A Note from the Artistic Director

“Unprecedented” doesn’t even begin to describe the past few years, but we are immensely grateful to the community of in-person and virtual audiences who have challenged us and kept us afloat. We have pushed ourselves to determine the type of art we want to make, and the work we want to do for the people that we serve.

In 2020, we released our anti-racism action plan, which included pledges that:

  • At least 40 percent of our roles across the year’s productions will be cast with artists of color

  • At least 30 percent of the shows we do will be written by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) playwrights, with an emphasis on female writers

  • Our Board of Directors will welcome two new BIPOC members

With our 2021-2022 season, we are thrilled to introduce you to our new, all-female board. Be sure to say hello if you see them at our shows!

Which brings us to our other major update: we have been honored by the warm reception our Zoom Radio Hour plays and virtual productions have received over the past year. We look forward to maintaining our virtual audiences and taking valuable lessons from those shows while also finding creative ways to deliver safe and enjoyable in-person programming. For more information about upcoming performances, you can like our Facebook page or subscribe to our email list.

Stay tuned for more details about our exciting upcoming season!

Hope to see you at our next show!

–Melissa Bernstein, Artistic Director
Melissa Bernstein (Artistic Director) founded the Newton Theatre Company in 2013 and has directed most Newton Theatre Company shows including Wonder, Our Town, The Song of Achilles: Parts I and II, The Imaginary Invalid, Junie B. Jones and That Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, The Importance of Being Earnest, Agamemnon, Junie B. Jones and that Meanie Jim's Birthday, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Bourgeois Gentleman (or The Would-Be Hipster), The Oresteia, Junie B. Jones Sneaky Peaky Spying, Ethan Frome, Natural Shocks, Ada and the Engine, Iphigenia at Aulis, Living in Exile, Mansfield Park, Women,Exhibiting, It's a Wonderful Life, Helen, The Witches, Marie Antoinette,Pinocchio, Sorry, Wrong Number, The War of the Worlds, Rebecca, All About Eve, Under Milk Wood and The Mrs . She was the founder and Executive Director of the Newton Youth Players, housed in the Newton Cultural Center at City Hall. Over the program's history she has directed over 50 productions involving close to one thousand youth actors. Melissa holds a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MFA in Playwriting/ Theatre Education from Emerson College and a BA in Theatre from SUNY-Binghamton.