Performing Arts
The Performing Arts Program at Franklin Academy is dedicated to providing a nurturing and inclusive environment where students with autism spectrum disorders and learning differences can explore, develop, and express their creative potential through the medium of theater. We are dedicated to developing a comprehensive theater arts program, including performance, management, and hands-on technical opportunities. We provide a multifaceted At Franklin Academy, our theater program provides students with an educational experience that nurtures both artistry and technical expertise. Students grow into confident, resourceful performers and technicians prepared for the world of theater and live entertainment. Beyond the stage, our program empowers young people to develop essential life skills – creativity, collaboration, resilience, and leadership -that serve them well into the future. By fostering unique talents and a strong sense of community, we ensure our students leave Franklin Academy ready to thrive as both artists and individuals.
Passionate about Acting?
Franklin Academy’s Theatre Arts program is designed to help students grow as confident, capable performers. Aligned with the National Core Arts Standards, our curriculum introduces essential skills in vocal projection, character development, movement, stage presence, and collaboration.
As students progress, they are guided by clear benchmarks that define their level of mastery. In the early years, students focus on foundational skills – speaking clearly on stage, memorizing lines, and experimenting with character and movement. By the upper grades, they advance to complex character analysis, subtext, improvisation, and adapting their performance to different genres and styles.
At every stage, students are encouraged to connect authentically with their audience, work collaboratively with peers, and bring creativity and confidence to their performances – skills that serve them on stage and far beyond it.
Prefer the Technical Side of Theater?
Franklin Academy’s Technical Theater program gives students hands-on experience in the art and craft of stage production. Starting with the fundamentals of stagecraft, students learn how to work safely and effectively backstage, develop an understanding of lighting, sound, set, and costume design, and gain practical experience as members of a run crew.
Benchmarks for mastery guide their growth. Early on, students demonstrate knowledge of technical theater terminology, follow safety protocols, and take on backstage roles with increasing confidence. As they progress, they build skills in problem-solving during rehearsals, communicating as part of a technical team, and supporting productions as assistant stage managers, lighting or sound technicians, props assistants, or stagehands.
In the upper grades, students expand into advanced design and leadership. They learn to create and implement lighting and sound plots, manage rehearsals and performances, and lead peers in building sets, costumes, and props. Advanced coursework introduces multimedia integration, rigging, automation, and special effects. At this level, benchmarks focus on designing technical elements that reflect an artistic vision, leading crews, and demonstrating proficiency across specialized areas of stagecraft.
Through each stage, students not only master technical skills but also develop collaboration, creativity, and leadership—preparing them to contribute with confidence behind the scenes and beyond the theater.
Matt Landry McWilliams
A local legend along the Connecticut shoreline, Matt Landry McWilliams has been building the Performing Arts program at Franklin Academy since 2020.
Matt transformed the Franklin Academy Theatre Arts program, bringing to life beloved plays like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peter and the Starcatcher, and The Laramie Project to the Franklin Academy campus. He has also directed the spring musicals The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, and Pippin which involved more than 40% of the student body and was performed “in the round.”
His direction of Franklin Academy’s production The Other Room earned seven awards at the Connecticut Drama Association One-Act Festival, including Theatrical Excellence and Outstanding Ensemble. His production of Pippen earned multiple Halo Awards, and he brought a chapter of the International Thespian Society to Franklin Academy.
His expertise extends beyond Franklin Academy, as he also directs the Guilford Youth and Family Services Family Theatre, which provides arts access and musical production opportunities for local students through state and federal funding. He has also performed and contributed significantly to various theater companies, including the non-profit Madison Lyric Stage for 10 theatrical seasons, where he has taken on roles both on stage and behind the scenes.
