My kindergartner has participated in two, week-long theatre camps with Stone Soup. The educators are super nurturing and skilled at sharing the joys of theatre with young people--my kid has enjoyed it start to finish, having fun while building confidence and friendships. The program fosters imagination and creativity and imparts a powerful sense of teamwork and collective word building. read more

My daughter is loving the after school enrichment program at her school (Cascadia) directed by Quinn. The Percy Jackson play was adorable and my daughter was so excited that she memorized every line in the play. Quinn did a great job of making sure each kid got plenty of lines and could sing a little solo. The multi grade level kids are such a sweet team. So supportive and happy. Its a really positive experience read more

Our kindergartner has completed two camps and had a total blast at each of them. The staff are great at balancing fun with rehearsals, and she is pumped for the summer session! read more

My child took the play writing class through the enrichment program at his school. His teacher spent the majority of class time on his phone viewing TikTok videos and ignoring the students. My son worked very hard on his play only to be told on the last day that time had not been allowed for him to perform it. He was the only one who didn't get to perform and this is literally the entire point of the 10 week class. This was an example of extremely poor planning / time management with an apathetic and distracted "teacher" leading the way. read more

A joke of a teaching staff. Beverly sent an email, ccing several random people, that my child was out of control. If you need to discuss a child's (5 year old) behavioral issues please feel free to contact us directly and not include so many others. Kids have many personalities and ways they behave, if you are not prepared for a range of children please consider having kids complete some type of audition prior so you can ensure they fit. Don't send kids here, honestly, it was a joke even without the issue with poor communication. read more

We've been part of a number of productions through this school. What a good job they do with limited resources. It's not broadway but heck that's ok! It's been a hoot and I'm glad my daughter has had the exposure. The one week camps are much more simple, but that's ok too. This Peter Pan production was over a few weeks. I'd recommend this company, and do often. read more

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This is a little theater. I appreciated the 2 performances I attended. i eally appreciate that they have pay-as-you-can nights.. that is honoring people inthe neighborhood and all others and being real about the economy. They have an excellent student summer camp; I watched them write, act, study, practrice all last summer and other summers when I worked in the Pea Patch. read more

A friend of mine's daughter attended a few of their theater camps, and was thinking of sending my two there as well. Maybe not. While the main stage shows maybe set at a higher caliber, the camps are not. The teachers seemed to be more interested in performing than actually teaching. That troubles me. (This was not the case for all the teachers I suppose). The quality of the shows seem to be whatever is left over from their actual theater. Unorganized, and old. I think unless this business starts putting their children's camp on a higher priority I will not be recommending stone soup to anyone! read more

I am a self-proclaimed patron of the theatre arts, and this little gem in the heart of Fremont didn't disappoint! The venue is very tiny and seating is cramped. I highly recommend arriving early to choose front row seating with a little leg room. Second and third row seating will squish even the most petite children, really it is that small! My review is for A Child's Christmas in Wales and The Long Supper. The first play was more engaging for young children, although the thick British accents may have been difficult for some to understand. While I more enjoyed The Long Supper, I feel it was too confusing for young children. Taking place in the Americas at the turn of the century, essentially the characters play out their Christmas dinners over span of several generations. As each cast member climbs the attic stairs and departs from the stage he/she dies off. At the end, only the spinster school teacher aunt lives. read more

Such an amazing group. My daughter can't get enough of them. She has demanded these camps take up more than half her summer for three summers running now. Casual, fun, multi-age. Teachers are enthusiastic and knowledgable and passionate about their scripts. Wow. Just, wow. read more

My daughter went to camp here last year for 2 separate camps over the summer 2014. For this summer, she was delighted at the idea of going back. I signed her up for a Greek mythology camp/play. On the first day of camp, I arrived a bit early for pick up and noticed the instructor, Marquicia , was yelling at all the kids. "I don't know where you think your'e going! Get OVER HERE!" The kids, from what I saw, were not unruly or unable to follow direction and they were 10 and 11 yr olds. Marquicia seemed thoroughly pissed off and angry. When I signed my daughter out of camp, I asked her what was going on. My daughter rarely gets upset. But she was brought to tears and said Kiki (her nickname for the camp) kept yelling at the kids. And not giving clear instruction and then yelling at the kids again. Since I witnessed Marquicia's drill sergeant style, I had no reason NOT to believe my daughter. I called the office and spoke with Kathyea who was brand new director of Stone Soup and told me she was surprised because Marquicia had taught 3 years at Stone Soup. But Kathyea said she would talk to Marquicia Dominguez. I had hoped things would get better, but they did not. In fact, whenever I dropped my daughter off or picked her up, the instructor just sat back with her sunglasses on and her head down. Not approachable. This camp is $310 for a week. 9-3pm. I'm very disappointed that the instructor felt the need to yell at kids and berate them in order to get them to do what she wanted. She had an assistant who seemed nice. I get that handling a class of 15 kids is exhausting. I used to do it as well, when I was in my early 20's. No, coddling kids isn't what I think we need either. However, there are other ways to get kids excited about performing. read more

Sent my kids to a summer camp here and had a horrible experience. My children regularly perform for thousands of people as part of their circus performances. They are well versed in the pressures and time to prepare for a show. The instructor for their week long class left them in tears multiple times and took all of the parents aside and yelled at them. The parent were told that all of the children are not trying hard enough. I tried to discuss this with management of the theater but they would not bother to return voice mails. I suggest avoiding this institution. read more

I hadn't been to any kind of theatre in years, but when my boyfriend and I discovered a little play entitled "The Misanthrope," we knew we had to go (long story, inside joke, blah blah). Stone Soup is located in a slightly awkward location; next to a dance studio and on the outskirts of Wallingford, it wasn't the easiest place to find, although it was within walking distance from the main part of Wallingford. It's a tiny little place, with a downstairs stage and an upstairs stage - and thinking about it, it's possible that I saw a play on the upstairs stage about five years ago, although I can't say for certain. The small size gives it an intimacy that is both nice (close to the stage! able to see the actors!) and frightening (the actors gesture at you! they might talk to you! AHH!). The comfortability of the seats is low, and try not to sit in the first seats by the door - it gets drafty during intermission when people go outside, and it's about as far from the bathroom as you can get. Try having to pee TERRIBLY but not wanting to run across the stage and disrupt everything. Well, don't really try it... just feel my pain. Oh, and they sell beer! The play itself was pretty awesome, and although I realize that doesn't necessarily have to do with the venue itself, it made it a good experience. I would definitely come back and check out future events and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something different to do. read more

Disagreeing with Shakespeare, I submit that SOME of the world's a stage and these folks have made it their own! Tiny venue - NO, an intimate gathering. Roughshod acting - NO, vivacious semi spontaneity. Talent oozes from this merry band of players - as does real sweat and spittle - YES, they are close enough to enjoy! What a warm gathering. This may have been the same feeling patrons at the Old Globe experienced as they watched intently, squirmed with anxious suspense, laughed with full abandon while enjoying real people playing other people whose stories are brought to life. Thank you Stone Soup - you are SOUPER. My first visit to your venue will NOT be my last! read more

Summer camp is a joke, very expensive joke. It was day care in the park for 5 days. I don't know how they get away with this, I'm embarrassed for them. No stage, no costumes, 7 kids trying to do a play that made no sense and was written for 20 kids. If u don't get even half enough kids, cancel! Don't stress out the few u have with 3 or 4 parts each. Keep looking folks, this isn't drama camp. read more

Great community theater is alive and well in Wallingford. Just saw their Language Arts & Wdeunfrol Wdors twisted tongue-in-cheek presentation of a handful of Shel Silverstein and David Ives shorts. The theater is an intimate, 50 seat, two row affair, comfortable enough with easy access. The works were well chosen and connect with humor and emotion. The love stories of Arabian Nights and The Universal Language with its tangled tongues were sincere and touching. Smile, Words, Words..., and Wash & Dry offered humorous, cynical and sarcastic insights and the terrific dialog in Sure Thing rivaled that in Universal Language. One Tennis Shoe is a reminder that life moves on, sometimes in unexpected ways. The Lifeboat piece was acted perfectly and only needed the Jolly Boy's "Wife and Mother" song played as an exit theme. Lights, sound, stage and tech were professionally handled by a solid crew. Bottom line? Support Stone Soup and see this show if you get the chance. read more

Theater performances wonderful, child programs meh. For student enrichment/learning, head to SCT for much better value, greater rigor, and dare I say...less drama. First, hooray for community theater! We have enjoyed performances at this quirky theater tucked away in wallingmont, most recently alice in wonderland (2015). Enrichment: We enrolled our elementary-age boys at SST's summer camp in 2015 at the reco of a parent from school. I think the kids had a fine time aside from a few tough days involving teachers being 'mean' and 'yelling' at the kids. The entire week of camp is held at a public park shelter. Day 1, one of the teachers no-showed, and rather than try to find someone last-minute, they combined two classes into one, effectively doubling the teacher load and adding to the chaos. The performances went fine, and I'm guessing this change likely contributed to the reports of exasperated teachers running out of patience and yelling at the kids. The kids had fun but ultimately had to share their roles due to the doubling of the class size -- e.g. my kids had to memorize every-other-line so that the role could be shared. In the end, for a 9a-3p 1 week camp held at a public park and with huge class sizes, this was not a great value at $300+ per kid. The icing was a speech at the end of the performance about the cost of running a theater camp and a request for donations from the audience. I thought I was being perhaps a bit too harsh on a crew that suffered extenuating circumstances, so I didn't write a review after camp. The kids had fun but rated it below-the-line for camps they want to attend again. We gave SST another go via a paid enrichment course at their (public) school this spring (2016). Unfortunately, it's looking like a longer term issue than i had hoped. Here are two anecdotes: (1) kids are given a script to go home and read through, and then there's a lead-up to auditions for parts. my kid really wanted a specific (non-lead) role so we practiced his reading and his pitch based on what the instructor was teaching them regarding auditions. The auditions happened, kiddos said it was fun and went great and they hoped they got the parts. Then -- the results came in, and instructor announced that it was all for show and all parts would be handed out based on seniority. Teacher went right on down the line, assigning the oldest kids to the lead roles, down to the first-graders got non-speaking parts. The veneer of meritocracy was lifted, not even any feedback to younger kids about why they didn't get the roles they auditioned for; (2) now that practice is in full swing, the younger kids who have no speaking parts are asked to sit quietly during their enrichment class and observe the older kids. When they said they were bored, teacher advised students to bring a book to read during class. So effectively I am paying for group babysitting, which isn't what i had in mind, and certainly isn't cheap. By contrast, we have had great success with SCT camps and events -- the increase in cost is very much worth what the kids bring home in smiles and knowledge. We will also try one this summer at seattle's littlest performers. read more

Just saw a Child's Christmas in Wales and it was wonderful. Its an intimate setting and easy to get to. Perfect for a different play during the holidays. The actors were wonderful and the price is right. read more

To all Seattle friends or those who can get there for some fun: Please see "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)" at Stone Soup Theatre. Three amazingly funny guys do the complete canon in less than two hours. It is smart, hilarious, and high energy. It's playing now, so hurry! read more