The Melrose Messenger

Broken Leg Productions Returns for Another Summer of Drama

By Ellen Putnam

This summer, Melrose-based theater company Broken Leg Productions (BLP) will return for the fourth year in its new location in Wakefield to stage musicals featuring local kids and teenagers.

BLP will be putting on four productions this summer: Finding Nemo Kids and Freaky Friday The Musical for actors in the fifth through ninth grades; and The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and Emma! A Pop Musical for actors in the tenth grade through age twenty. These shows will be performed at the Savings Bank Theater at Wakefield High School in June, July, and August.

Broken Leg began as the project of former Melrose Drama director Adam Schuler. Schuler had dreamed of having his own production company, and started the group as “a side, summer thing,” explained Broken Leg board member Lory Hough. When, in 2021, Schuler was ready to move on from Broken Leg, several parents “got together at someone’s house,” Hough recalled, “and we said, ‘we can’t let this go.’”

But taking over the company wasn’t easy. While Becca Flint, who had been the assistant director, agreed to take over as Managing Director, nearly everyone else involved was a volunteer. “We were all working full-time,” recalled Hough. “How could we run a theater company?”

One of the early challenges was trying to find a space that would work for the group. After months of searching for a new home in Melrose, Broken Leg was finally able to find a space that would work at Wakefield High School. “They weren’t using it in the summer,” said Hough, “and, as a nonprofit, they were willing to let us use it for free, if we would pay the custodial costs when we used it at night. It’s under 300 seats, so it’s perfect for our size - we always fill the seats.”

BLP hasn’t been shy about choosing challenging and sometimes controversial shows: everything from Legally Blonde to Carrie to Jesus Christ Superstar. “We came out punching with our show choices,” said Hough.

Young actors sign up for the show they want to take part in, and Broken Leg holds auditions and callbacks at the start of the program. “There’s no cutting,” explained Hough, “everyone gets a part.” The auditions and callbacks allow the directors to assign roles, and also give students experience in auditioning for a production.

“We treat this like real theater,” Hough went on. Broken Leg brings in coaches to help students develop their skills in everything from acting to belting, and they have brought in a photographer to take headshots for the older students.

“Our student interns are really important,” Hough added, noting that Broken Leg provides college-aged students who have aged out of acting in the program with leadership opportunities. Parent volunteers also help things run smoothly, and they work on everything from set construction to ticket sales.

Broken Leg aims to meet all participants’ financial needs through their scholarship program, which is supported by grants from the Melrose Cultural Council and the Wakefield Arts Council. Their hope is that all students who wish to will be able to participate, regardless of need.

The program draws students from across the region although, Hough noted, about 70% of the students who participate come from Melrose, largely due to the organization's strong connections to Melrose Drama. “We really see this as a Melrose program,” she said.

Students entering 5th grade through age 20 can sign up for this year’s Broken Leg productions on their website. To see show dates and purchase tickets, visit the BLP website.

Posted May 19th, 2025