Hadestown

Hadestown is a Tony Award–winning musical that intertwines the ancient Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone. Set in a post-apocalyptic, Depression-era-inspired world, it blends folk, jazz, and blues to tell a hauntingly beautiful story about love, sacrifice, and the cost of doubt.

Hadestown, M-A Drama’s 2025 musical, starred Ben Siegel (Orpheus), Kealy Bryman (Eurydice), Calvin Blanford (Hermes), Jovi Wong (Persephone) and Joseph Tompkins (Hades).

Get a closer look at the show here.

Our Town

Our Town is about the daily lives and relationships of Grover’s Corners residents, highlighting the beauty in ordinary moments. The love story between George Gibbs and Emily Webb unfolds against the backdrop of small-town life emphasizing the importance of cherishing every moment.

Our Town, M-A Drama’s 2024 play, starred Ben Siegel (Stage Manager), Kealy Bryman (Emily Webb), Hudson Brazeal (George Gibbs), Gracie Johnson (Mrs. Gibbs), Ryan Dyer (Dr. Gibbs), Amari Witt (Mrs. Webb) and Benji Weiss (Mr. Webb).

Get a closer look at the show here.

Something Rotten

Something Rotten is a comedy musical set in 1595 that tells the story of Nick and Nigel Bottom, two fictional playwrights who struggle to compete with the success of superstar William Shakespeare. Complete with comedy, romance, and countless parodies of famous plays and musicals, Something Rotten is a theatre lover’s delight.

Something Rotten, MA Drama’s Spring 2024 play, starred Carson Sanie (Nick), Ben Siegel (Nigel), Calvin Blanford (William Shakespeare), Kealy Bryman (Bea) and Lia Nadav (Portia).

Get a closer look at the show here.

The Curious incident of the dog in the night time

15-year-old Christopher is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He detests being touched, distrusts strangers, and has never been outside of his neighborhood alone. After finding his neighbor's dead dog, who has been speared with a garden fork in the middle of the night, Christopher vows to find the culprit. But his detective journey, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling and emotional journey that upturns his world. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Menlo-Atherton Drama’s Fall 2023 play, featured Kealy Bryman (Christopher Boone), Mackenzie Danzig (Siobhan), Ryan Dyer (Ed Boone), and Amari Witt (Judy Boone). Ben Siegel was the assistant director.

Get a closer look at the show here, see the trailer here, or get a behind-the-scenes look here.

Newsies

Based on the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899, this musical tells the story a ragtag team of newsboys who make a meager living selling newspapers on the streets of New York City. When the newspaper price is increased, they form a union and organize a strike against the greedy publisher of the New York World. Led by charismatic Jack Kelly and independent reporter Katherine Plumber, can a group of idealistic “newsies" win against a foe as powerful as Joseph Pulitzer?

Newsies, Menlo-Atherton Drama’s Spring 2023 musical, featured Carson Sanie (Jack), Ryann Barnes (Katherine), Jackson Bryman (Pulitzer), Ben Siegel (Crutchie), Kealy Bryman (Davey), Margaret Donald (Medda), and Ella Thomson (Les).

Get a closer look at the show here.

Peter and the Starcatcher

After three years, Peter and the Starcatcher returned in November 2022! A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from England to a distant island, knowing nothing of their secret precious cargo. When the ship is taken over by pirates, the journey quickly becomes an electrifying adventure, exploring the depths of greed and despair... and the bonds of friendship, duty, and love.

The show starred Kate Barker (Peter), Sophia Preston (Molly), and Jackson Bryman (the Black Stache).

Get a closer look a the show here.

The Old Man
and The Old Moon

March 2022 marked a folksy adventure with The Old Man and the Old Moon! The Old Man has kept his post as the sole caretaker of the moon for as long as he can remember. When his wife is drawn away by a mysterious melody sparking memories of their shared past, the Old Man must choose between duty (and routine) and love (and adventure). What follows is an imaginative sea-faring epic, encompassing apocalyptic storms, civil wars, leviathans of the deep, and cantankerous ghosts, as well as the fiercest obstacle of all—change.

The show starred Sadie Almgren (The Old Man), Margaret Donald (Matheson), Jace Furman (Llewellyn), Leo Becker (Callahan), and Adrian Deutscher-Bishop (Mabelu).

Get a closer look at the show here.

Spongebob: The Musical

November 2021 was filled with under-the-sea fun by Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical! When a volcano threatens to destroy Bikini Bottom, Spongebob and his friends must stop the eruption; meanwhile, Plankton tries to hypnotize the town into loving his Chum Burgers.

The show starred Ria Cuellar-Koh (Spongebob Squarepants), Ryann Barnes (Sandy Cheeks), Ben Siegel (Patrick Star), Sadie Almgren (Squidward Q. Tentacles), and Jackson Bryman (Sheldon J. Plankton).

Get a closer look at the show here.

Little Women

M-A Drama’s first-ever virtual show! Little Women follows the tale of Jo March, the aspiring writer, and her family and friends as they navigate the world of 1860s New England.

The show starred Laura Fesas (Jo March), Emery Goldberg (Theodore Laurence), Carson Sanie (Meg March), Aysu Aricanli (Beth March), and Ryann Barnes (Amy March).

Peter and the Starcatcher

Sadie Almgren as Smee. That’s all you need to know.

Urinetown

November of 2019 was full of fun as Urinetown took the stage! The show has everything, from serious political comedy to bathroom humor, and perfectly illustrates the dangers of monopoly through the story of a new kind of revolution.

Urinetown featured Milo Brosamer (Bobby Strong), Ryann Barnes (Hope Cladwell), Matthew Roisen (Officer Lockstock), Margaret Donald (Little Sally), Rohan Sharma (Caldwell B. Cladwell), and Ria Cuellar-Koh (Penelope Pennywise).

Get a closer look at the show here.

The Man Who Came to Dinner

In March of 2019, Menlo-Atherton Drama presented The Man Who Came To Dinner, a hilarious comedy chronicling the antics that come along with fame.

When the famous radio host Sheridan Whiteside overstays his welcome at a starstruck family’s home, everyone must find a way to deal with his biting remarks, zany guests, and scheming.

The show feature leads Louie Leon (Sheridan Whiteside), Laura Fesas (Maggie Cutler), and Emma Denend (Lorraine Sheldon).

Get the behind the scenes look here.

Hairspray

In the fall of 2018, Menlo-Atherton Drama took on its biggest challenge yet. With a cast and crew of over 150 people, Hairspray undoubtedly made history at M-A. Through the hard work of actors, the cosmetology club, the cheer and dance team, the crew, and tech, the show was one that no one will ever forget!

Following teenager Tracy who dreams of being on a local TV show, Hairspray illustrates how she comes to learn about racial discrimination and fights for integration. The show and its music preach tolerance, acceptance, and the importance of equality in the 1960’s and today.

Leads included Sean Fabrega (Tracy Turnblad), Matthew Roisen (Edna Turnblad), Blake Mathews (Link Larkin), Emma Denend (Velma Von Tussle), and Francesca Battista (Amber Von Tussle). Read more here.

Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat

In March of 2018, the Menlo-Atherton Drama Department put on an energetic and colorful performance of Joseph. The show followed Joseph as he goes on a crazy adventure throughout the ancient world, rising from farmer to Pharaoh's number two in no time, but also learning many important lessons along the way.

Leads included Jacey Williams, Karina Yum, and Maria Ornes as Narrators, and Wesley Barker as Joseph. Read about the show here.

The Crucible

In the fall of 2017, Menlo-Atherton performed Arthur Miller's classic play The Crucible. Written in the early 1950s, The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 1692 Salem witch trials. This was a time when paranoia, hysteria, and deceit gripped the Puritan towns of New England. Miller captured the events in a riveting story that is now considered a modern classic in the theater. He wrote it during the "Red Scare" of the 1950s and used the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for the "witch hunts" of communists in America. With a cast of more than 30, M-A Drama put on a performance to remember.

Leads included Ian Peterson (John Proctor), Izzie Nada (Elizabeth Proctor), Zoe Schacter-Brodie (Marry Warren), Ethan Stoneham (Thomas Putnam), and Kate Mulhern (Abigail Williams).

Read more about the show here.

You Can’t Take it With you

In the fall of 2016, Menlo-Atherton performed You Can’t Take it With you by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.

The plot centers around the zany antics of the Sycamore family when they have the Kirby family over for dinner, in preparation for the wedding between their two children, Alice and Tony. You Can’t Take It With You is a madcap, idealistic comedy that reinforces the idea that you can live life to the fullest only by doing whatever makes you happy. Leads included Haley Taylor (Penelope Sycamore), George Stevensen (Martin “Grandpa”Vanderhof), Zoe Schacter-Brodie (Alice Sycamore), and Thomas Sullivan (Tony Kirby).

See the preview here.