In The Beginning.....

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Turtle Lane Players began as an offshoot of the Vokes Theater of Wayland in the late 1970's. A group of players mounted a production of Godspell that was so popular, it went to downtown Boston and then had a lengthy tour of the suburbs.

Rehearsals were held at the home of a cast member, who lived on Turtle Lane in Dover, Massachusetts - hence the name!

Other shows followed and a new theater group was born - The Turtle Lane Players.

They needed a home of their own, so the old Auburndale club (in the Auburndale section of Newton) was purchased and renovated in 1979. Dressing rooms and a set shop replaced the basement bowling alley. Wing and fly space was added, as well as a costume shop, stage-door pub, administrative offices, storage and handicap accessible restrooms and entry ramps.

In 1981, the new Turtle Lane Playhouse in Auburndale debuted its first production in the new theater - Sondheim's A Little Night Music.

Turtle Lane Today

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Turtle Lane is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, which produces full-length Broadway musicals and original works, as well as providing education programs and community service and support.

Our productions have garnered several Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) awards and nominations and the theater has been nominated as an "A-List - Best of Boston" theater by Boston's CBS affiliate WBZ-TV

We try each season to offer a mix of Broadway classics and new shows, and are proud to have held area premiers for musicals suchs as Tommy, Nine, The Secret Garden and Miss Saigon.

We design and build our own sets and costumes in-house and always use a live orchestra for our main productions. We use the best local talent available, including the best area directors, musicians, choreographers and designers, many of whom have gone on to National Tours, and even Broadway.

Community Services

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Our service to the community includes gift certificate donations to groups holding fundraisers, including schools, religious organizations, animal shelters, health-related foundations and human services and community support groups.

We regularly rent our theater space to community groups for fund-raisers and concerts. We also offer FREE tickets to military, police and firefighting personnel, along with discounted tickets for groups, schools, senior citizens and disabled person organizations.

Funding

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Our main funding comes from ticket sales, subscriptions, prop & set rentals, ad sales and donations.

If you would be interested in making a donation (monetary or goods/services) or becoming a sponsor please donate using one of the links at the left.

Education

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Education programs consist of classes in the theatrical arts, including dance, acting, audition techniques and stagecraft.

We also use interns from local high schools and colleges to assist with productions.

Our incredibly popular Children's Workshop series, now in it's 8th year and catering to upwards of 85 children over the summer, teaches children all aspects of stagecraft, culminating in the performance of a fully staged musical production - (which is open to the public).

The Future

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Turtle Lane will continue to grow and flourish, expanding our capabilities, audiences and community presence.

But we can't do it without your help! Donations of goods and services from you help keep Turtle Lane thriving and growing. An average productions costs approximately $80,000, which ticket sales alone cannot cover. On top of that, are general running costs and a constant need for equipment, repairs, personnel and, these days, the exorbitant costs of oil and electricity. If you would be interested in making a donation (where monetary or goods/services) or even becoming a sponsor, please contact us!