Wheelock Family Theatre’s New Season Offers a Mix of Old Favorites, New Shows
Executive Director Nick Vargas on the year ahead and the 45th anniversary celebration
The cast of Manual Cinema’s production of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster, the inaugural production of Wheelock Family Theatre’s 2025–2026 season. The show runs through October 19. Photo by Rebecca J. Michelson
Wheelock Family Theatre’s New Season Offers a Mix of Old Favorites, New Shows
Executive Director Nick Vargas on the year ahead and the 45th anniversary celebration
This article was originally published in BU Today on October 9, 2025. By John O’Rourke
EXCERPT
When the curtain rises on Wheelock Family Theatre’s new season on Thursday, 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. Manual Cinema’s shows combine handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen.
WFT is hosting Manual’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 is the story of a monster who, despite his best efforts, cannot 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.
Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster is 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.
Wheelock Family Theatre’s season will continue with a production of the Tony Award–winning musical Annie (November 21 through December 22), and an adaptation by Joseph Robinette of E. B. White’s classic story Charlotte’s Web (April 1 through 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 executive director, to talk about the upcoming season.