Our Mission
Our goal at Hooked on Theater is to provide a professional, positive, and educational environment for students to learn all aspects of live theater. Self-confidence and self-esteem building are natural and visible effects of our workshop. Most importantly, our students have fun rehearsing, performing and meeting new friends. To meet and exceed this goal, we provide four professional instructors who come from various aspects of live theater.
We believe every child should have an opportunity to explore their creativity and express themselves!
Our Focus
Self - Esteem
Positive Risk Taking
Connections
Responsibility
Team Work
Joy
Artistic Director
Will Guilford: (Artistic Director) has been directing musicals for San Lorenzo Valley Middle and San Lorenzo Valley High Schools for over 32 years. This marks Will's 20th year of directing and producing Summer Youth Productions within the Santa Cruz County. Following his retirement in 2020 after teaching Drama at SLVMS & SLVHS, Will served as the temporary Asst. Principal at NEW BRIGHTON MIDDLE SCHOOL in Capitola as well as their after-school Drama Coach. He obtained his B.A. in Political Science from U.C. Davis in 1985, received his Teaching Credential from U.C. Santa Cruz in 1988, and earned a Masters in Radio, Television, Film, and Theatre from San Jose State University in 2001 and his second Masters in Educational leadership & Administration in 2008. His thesis, "Adolescent Self-Esteem: The Role Theatre Plays," focused on the importance of the art of drama in bolstering Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem in our youth. Will has also completed extensive research on why it is imperative for schools to provide students with an array of extracurricular activity options. His musical credits, over 100 directed and produced, include Little Shop of Horrors, Wizard of Oz, Dracula: The Musical, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Damn Yankees, The Pajama Game, Annie, Grease, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Bye Bye Birdie, Crazy for You, Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music, Oliver, Cinderella, Honk!, The Music Man, Oklahoma!, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Peter Pan, Seussical, Mamma Mia!, and Chicago.