ArtsEmerson

Film and theater presenting company in Boston, MA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ArtsEmerson is a non-profit, professional theater and film presenting and producing organization in Boston, Massachusetts. Based on an idea from Emerson College President Jackie Liebergott and founded in 2010 by theatrical producer Robert Orchard, ArtsEmerson is part of the Office for the Arts at Emerson College's Boston campus. The organization presents and produces theatrical performances, films, and public dialogues across several Emerson College venues and in other locations in Greater Boston.[1][2]

AddressArtsEmerson
120 Boylston Street

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
219 Tremont Street

Paramount Center
559 Washington Street
Boston, Massachusetts
United States
OwnerEmerson College
CapacityEmerson Cutler Majestic Theatre: 1172

Paramount Center:
Robert J. Orchard Stage: 572
Jackie Leibergott Black Box: 125
Bright Family Screening Room: 170
Years active
2010 to present
Quick facts Address, Owner ...
ArtsEmerson
Emerson Paramount Center
AddressArtsEmerson
120 Boylston Street

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
219 Tremont Street

Paramount Center
559 Washington Street
Boston, Massachusetts
United States
OwnerEmerson College
CapacityEmerson Cutler Majestic Theatre: 1172

Paramount Center:
Robert J. Orchard Stage: 572
Jackie Leibergott Black Box: 125
Bright Family Screening Room: 170
Construction
Years active
2010 to present
Website
artsemerson.org
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History

ArtsEmerson's first season in 2010–11 presented 17 theater productions, 92 films, and four concerts.[2]

Leadership

Robert Orchard founded ArtsEmerson and was its first executive director. In 2012, David Dower joined the organization as Director of Artistic Programs. P. Carl joined ArtsEmerson as Creative Director in 2013, after joinging the Office of the Arts as Director of HowlRound. In 2015, Robert Orchard shifted to the role of Founder and Creative Consultant and David C. Howse joined as executive director.[3] Also in 2015, David Dower, P. Carl, and David Howse began a "three-legged" leadership period, sharing leadership as two co-Artistic Directors (Dower and Carl) and an executive director (Howse). This partnership which continued until P. Carl's departure in 2017. David Dower departed in 2021. ArtsEmerson is currently under interim leadership of Interim Executive Director of the Office of the Arts & ArtsEmerson Director of Artistic Programming, Ronee Penoi (Laguna Pueblo/Cherokee). Penoi joined ArtsEmerson in 2021.[4] Penoi currently co-leads Office of the Arts with Jamie Gahlon, the Associate Vice President of Office of the Arts and Director of HowlRound.

Recognition

ArtsEmerson was named "Boston's Best Theater" by Boston magazine in 2013 and again in 2015.[5] In 2019, WBUR recognized ArtsEmerson as a "A Model For Equity In The Arts", stating, "From its inception, ArtsEmerson has instituted programs at the intersection of civic dialogue and artistic exploration that have expanded its audience and engaged communities that arts organizations have historically ignored."[6]

Theatrical Presentations and Productions

2024–25 Season

2023–24 Season

2022–23 Season

2021–22 Season

2020–21 Season

  • State vs. Natasha Banina (Arlekin Players Theatre)[21]
  • Stono (Step Afrika!)
  • Julia (Christiane Jatahy)
  • En Masse (Circa)
  • chekhovOS /an experimental game/ (Arlekin's Zero Gravity (ZERO-G) Lab & The Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation)[22]
  • A Brimful of Asha (Why Not Theatre)

2019–20 Season

2018–19 Season

2017–18 Season

2016–17 Season

2015–16 Season

2014–15 Season

2013–14 Season

  • Columbinus (American Theater Company)
  • Baritones Unbound (Marc Kudisch and Friends)
  • Kiss & Cry (Charleroi Danses)
  • Waiting for Godot (Gare St. Lazare Players and Dublin Theatre Festival)
  • Mies Julie (Farber Foundry)
  • Step Afrika! (Step Afrika!)
  • Sleeping Beauty (Colla Marionette)
  • We Are Proud to Present a Presentation … (Company One)
  • House/Divided (The Builders Association)
  • Red-Eye to Havre de Grace (Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental)
  • No Place To Go (Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra)
  • Man in a Case (Baryshnikov Productions)
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bristol Old Vic)
  • Not By Bread Alone (Nalaga'at Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble)[33]
  • Lebensraum (Habitat) (Jakop Ahlbom)[34]
  • The Wholehearted (Stein/Holum Projects)
  • Sontag Reborn (The Builders Association)

2012–13 Season

2011–12 Season

2010–11 Season

Community engagement

Play Reading Book Club

With the guidance of a teaching artist, Play Reading Book Club (PRBC) participants read and discuss selected plays from each ArtsEmerson season, over a four-week period. PRBC participants attend the play they have studied, attend a reception and private question and answer session with a creative member of the production, and receive resources to enhance the experience of a live theater performance.[49]

Public Dialogues

After selected performances, audience members, artists, and members of the ArtsEmerson staff hold discussions related to performance content.[50]

Community Curators

The Community Curators program allows Boston artists and organizers to produce events in ArtsEmerson's downtown spaces. Two consistent Community Curators programs are the film-based series' Shared Stories and Projecting Connections.

Shared Stories is a monthly film series presented by ArtsEmerson in collaboration with the Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF),[51] CineFest Latino Boston, and the Roxbury Film Festival. ArtsEmerson also presents Projecting Connections: Chinese American Experiences, a film series highlighting the lives of the Chinese in the Greater Boston Area.

Films presented as part of Projecting Connections include:

  • A Chinese American Giant: The Y.C. Hong Story, Rick Quan[51]
  • Vanishing Chinatown: The World of the May's Photo Studio, Emiko Omori[51]
  • Meditations on the Power of Community, Lenora Lee[51]
  • Far East Deep South, Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu[51]
  • Within These Walls, Tatsu Aoki
  • Curtain Up! Hui Tong and Kelly Ng
  • Suk Suk, Raymond Yeung
  • Snakehead, Evan Jackson Leong
  • The Six, Arthur Jones
  • Blurring the Color Line, Crystal Kwok
  • American Girl, Feng-I Fiona Roan and Clifford Miu

Artist Residencies

Each season features an artist in residence, showcasing their work and introducing them to Boston-based artists.

ArtsEmerson artists in residence:

Fresh Sound Master Artists in Residence

Venues

ArtsEmerson's public facing offerings, as opposed to events produced by students and faculty, are spread across four main spaces: the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre (1,172 seats) and the Emerson Paramount Center, which encompasses the Robert J. Orchard Stage (renamed in honor of founder Robert Orchard)[56] (572 seats), the Jackie Liebergott Black Box (126 variable seats), and the Bright Family Screening Room (primarily for film presentation at 170 seats).

ArtsEmerson also uses the Semel Theatre[55] (216 seats) and The Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater (130 seats), both part of the Tufte Performance Production Center at Emerson College, for student activities, artistic residency work and housing. Other activities take place in a variety of public spaces throughout Greater Boston.


Footnotes

External links

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