The DC area's oldest youth-run theatre company

Wildwood Summer Theatre was founded in 1965 by a group of students from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland. These theatrically minded students wanted to extend their high school musical experience into the summer. However, they were unable to find an adult sponsor, so they decided to strike out on their own. That summer, on a shoestring budget, and with little in the way of material supplies or support, they put on a production of Bye, Bye Birdie. The show was a rousing success, and WST was born. For the last 51 years, WST has presented at least one, and occasionally two musical productions, with the entire company aged 14 to 25.

ALUMNI

Although unfortunately there is no comprehensive list, it is reasonable to assume that, with an average company size of roughly 60-70 members per year over the course of 50+ years, WST alumni number in the thousands. They have gone on to all sorts of careers, and many have gone on to become theater professionals both on and backstage.

Notable Alumni Include:

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, 2016 MacArthur Genius Award recipient, Fullbright Scholar, and Obie award winning playwright who has written works such as Appropriate, An Octoroon, War, and more
Utkarsh Ambudkar, Broadway, television, and film actor, known for his roles in projects such as Freestyle Love Supreme, Ghosts, and The Dropout.
Michael Mayer, Tony-award winning director of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spring Awakening, and American Idiot, to name a few
Tina Marie Casamento, Lyricist/Conceptualist for Chasing Rainbows (Paper Mill Playhouse)
Richard Scanlan, Tony-nominated lyricist of Thoroughly Modern Millie and book author of Everyday Rapture
Jonathan Hadary, Helen Hayes-award winning actor whose film credits include Intolerable Cruelty and Bait
Neil McFadden, nine time nominee for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Sound Design, D.C. area sound and lighting designer
Michael Bobbitt, former Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre MTC and award-winning writer, director, and choreographer
Brad Watkins, former Director of Theatre Services at Theatre Washington and former Producing Director of the Olney Theatre Center
and countless technicians, musicians, and actors all over DC, New York, and around the country.

Attention alumni!

What do you want to see on this page? Email newsletter@wst.org with news, suggestions, stories, photos, or anything else. We want to hear from you!

Interested in receiving our company newsletter? Go to the Newsletter page to sign up!