"And now, in a final burst of glory, it is to become... a Dining Hall"
"And now, in a final burst of glory, it is to become... a Dining Hall"
temms
Broadway Star Joined: 7/21/04
#1"And now, in a final burst of glory, it is to become... a Dining Hall"
Posted: 10/8/15 at 11:25am
Emerson College has possible plans for the Colonial Theatre. A student center/cafeteria:
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#2well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 11:43am
AND performance space.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#3well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 11:46am
How much of the theater decor will remain?
Poster Emeritus
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#4well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 11:48am
Emerson has had terrible ideas it didn't go through with in the past. Fingers crossed this is one of them. How could the people who revived the dormant Majestic and the moribund Paramount into something beautiful and new seriously be considering this?
Twitter @NamoInExile
Instagram none
#5well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 11:48am
You want pretty specific information where no final plans exist.
Buddy Plummer2
Understudy Joined: 5/4/12
#6well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 11:50am
WHAT IM PRETTY SURE THEYRE GOING TO DO:
take up the orchestra seats to put in tables and chairs which can then be taken away and replaced with theatre seats when it's being used as a performance venue.
its not ideal, but it's better than the theatre getting raized and destroyed completely
Updated On: 10/8/15 at 11:50 AM
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#7well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 11:56am
If that is what happens, it is a win-win situation for everyone.Brooklyn Paramount was sold to a college. The lobby became their lunch facility and auditorium became a basketball arena. It was done in such a way that the top half of the side walls and proscenium were preserved. As a result, it is now being full restored as a performance space with the missing portions being recreated.
Poster Emeritus
#9well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 12:07pm
The Huntington is sending out the following email to its patrons:
"Dear Friend of the Huntington,
As you know, the Huntington Theatre Company is one of Boston’s major cultural institutions, providing world-class productions and public service benefits to over 200,000 people a year across the city. For over three decades our relationship with our founding and grand sponsor, Boston University, has been robust and mutually beneficial.
Over the course of the last year, however, it has become clear that BU and the Huntington both have needs that the partnership can no longer meet. BU needs to better serve its theatre arts students and thus relocate its production, design, and black box facilities to its Charles River Campus. The Huntington needs a first-class mainstage theatre in which to present its plays and enhanced function spaces for its patrons. Neither BU nor the Huntington have the resources it will take to renovate and modernize the BU Theatre within the constraints of our current partnership.
After extensive discussions, BU and the Huntington have decided to dissolve our partnership. We reached the conclusion that we are both far more likely to achieve our different goals in the future by proceeding individually rather than together. This has been a difficult decision to make, but we both believe it is the right one. In implementing this decision, we are acutely aware of the need to move thoughtfully and in ways that give both of us the time to transition to our respective next steps. To that end, the University will immediately put the theatre and two adjoining buildings on the open market, and BU will require any buyer to guarantee the Huntington’s use of the facility through June 30, 2017. This guarantee provides a reasonable amount of time for the University and the Huntington to plan and implement our next steps. The Huntington will have the time to either look for a new theatre in which to present its programs after 2017, or talk with potential developers and buyers of the BU Theatre properties about establishing a new partnership. BU students will continue to have a place to participate in scenery and set design work while the University builds new production, design, and black box facilities on its Charles River Campus. (Read the joint statement from BU and the Huntington.)
The Huntington respects and appreciates our relationship with BU, values the substantial financial support that we have received, and is proud of our work on behalf of the University and its students during the past 33 years. At the same time, we are eager to revitalize the theatre we’ve called home for those 33 years and want to continue to produce ambitious, large-scale works at that location in a way that enhances our services to audience members, young people, and the theatre community of Boston.
Therefore, the Huntington will continue to pursue the purchase of the Huntington Avenue properties on our own or in partnership with others. As interested buyers and potential developers emerge, we will connect with them to emphasize the historical and cultural importance of this landmark theatre, our record of service to our city, and our belief that our participation will add value to the eventual development program for the property. Our strong preference is to remain in and improve our longstanding Huntington Avenue venue.
The Board of Trustees of the Huntington stands ready to be a partner in any purchase or development of these properties. Our Board is prepared to undertake a capital campaign to fund the significant investment which will be needed to convert the current theatre into a first-rate, modern venue, similar to the campaign we undertook to finance the Calderwood Pavilion in 2004.
The Huntington is strong and vibrant, and one of the region’s premier cultural assets. This year we expect 130,000 people to see eight different Huntington productions, ranging from exciting new works to classics made current, and to serve over 80,000 others at the Calderwood Pavilion. For the past 11 years, the Huntington has operated the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA in Boston’s South End, subsidizing costs for a wide range of other organizations and hosting over 834,000 audience members at 5,000 performances of 355 productions by dozens of performing arts groups.
The Huntington also has one of the most extensive, impactful, and admired theatre education departments in the country. Our partnerships with the Codman Academy Charter Public School, Boston Public School system, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and over 150 community-serving organizations have enabled us to provide access to the arts and educational productions for over 32,000 young people and limited-income theatregoers each year throughout the Greater Boston area.
We are confident that we will move forward with a newly revitalized mainstage theatre venue, either on Huntington Avenue or elsewhere if need be, and with both a renewal and an expansion of our services to this community.
Thank you for your continued support of the Huntington. We will keep you abreast of our future plans as they develop."
Art has a double face, of expression and illusion.
bdboston
Featured Actor Joined: 12/13/06
#10well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 12:22pm
As an Emerson alum, I felt compelled to send an email this morning to the Office of the President relaying my disappointment. I got this response about an hour later (I'm letting his attempt to educate me on the demise of pre-Broadway tryouts in Boston slide; he wouldn't know I'm a theatre geek 
:
-----
Thanks for your note. I'd like to correct a few of your assumptions:
• The Colonial is on average dark 315 days of the year even with a lease arrangement with a franchise theatre company
• The proposed new program revives, refreshes and resuscitates a historic building that is rarely open to the public
• The building will remain unchanged and intact except for replacing the orchestra fixed seating with flexible modular tables and chairs modeled on the Boston Symphony Hall and converting a small "ladies room" into a private dining hall
• The proposed new program meets the needs of our Performing Arts department, our students and the contemporary theatre companies
• The pre-Broadway function that the Colonial used to fill is no longer in existence for a variety of reasons, including how new plays and theatrical productions are developed in the 21st century
• The Colonial will still host and house theatrical productions, albeit in a more flexible space that preserves the main stage and adds a black box
This is what I wrote to the Emerson community this morning:
Dear Emerson Community,
I am writing to let you know that the Boston Globe has published an article regarding the possible future use of the Colonial Theatre. The article is based on architectural drawings that the Globe obtained without Emerson’s permission. It represents only one of several options that the College is considering for the future use of the Colonial.
As I wrote to you previously, our planning regarding the future use of the Colonial Theatre has been guided by several objectives:
• Preserve the remarkable history of the Colonial.
• Reanimate and resuscitate the performance space inside the facility.
• Serve the best long-term interests of Emerson faculty and students.
• Educate and train the next generation of leaders in the performing arts.
• Expand campus social space.
• Repair and replace mechanical systems and deferred maintenance needs.
One of several plans under consideration, represented in the drawings, is to reanimate the Colonial as a multi-purpose, theatrical performance venue, expand Emerson’s social and dining spaces, provide performance space for Boston’s burgeoning small theatre companies by creating a black box theatre to complement the main stage when it is not in use, and convert the 600-seat orchestra to a 300-seat modular, reversible dining area available to the Emerson community and its guests.
We have been engaged in a thorough, thoughtful, and deliberate process to explore and examine the Theatre’s potential long-term use. We are not in a position to make public other options and discussions we are having with individuals and organizations at this time.
The College has an enviable and proven track record of being a good steward of Boston’s historic spaces, and we will live up to that responsibility in regard to the future of the Colonial Theatre, ever mindful that we are also a learning community.
Any proposal selected will be reviewed and voted on by the Emerson Board of Trustees; discussed with faculty, students and staff; shared with the City; and will go through a rigorous community engagement process. This is consistent with Emerson’s longtime demonstrated commitment to and investment in sustaining and advancing the arts in Boston and preserving the City’s historic Theatre District.
Sincerely,
Lee Pelton
Updated On: 10/8/15 at 12:22 PM
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#11well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 12:30pm
The response sounds reasonable. Shows no longer tryout in Boston and with other venues to go to, the Colonial sounds like it is odd man out.
If this actually happens, the structure and architecture are saved. If a developer bought it, it would be gone. Times Square, with the final stages of the demolition of the Mayfair/De Mille (the wrap around sign across the street from the Palace) leaves it with no palaces whatsoever so that part of the history of Times Square is forever gone.
Poster Emeritus
#12well, not really
Posted: 10/8/15 at 12:34pm
bdboston said: "• The building will remain unchanged and intact except for ... converting a small "ladies room" into a private dining hall"
That's some magic conversion there...
