THE HUNTINGTON CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF EMPOWERING GREATER BOSTON STUDENTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Choi, Associate Director of Publicity
617-273-1520
PHOTOS available for download here
Pay-what-you-wish TICKETS available here
THE HUNTINGTON CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF EMPOWERING GREATER BOSTON STUDENTS
The Huntington’s Summer Theatre Institute empowers high school students through professional theatre training, and this 20th anniversary year is directed by a program alumnus
(BOSTON) – The Huntington’s Education Department celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Summer Theatre Institute this July. For the last two decades, this five-week summer program has offered over 400 students from Greater Boston high schools the opportunity to engage in a full theatrical process that mirrors a professional theatre production.
This summer’s 20th anniversary production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is directed by Institute alumnus LaTasha Snider and celebrates a legacy of lifechanging creative and professional training. It also reflects a full-circle journey for Snider, now helming the program she spent twelve years in as a student and an educator.
“Having directed LaTasha in many iconic roles during her time as a student participant, it was no question this program was meant to be directed by her,” says Huntington Director of Education Meg O’Brien. “It is an educator’s dream when a former student becomes a trusted colleague, especially when a program improves and grows under their leadership and care.”
A Boston native and Huntington Education program alumnus, Snider originally participated in the Institute while she was a student at Codman Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester, MA. After earning her bachelor’s at Assumption College, she returned to The Huntington as a full-time employee, serving as a Huntington Education Programs Associate for four years before becoming a Teaching Artist.
Having once been a participant herself, Snider brings firsthand knowledge and perspective to her work mentoring and directing today’s students in the classroom and on stage. She also has inspired students to participate in the other programs she’s involved with, encouraging an engaged following program-to-program. She has directed the Summer Theatre Institute at The Huntington since 2024.
“I’m so excited to ring in the 20th year of Summer Theatre Institute,” says Snider. “The best part of this program continues to be the students. We meet students from Boston area schools and watch them discover something about themselves every year. It is truly a treat! As the only person to see this program from every angle, it is a joy to see it grow bigger.”
When Summer Theatre Institute originally launched in 2006, it began as an extension of the founding partnership between The Huntington’s Education Department and Codman Academy Charter Public School and has since expanded to include high schoolers from across Greater Boston. Students are hired into paid acting and stage management positions, receiving a salary while gaining professional experience they can carry into future artistic and career endeavors. When so many other summer performing arts opportunities ask participants to pay a tuition to the hosting organization, this paid workforce development structure is a particularly unique and important aspect of The Huntington’s program.
At the end of five weeks, students present a public performance (usually Shakespeare) on stage at one of The Huntington’s performance venues. Since 2024, Play On! Shakespeare has been involved, providing modern verse translations of Shakespeare’s works to the Summer Theatre Institute, including Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and now The Taming of the Shrew.
“The Summer Theatre Institute is a joyous program that has consistently created a space for creative expression, artistic development, and belonging for our students,” says O’Brien. “With twenty years of memorable performances, personal wins, challenges they’ve all overcome, and incredible moments of connection in each summer’s company of artists, I find myself overwhelmed with pride.”
Roughly half of the members of The Taming of the Shrew cast this year are returning Summer Theatre Institute participants or Huntington Education program alumni, having previously participated in Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts, the former August Wilson Monologue Competition, and/or the Next Narrative Monologue Competition.
“I’ve previously participated in other programs with The Huntington,” says Institute participant and rising senior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Dan Worku. “When I saw auditions were up for Summer Theatre Institute, I knew I should come back.”
In addition to LaTasha Snider, other Summer Theatre Institute alumni over the last 20 years have gone on to perform professionally on Boston stages, pursue theatre degrees, and return as educators and mentors. Lala Cooks-Beeks (August Wilson, Next Narrative, and Summer Theatre Institute alumnus) made her professional stage debut in The Huntington’s acclaimed production of Nassim in 2024. Current Institute participant Ngolela Kamanampata originated the role of Quay in the 2025 world premiere of Mfoniso Udofia’s Kufre n’ Quay at Boston Arts Academy. Rising college sophomore Tova Carmen Bouare (Summer Theatre Institute alumnus) is currently pursuing a degree in stage management from the University of Hartford.
More information about Summer Theatre Institute can be found at huntingtontheatre.org/summer-theatre-institute
ABOUT THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
This 20th anniversary year, the Summer Theatre Institute presents William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, with a modern translation by Pulitzer Prize-finalist writer Amy Freed and directed by LaTasha Snider.
“This play is about courage and authenticity, and it knows that these things are rare,” says playwright Amy Freed on the Play On! website. “The clowns aren’t, as it first appears, Kate and Petruchio. By the end, it’s everyone else.”
The one-night-only performance will be open to the public at 7pm on Friday, July 31, 2026 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116). Tickets are pay-what-you-wish starting at $5.
Appropriate for all ages, The Taming of the Shrew welcomes those new to Shakespeare as well as Bard superfans. Amy Freed’s modern translation through Play On! Shakespeare stays true to the beloved original text while contemporizing certain elements for modern audiences.
More information about The Taming of the Shrew can be found at huntingtontheatre.org/whats-on/the-taming-of-the-shrew
ABOUT THE ARTSISTS
LaTasha Snider (Director) is a Boston-based creative, photographer, teaching artist, and director with a passion for visual storytelling. She is enthusiastic about connecting arts with education and helping students find their voices. Whether she is behind the camera or teaching young emerging artists in the classroom, her purpose is to create meaningful work and relationships that will leave a lasting impact. LaTasha is a Teaching Artist for The Huntington, where she also served as Education Programs Associate from 2022-2026.
The cast of The Taming of the Shrew includes Isha Ali*AP, Maka Ali*AP, Junielia Bailey, Marcus Lamar Coulter Barton Brown, Soleil Desai, Xavier Fairweather, Alenny Guerrero*AP, Akira Johnson, Ngolela KamanampataA (Kufre n’ Quay), Jeaon Kylin Lafleur, Yarlenis Mejia, DJ MillsP, Ryelle Paulino, Zoe Jesenia Lorraine Santos, Tallula Sullivan, and Dan WorkuAN.
The creative team includes Stage Manager Lexi Ashraf and Assistant Stage Managers Tova Carmen Bouare* and Analyse Lisa Duffy*P; also, production assistant Christobal Sanchez*N.
* denotes Summer Theatre Institute alumnus
A denotes August Wilson Monologue alumnus
N denotes Next Narrative Monologue alumnus
P denotes Poetry Out Loud alumnus
WHEN
One-night-only: Friday, July 31, 2026 at 7pm
Runtime: ~75 minutes, no intermission
WHERE
Calderwood Pavilion
527 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
TICKETS
Tickets are pay-what-you-wish starting at $5 and are available:
- Online at huntingtontheatre.org
- By phone at 617-266-0800
- Or in person at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave) or Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St)
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
Media interested in interviewing students, director LaTasha Snider, or Huntington staff should contact Associate Director of Publicity Gabrielle Choi at gchoi@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1520.
The performance is one-night-only on Friday, July 31 at 7pm at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116). Pay-what-you-wish tickets starting at $5 are available here.
PHOTOS available for download here
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination, amplify diverse voices, and connect communities. Since 1982, The Huntington has welcomed more than 3.5 million audience members, produced over 250 plays (including more than 140 premieres, with 18 moving to Broadway or Off Broadway), earned the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, and served more than half a million students.
Led by Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington welcomes broad and diverse audiences, provides life-changing opportunities for students through our education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, and serves as a hub for Boston’s cultural community at the beautifully restored Huntington Theatre and the state-of-the-art Calderwood Pavilion/BCA.
From 2024-2026, The Huntington catalyzed the ambitious two-year Ufot Family Cycle in Boston, a landmark nine-play series by Emmy-nominated and Massachusetts-born playwright Mfoniso Udofia, activating a city-wide effort supported by 35+ organizations and reaching thousands of live and digital audience members across Greater Boston and beyond. In Summer 2026, Olivier-nominated playwright John Kolvenbach’s Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight (part of The Huntington’s 23/24 season) reached international audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And, coming up in 2027, The Huntington will open a new wing of the Huntington Theatre on Huntington Avenue. This storied venue’s expanded facilities reflect a bold vision for the future, allowing us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come.
For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
# # #