Who are we?

The Matthew J. Kuss Theatre Arts Program was launched in the fall of 2005 as an extracurricular after school to give kids a creative outlet outside of school. Interested students met each week to create a Public Service Announcement video on anti-bullying for a state-wide contest sponsored by Bridgewater State College. At the end of the fall, the school was informed that the troupe had won third place. Especially significant was the fact that Kuss was the only middle school entry in a competition against high schools. That spring the group expanded and launched their first theatrical production with the musical Little Shop of Horrors.

With the advent of that first musical, a standard was set for the program to offer students an experience of professional theatre. Using a full professional \ orchestra, professional costumes and sets, students are taught the fundamentals of performance and theatrical design. The program has grown from being an afterschool activity to an integrated program as part of the school’s expanded learning time initiative. Students now have opportunities to take classes in technical theatre, theatrical costuming, and acting workshops. The program has been featured in articles by The Herald News, The Fall River Spirit, The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, The New York Times, and the book, Time to Learn.

As of September of 2009, the theatre program moved into the new Matthew Kuss School building on Globe Mills Avenue. The school houses a 542 seat state-of-the-art theatre allowing the group to take on greater challenges for performance excellence.

Check out some of our past projects below!

What’s the project?

Each year we commit ourselves to staging something worth seeing.  This year is no different.  We have decided to return to our roots, staging a brand new adaption of our first ever musical, Little Shop of Horrors.  With a cast of over 30 students, ranging from 6^th-8^th grade, we have already gotten our hands dirty getting this show on our feet and are well on our way to staging an amazing theatrical experience.  A comedy-horror rock musical based on the stylings of early 60s rock and roll, doo-wop and Motown, Little Shop is based on the low budget B-movie of the same name and tells the story of Seymour Krelborn, a nerdy and shy young florist who raises a singing, talking, flesh-eating plant.

More than just a night at the theater though, this project is an excessive in building the confidence and self esteem of kids who are frequently told "no".  This project is proof that education goes beyond the classroom and lasts past 3:30.  Please, help us help teach these kids what it means to shine.

The impact of your donation

The money we raise from this fundraiser will go directly towards making the 2013-2014 season the very best season the Kuss Middle School Theatre Program has ever produced.  Here at Kuss, we like to keep our ticket prices low and affordable for the community, but theatre is by no means inexpensive to create.   We need your help to take our artistic vision and hard work and turn it into a reality.  Each and every dollar you donate is a bold statement of support for the inclusion, and celebration, of arts in our public schools.  Plus, you get some exciting rewards!  You can check out on the right hand side of your screen.

Through this campaign, you donations will help (in part) to fund:

-  The purchase of performance royalties for Little Shop of Horrors

-  The rental of a larger than life, singing, talking, man-eating plant puppet

-  The creation of beautiful sets and costumes.  We have a whole team of young artists ready to use your money to create an exciting and magical theatrical adventure!

-  A 4-piece professional band that will help our kids sound even more beautiful than they already do.

Other Ways You Can Help!

There are plenty of ways you can help out if you've already donated.  Here are some ideas:

• Spread the word! Share this page with your family, friends, enemies, anyone! Facebook us, tweet us, reach out and let people know!  The more people who donate, the better this show will be!
• Come see our show!  We are so appreciative of your donation, but we would be even more excited for you to come see the show and share in the magic with us!
• Keep in touch! Thanks to you support, Kuss Theatre won't be going anywhere anytime soon!  Check back in with us in the spring to learn more about future productions and opportunities to get involved!