Run away to the islands with Theatre@First as we transform Powderhouse Park for Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Full of poetry, magic, romance, and comedy, The Tempest tells of Prospero, the Wizard Duke, stranded on a mysterious island with his young daughter. Twelve years later he finally confronts his enemies, as the spirit Ariel struggles for freedom and Caliban, heir to the island, plots to reclaim his home in this tale of betrayal, reckoning and redemption. Join us for a magical summer evening of Shakespeare in the park!

Performances: June 6–22, 2025 Rain Dates: June 27–29

Check here after 5pm on show days in case of rain. 

Festival@First 13: Superstitious, features 8 original short plays by Massachusetts playwrights which explore the weird, wacky, and sometimes spooky world of superstition.

A superstition is a widely held belief, typically not based on reason or science, that future events can be influenced by one's behavior in some supernatural way. Why do some people have all the good luck, while others seem like they've been cursed? Are we surrounded by ghosts who haven't found their eternal rest? Do we really have free will, or are our lives dictated by forces beyond ourselves? 

Join Theatre@First for a night of theatre that's sure to be hilarious, uncanny, and maybe a little twisted!

Auditions: June 9-10, 2025

Performances: August 15–17 and 21–23, 2025

Each Theatre@First production begins as someone's dream. The Season Planning Committee excited to announce our 2025–2026 Season!

We'd like to wholeheartedly thank all of our director applicants. We had more directors, more scripts, and more quality applications to evaluate than ever before. I hope you will all consider applying again in the future. We are delighted by our planned season, and look forward to presenting it to our community!

Theatre@First is committed to creating anti-racist theatre and community. Please visit our new Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Section to explore the work of our Anti-Racist Change Committee (ARCC) and the policies and tools adopted by our Steering Committee to move our theatre community toward that goal.

Theatre@First is thrilled to receive a 2024 DASH DEI Impact Award from the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres (EMACT).

This award recognizes that "Theatre@First has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion values, not only within your productions but also throughout the Somerville community... Your continuous efforts to bring together people from diverse backgrounds, mentor members committed to social justice, and advocate for anti-racism have made a lasting impact on the community." 

The real reward of this work is the expanding depth and breadth of our theatre community and the ever-increasing quality a wider range of voices brings to our productions. Our sincere thanks to everyone within our organization who has prioritized these vital efforts to create lasting change at Theatre@First. We hope this award will underscore the need to continue and expand this essential work.