins to life, we were told by Mrs. Snow, “The choreography is going to be some of the hardest we’ve had in years, and the British accents will be difficult.”

Mr. Berube, the manager of the Pentucket auditorium, states, “The flying in Mary Poppins will be something we’ve never done before, and we hired a professional company to help us with that.”

In January of 2025, Newsies JR. will take the auditorium stage. With a cast composed of only middle school students, these newsies will be the faces of Pentucket Theater for years to come.

Why were these shows chosen? 

Mrs. Snow says, “I chose these shows that I like and were on my bucket list. For Mary Poppins, I wanted a spectacle show.”

The Pentucket Theater Community

Pentucket Theater is a community home to many Pentucket middle school and high school students. Whether on stage or in the wings, it takes lots of students to bring these shows to life. 

“It’s pretty positive and supportive, and we have a lot of students who come forward and are willing to learn and improve,” said Mrs. Snow when asked to describe the community. 

On how students end up in theater, Mrs. Snow tells us, “I recruit students through classes and students bring in their friends.”

Many of the students who take performing arts classes or those enrolled in the music program end up in at least one production, and with friends, students are typically less shy about trying something new.     

If you would like to be involved in Pentucket Theater without dedicating yourself to being in a production, there are different ways to support the program. 

“People can come to see shows, take a theater class, or help with front-of-house stuff too, like concessions and tickets.”

“Marketing could use some help too. Such as sharing us on Instagram,” Mr. Berube added.

To see more of Pentucket Theater behind the scenes, be sure to check out the student-run Instagram page, @pentucket.theater for updates on the next productions and their cast. You can get your tickets for any Pentucket Theater production at prsd.ludus.com.