Welcome Message
Our 2023-24 season brought upon many exciting opportunities! To begin the year, Ferrell Studios found its residency with our intimate 40-seat black box space, mignolo Arts Center, where we hosted our second annual holiday cabaret, “Miracle at mignolo”. We also piloted our studio programs in partnership with Fresh Theatre Arts which developed the skills of young artists ages 7-13 in musical theater. We also produced a unique adaptation of “Songs for a New World”, featuring an expanded cast in an intimate setting.
In our 2024-25 season, we are bringing an expanded season and a widearray of selections. We begin the mainstage season with “The Shape of Things”, our company’s first mainstage play, followed by the beloved “Tick Tick Boom”, “Godspell”, and “Cabaret”. Aside from our mainstage season, we are excited to offer other opportunties for artists and the community through our 3rd Annual One Act Play Festival and our annual musical revue, “Rocktober”. This season, I hope to bring classic stories to a new light and build a strong connection with our audience and community
Join us in celebrating another season of storytelling!
Luke Ferrell Artistic Director
About Us
Ferrell Studios offers exceptional performing arts education and theatrical productions. We are dedicated to providing high-quality instruction to children, teens, and young adults who have a passion for the arts. We offer both virtual and in-person programs at our black box space in Metuchen, NJ. Our team of instructors are working artists with a dedication to helping students of all levels develop their skills and reach their full potential We offer a variety of classes and programs, including acting, musical theatre, playwriting, film and television acting, public speaking, and theory and criticism as well as private lessons for those who want to focus on a specific area of study.
Ferrell Studios is the resident theater company of the mignolo Arts Center and a member of the New Jersey Association of Community Theatres. Our company produces seasonal plays and musicals for the North Jersey Community Some past productions include The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World, Miracle: A Holiday Cabaret We also offer events, masterclasses, and other opportunities for local artists to engage with their craft
At Ferrell Studios, we believe that the arts have the power to inspire, uplift, and transform. We strive to create a positive, supportive environment where students can feel confident and comfortable expressing themselves. Whether you or your child are just starting out or have been performing for years, we have something for everyone.
We hope you will join us and experience the magic of the stag i h F ll Studios
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Studio Classes
Ferrell Studios is proud to collaborate with Fresh Theatre Arts to bring in-person studio class programs to ages 7-13 at the mignolo Arts Center In addition to learning valuable techniques and terminology, our programs are performance-based and culminate in a final showcase each session.
Learn more at ferrellstudios.com/in-person-classes.
Summer Camp
Our summer camp, in collaboration with Fresh Theatre Arts, offers the unique opportunity for students to connect with a variety of professional performers providing instruction and direction for the young theater artist.
Stay tuned for our summer schedule and registration information!
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Virtual Classes
Our virtual studio is hosted with our virtual learning partner Outschool, boasting a 5-star rating, over 400 students taught, and a team of industry professionals Classes range from acting to filmmaking and everything in between Our curricula is designed to engage both the beginner performer and experienced artist.
Learn more at ferrellstudios.com/virtual-classes
New Partnership
This year, Ferrell Studios is thrilled to announce it's partnership with The Scholar Cube offering virtual elective classes for primary and secondary students! Check out our classes at thescholarcube.com.
ANNUAL EVENTS
One Act Play Festival
Our annual One Act Play Festival showcases original short works by local playwrights in a staged reading. Throughout the rehearsal process, playwrights work with directors and actors to bring their piece to life in our intimate black box
The 3rd Annual One Act Play Festival will take place on October 9, 2024 at the mignolo Arts Center. For more information, visit ferrellstudios.com/one-acts.
Musical Revue
Our annual Musical Revue is seasonal showcase blending musical theater and other genres weaved together with a common theme of story. We also will continue to offer open mic and other casual performance opportunities.
EMERGING ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
Summer Internship Program
Ferrell Studios launched its inaugural internship cohort this summer with the mission of developing the professional and creative skills of undergraduate students in collaboration with the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education Over the course of three months, interns have the opportunity to engage with a specialized area of the performing arts, including education, production, and marketing. Each department of interns within the cohort has a handson experience in piloting a new project within the company and works to develop important skills, combining NACE Competencies for a Career-Ready Workforce and pedagogical knowledge within their specialization.
Stay tuned for our 2025 Internship Cohort information and application!
MAINSTAGE SEASON
DECEMBER 2024
The Shape of Things
The seemingly mundane piece follows the lives of 4 students at a conservative college, essentially in the middle of nowhere. This piece cleverly gets us to see the beauty in the mundane, the faults in our humanity, and the art of deception. It forces us as an audience to decide: What constitutes as art? What are we willing to do for love? How far is too far? Through his engaging and combative writing, Labute lets us ponder the limits for ourselves in our lives by watching these 4 characters onstage in theirs. There is no breaking of the fourth wall, because the audience lives within the walls. Sometimes darkly funny and always gripping, The Shape of Things is a fascinating character study into the nature of love and art, and what happens when the two collide.
"Sinister, seductive and shocking ... the perfect academic night at the theatre."
– West End Best Friend
MAINSTAGE SEASON
MARCH 2025
tick, tick...BOOM!
tick, tick BOOM! is a musical created by late composer, Jonathan Larson (Rent) It is an autobiographical drama that follows Jon’s life as a struggling musical theatre composer living in New York City in 1990. He is being faced with constant rejection on top of juggling work, a relationship, and friendships; all in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue and, yet, Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical. This compelling story of personal discovery is presented as a rock musical filled with instantly appealing melodies and a unique blend of musical theatre styles.
“Larson’s songs thrum with the intense feeling, larky humor, and musical vitality that are the hallmark of enduring theater. Heartgrabbing.”
–The New York Times
MAINSTAGE SEASON
MAY 2025
Godspell
A small group of people help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and hefty doses of comic timing. An eclectic blend of songs, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, is employed as the story of Jesus' life dances across the stage. Dissolving hauntingly into the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, Jesus' messages of kindness, tolerance and love come vibrantly to life.
Boasting a score with chart topping songs, a book by a visionary playwright (John-Michael Tebelak) and a feature film, Godspell is a sensation that continues to touch audiences.
"Godspell is a vibrant celebration of music, love, and the human spirit."
- The New York Times
MAINSTAGE SEASON
AUGUST 2025
Cabaret
In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920's draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee's bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally's boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish.
"A stunning musical... this marionette's-eye view of a time and place in our lives that was brassy, wanton, carefree and doomed to crumble is brilliantly conceived."
– Walter Kerr, The New York Times
