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One of the best perks of being a Tufts student is the university's close proximity to Boston, a city with a lively and vibrant theater scene that extends far beyond the well-known Boston Ballet production of "The Nutcracker." However, even the arrival of the most popular Broadway musicals often escapes the notice of Tufts students, who refer to Tuftslife.com instead of Web sites such as Boston.com when looking for things to do on weekends or when their parents are in town.
Boston's theater scene offers a wide variety of shows that is constantly changing at venues such as the Citi Performing Arts Center, the Boston Opera House and many smaller stages throughout the area. Many of these companies make specific efforts to appeal to the large college-student population in Boston and are excited when students attend their productions. Some of the smaller theaters in particular offer incentives to attract college students to their productions. These range from lower ticket prices to a starting place for students interested in pursuing theater after graduation.
Meg Taintor, artistic director of the theater company Whistler in the Dark, said that there is a definite place for students in Boston's theater scene. "[Whistler in the Dark's plays] are very intellectually challenging, and students in particular are appreciative of that," Taintor said.
Taintor also noted that students haven't yet reached a point in their life where they can't engage with the art of the theater. "College students aren't jaded," she said. "They don't just want to sit back and let the play wash over them." This quality, according to Taintor, makes them valuable audience members who are interested in engaging with the performance as much as the actors are interested in engaging with the audience.
Paul Daigneault, the producing artistic director of the SpeakEasy Stage Company, is also enthusiastic about student involvement with theater. "The aesthetic and feel of the SpeakEasy Stage Company is youthful," Daigneault said. That quality is reflected in the company's selection of shows this season. Daigneault also said that SpeakEasy's shows are entertaining and socially relevant, aspects that students in the Boston area appreciate.
According to Daigneault, an important part of theater is the intimacy between the performers and the audience — an element that is nonexistent in film and television. "Theater can't exist without a strong bond between the audience and what's going on onstage," Daigneault said.
Another important aspect of a theater performance is the venue size. Both large and small theaters have their advantages: A smaller performing stage, like the Roberts Studio Theatre that SpeakEasy uses, provides the closeness necessary for a certain vibe, despite the fact that it is ostensibly less impressive and grandiose than larger venues.
When picking out shows to see this season, it might not hurt to try out different venues in order to experience the variety that Boston has to offer; each stage has a feel of its own, and all are worth checking out.
There are many exciting events and productions happening this semester besides Boston's tourist-trap performances of the Blue Man Group and "Shear Madness." The following is a breakdown of some of the most well-loved, but not necessarily well-known, venues and theater companies in the greater Boston area and the many performances they are offering this spring.
American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.)
Always a little on the edge, the A.R.T.'s productions stand out as artistic and contemporary. This is largely thanks to the new Artistic Director, Diane Paulus, whose initiative "Experience the A.R.T." operates with the goal of revolutionizing the theater experience.
The company's productions are easily accessible since two of the A.R.T.'s venues, the OBERON and the Loeb Drama Center, are located right in Harvard Square. This spring, the A.R.T.'s theme of "America: Boom, Bust, and Baseball" exposes different aspects of the American identity. The A.R.T.'s upcoming show, Clifford Odets's "Paradise Lost" (Feb. 27-March 20), will bring to the stage a disillusioned view of the American dream in the midst of financial crisis. The company will also take a look at the present-day love of American baseball in its last show of the spring, "Johnny Baseball," at the Loeb (May 14-June 27).
Additionally, the A.R.T.'s current production of "The Donkey Show" was recently extended through this summer due to its popularity. "The Donkey Show" is a '70s disco version of "A Midsummer's Night Dream." As if Shakespeare's classic comedy wasn't already strange enough, it is now set in the world of retro disco, roller skaters and popular songs such as Sister Sledge's "We are Family" and Rose Royce's "Car Wash."
Boston Center for the Arts (BCA)
The BCA Complex, located on Tremont Street in Boston's South End, is a non-profit performing arts center that is home to many small theater companies, including Company One, SpeakEasy Stage Company and Zeitgeist Stage Company. The BCA is located right next to the South End's top notch, if slightly pricey, restaurant scene, making dinner and a show an easy combination. An alternative option is a quick bite to eat at Francesca's Café, a trendy spot where an order of "Sex on the Counter" satisfies any caffeine craving.
Exciting upcoming shows at the BCA Complex include SpeakEasy's "Adding Machine: A Musical," the musical adaptation of Elmer Rice's 1923 play, which is the story of employee Mr. Zero and the machine that replaces him after 25 years of service (March 12-April 10). Also on stage is Zeitgeist's "Private Fears in Public Places," a play that connects the lives of six Londoners through odd circumstances (Feb. 12-March 6).
Boston Opera House
One block over from the Boston Common, the Boston Opera House is the new home for the Boston Ballet, which previously danced at the Wang Theater. From April 8 to 18, the Boston Ballet will be premiering Arthur Saint-Léon's comic ballet "Coppélia," in which a doll is mistaken for a beautiful young girl, creating a series of romantic mishaps.
The Boston Opera House is also the host of Broadway Across America productions, such as the upcoming "The Lion King," a reinterpretation of Disney's animated classic that captures a sense of magical elegance with its creative costumes and world-famous puppetry (Feb. 16-March 21).
Another Broadway production coming up this semester is the newest Mel Brooks musical "Young Frankenstein" (April 20-May 2). The show won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical in 2008 and is a comical retelling of the Frankenstein legend, following the efforts and mishaps of the scientist's grandson who attempts to complete his grandfather's work.
Central Square Theater
Home to the Nora Theatre Company and the Underground Railway Theater (URT), the Central Square Theater is a new venue that opened up in July 2008 in nearby Central Square. One upcoming show this season is the Nora Theatre's drama "Not Enough Air" (Feb. 11-March 14) by the local playwright Masha Obolensky. The play delves into the 1920s murder trial of Ruth Snyder and a journalist's fictional retelling of the story.
Also coming to the stage is the URT's "From Orchids to Octopi" (March 31-May 2), which is part of Catalyst Collaborative@MIT, URT's science theater initiative with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Written by Melinda Lopez, "Orchids" was commissioned by the National Institutes of Health in honor of the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" and is a humorous glance at the theory of evolution.
The Factory Theatre
Theatre is an unusual, if not new, addition to the Boston theater scene. The building was originally built in 1854 in Boston's South End and was known as the Jonas Chickering Pianoforte.
A section of the old building has since then been converted into a small, intimate black box theater, which is now the home to many small theater companies.
Currently onstage at The Factory Theatre is Whistler in the Dark's "One Flea Spare," which takes a dark, introspective look at four strangers' lives as they try to survive the plague (Feb. 5-21). Whistler in the Dark prides itself on having a tight ensemble of artistically acrobatic actors who love to challenge themselves in difficult settings.
Next up at The Factory Theatre is 11:11 Theatre Company's production of Brian Tuttle's "Foreverendia" (Feb. 26-March 8), a play about children who climb up chimneys after a snowstorm and discover an imaginary world.
Huntington Theatre Company
The Huntington Theatre Company's two venues are the historic Boston University Theatre across from Symphony Hall and the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts.
The Huntington's season includes an examination of sibling rivalry in "Stick Fly," Lydia R. Diamond's work about two brothers who bring their girlfriends into the ostentatious world of Martha's Vineyard (Feb. 19-March 27). The Huntington also hopes to generate a couple of laughs later this year with the writer and producer of NBC's "Law and Order," Gina Gionfriddo, and her comedy "Becky Shaw," which centers on a blind date gone horribly wrong (March 5-April. 4).
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
The Lyric Stage Company is located on Clarendon Street, a couple of blocks from Copley Square and the Boston Public Library. Founded in 1974, the theater is mid-sized — good for avoiding the crowded tourist trap productions and the often too strange shows that come with tiny theaters.
The company is currently showing "Legacy of Light" (Feb. 12-March 13), which blends the stories of two women scientists — brilliant physicist, Emilie du Châtelet from the Age of the Enlightenment and present day scientist Olivia.
In the play, Châtelet is pregnant and fears that she will die in childbirth. She subsequently rushes to complete her research, while modern-day scientist Olivia wants to have a child of her own. Later on this semester, the music of Billie Holiday will come to the stage in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" (March 26-April 24).
