Background: I'm from Worcester, went to school in Waltham (Bran to the Deis!), and I happen to know…read morethe director and her husband, who was an actor in the show. We also went out for drinks after, so there. Anywho, went here to see Stopkiss. I'll get to the review on the show in a bit. First, the theater. If you go to the Waltham Public Library, walk over to Spring St., look down the road and where your blindspot is, that's the theater. It is a hidden gem that takes a bit to find, but worth the look. At the entranceway, you'll find you typical, small theater atrium before you descend stairs into their lair. The theater itself is a small space, but very, very well used. And this production was no exception to that. Stopkiss has everything going for it, from the direction, to the acting, to the choice of lights and music (I gave my friend crap for one song, but it was only because it gave me visions of a Spanish Soap Opera at a crucial time in the show, not ruining, but adding a bit of levity to an otherwise melancholy moment). The cast is fantastic, with strong moments of acting coming from everyone, and I mean everyone, in the cast. The two lead actresses Jennifer McCartney and Gabrielle Hatcher steal the show, from what, I'm not sure, and are very well supported by Michael Soulios, Jason Rutledge, Andrew Boncoddo, Carolyn Cafarelli, and Melanie Bernier. Tatiana Rutledge has maintained her keen eye and artistry and only shown strong strides of development in her role as director of the show. The lighting design, well crafted set and, overall, highly kind stage crew make this a must see. Tatiana, much love. Z

Just saw Stop Kiss. Was the best community theater I have seen in years. The two lead women were…read morequite wonderful, sensitive and quirky with a great range. They created real, whole living characters.

Great concert 10-4-14. They really hit it out of the park. I have never heard such a good rendering…read moreof Brahms 1st, except maybe by the London Symphony Orchestra. Their concerts are all wonderful events with a pricing policy that makes them very accessible for families and even young children. The holiday concert is always packed and everyone has a great time. Reception afterwards, too.

I came to Spingold several times throughout my freshman orientation at Brandeis for lectures on…read moreintegrity and diversity. My first legit visit would be to see the play Tommy! It was excellent! I didn't know who the Who was and had just seen the Lion King so my mind was made up that some stupid student production at Brandeis would not be topping that...I was so wrong. I was on my feet clapping at the end of the show. Not the most talented bunch but reflective of the Brandeis student body: not great looking but hard-working and charismatic. I'm looking forward to frequenting more of their productions.

Very fun, even for the grownups. Cute place, our kid loves every show there. They also do camps.read more

The Puppet Showplace Theatre is one of those hidden gems you just need to check out. They hold…read morefull-on puppet shows with elaborate puppets crafted by world-renown artists and with stories told by famous storytellers. You've probably driven by a hundred times looking at the bright lettering and the cool paintings on the windows but really, stop by for a show one night. They have adult shows too (not that kind of adult show) which is what I'm recommending. I'm sure the kids shows are amazing, great for brithday parties etc. but I've never actually seen a kid show. If you're looking for a funny interesting night, check out a PuppetSLAM which is what I saw... This is from their website: "It's an evening of short varied theatrical mini-plays for adults that use (or sometimes abuse) puppets for all or part of the drama. Each piece is performed by a different artist or artists, and the content can be wide-ranging; some are elegant or poignant, others are satiric, irreverent, or humorous, and still others can be passionate, political, or spiritual in nature. The performers range from the seasoned professional to the nascent puppeteer, and often include poets, musicians, dancers, mimes, actors, and other sundry affiliated artists." These guys are also non-profit, so help 'em out and go see a show. They're funny and you'll have a good story to tell about how you went to a puppet show :)

What a great theater nestled in a cute little neighborhood! My daughter gifted us tickets so off…read morethe JP we went. There is on street parking and a municipal lot behind the main street business. Enter through the side door and you're in the main waiting area with plenty of historic pictures and local art. The theater upstairs and you're transported to another time. Local theater is so important. The production was good and we loved seeing local actors. Would recommend.

What a special place this is! I did not realize that this group had been in operation for 100 years…read moreuntil I attended the performance yesterday. The building is a beautiful historic building. It is also wheelchair accessible. The performance of Miss Holmes was really good. Good acting, and the set was really clever and creative. They also had snacks during intermission. Only a dollar for a bag of chips or a soda! The ticket price was also very reasonable. I can't wait to see their next play!

The summer camp for children is purely based on favorites, and they give the same children time to…read moreshine over and over again while the students who are just as talented get ensemble parts with no singing or even single lines. Some kids who are arguably worse repeatedly get cast as very important roles while actual talent takes a back seat. Awful, unfair, and horrible.

We visited on Sunday to see a performance of Mr. Popper's Penguins…read more The play and all the theater staff were wonderful. There are live captioning boards on either side of the stage. If you attend, do NOT get tickets in the literal first row. We were crunched with no leg room against the stage. The bathrooms here are tiny and not accessible. I would consider returning for a different show in the future - but would sit further back.

Yes, yes, and yes ... If you have kids and they are interested in theater, you need to bring them…read morehere. They are lovely here and I have not had a bad experience even when we had a bad situation arise with my daughter's first production. I love that they are instilling the love of theater into these kids. They also discuss the process of a production and the characterthe child is portraying even when it is a small, non-speaking roll, They utilize all of the children that try out and it works wonderfully. We have thus far only been able to do the musicals but one day the stars will align in our schedules and we will get to do a black box production. My favorite production so far has been "The Pirates of Penzance".

Got kids? This is a great program. Spectacularly-run and lots of fun for serious actors, plus they…read morerun vacation camps with arts themes for those of us who can't just stay home all day with our kids because we, you know, have jobs... Wonderful counselors. Really beautiful facilities in the New Repertory Theatre building. Even if you don't have kids, check out a show sometime and support the arts!

I attended my first class with the Paint Bar yesterday and couldn't be more delighted. I'm…read moreimpressed how they were able to quickly bring the program online in light of the unexpected challenges of the virus. They even offered to deliver the supplies until shipping was available so people could participate. The teacher broke the steps down to simplify a complex painting, and carefully demonstrated each of the techniques. They even broke the class out into breakout rooms so friends could work together from home. Overall, it was a terrific experience.

The Paint Bar is a lot of fun, and no matter how little talent you have (I can't draw a circle…read morewithout Powerpoint), you can indeed create a masterpiece (ok, maybe it will only sell for $2 at your garage sale in 10 years, but your very small children will be impressed). I suggest arriving 30 minutes early, so that you don't get stuck in the line waiting for paints and can focus on importing things like buying a glass of wine. It also helps to be seated near the small stage in front so that you can easily see the example completed painting on the wall. They rotate through a selection of different ones, which are specified on the website when you buy your tickets, so don't pick a class that will paint a lame one like the happy dolphin! Also, you need to see the instructor, who will demonstrate painting an additional example on the stage. The instructor was quite funny, and fairly clear in explaining the individual steps one by one, although she went pretty quickly. The full 2 hours are necessary to complete the painting, and if you fall behind, you will miss some of the tricks or paint combinations. If you bring a date, be sure to praise how much better his or her piece is than yours, over and over again. Artists are sensitive, and who knows, you might get lucky later. If you have talent, maybe your painting will end up in Somerville's Museum of Bad Art, and not in a garage sale!