Center for the Arts

Thayer’s Center for the Arts (CFA) first opened in 2008, with its 540-seat Hale Theater replacing Frothingham Hall as the Upper School venue for meetings, performances, and large community gatherings. The building integrates modern architectural elements while evoking elegant, classical traditions, and has become a vital part of Thayer’s historic campus.

Along with the addition of the CFA, the renovation of Frothingham Hall allowed the creation of new visual arts studios, and these improvements have transformed the student experience in the arts. Visual arts classes are held in large, bright studios, where students are challenging themselves and producing extraordinary work. Students in the performing arts rehearse and perform in rooms with professional-level acoustics, and an expansive stage contributes to spectacular performances by Thayer students in theater, dance, choir, and instrumental music, every year. The fall musical typically features a cast of nearly 100 students–20% of the student body, on stage, participating in a theater production! The CFA also includes a workshop for students to learn and practice set design and construction.

Thayer’s Center for the Arts also serves as a cultural center for the town of Braintree and the larger South Shore community, providing a performance space for local groups such as the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and the Braintree Choral Society.