All | Major Theaters | Small Equity Companies
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston: Theater, Major Theaters
Boston Theater: Major Theaters Around Boston
The six Boston Theater companies listed below are considered the among the best theater companies in the world, casting top flight talent in nearly every production. Each listing features information on location, ticket prices, transportation/parking, theater history and other points of interest.
A.R.T. (American Repertory Theatre)
Located in Cambridge, A.R.T. was founded in 1980 by drama historian and critic Robert Brustein, longtime theater reviewer for The New Republic. A.R.T.’s main theater is on the Harvard campus, and adding to the company’s academic feel is the fact that it has its own school, the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training (a two-year program that teaches acting, dramaturgy, and special studies, and includes a three-month residency at the Moscow Art …more…
Huntington Theatre Company
The Huntington Theatre, founded in 1982 (just two years after the American Rep), is the other big kid on the block in Boston. It has a well-deserved reputation for not just taking on edgy work, but for having an older audience base.
In addition to offering generous ticket price discounts to college aged patrons, the theater also hosts College Nights for the matriculated crowd. Students who want to spread the word …more…
Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Founded in 1974 by Polly Hogan and Ron Ritchell, The Lyric Stage Company of Boston gave its first performances in a humble venue near Copley Square, later moving to a 100-seat theatre over a hardware store on Charles Street. In 1990, the company relocated to its current home in the YWCA building on Clarendon Street.
During its first two decades, Lyric Stage productions ranged from the musical revue Cole to classics by …more…
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Since its founding in 1979, Merrimack Repertory Theatre has presented well over 200 productions, including 16 world premieres and 34 regional premieres.
The company annually offers an eclectic season of plays and musicals in Liberty Hall, its 308-seat theatre adjacent to Lowell Memorial Auditorium in downtown Lowell. A representative sample of its productions over the course of its 30-years-plus history: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, Elmer Rice’s The Adding …more…
New Repertory Theatre
Now in its third decade, New Rep has established a reputation for productions of “thought-provoking shows centered on big ideas,” ranging from such plays as Waiting for Godot, The Pillowman,Topdog/Underdog; Quills, and A Girl’s War to such musicals asRagtime, The Threepenny Opera, and Sweeney Todd. For its efforts, the company has been awarded many Boston Area theatre awards, including 18 Elliot Norton Awards and 26 IRNE Awards.
New Rep is also committed to bringing new works to …more…
North Shore Music Theatre (Beverly, MA)
This 55-year-old, 1500-seat, in-the-round theatre, located about 25 miles outside of Boston in Beverly, Mass., found itself heavily in debt in recent years and shuttered in 2009. But Bill Hanney, owner of Theatre by the Sea in Rhode Island as well as the chain of 10 New England multiplexes known as Entertainment Cinemas, came to North Shore’s rescue by purchasing the theatre and revamping its business structure. NSMT reopened in …more…
Speakeasy Stage Company
Speakeasy specializes in Boston premiere productions of noteworthy new plays and musicals. The company was named the Pavilion Resident Theater for the Boston Center for the Arts in 2007, and it recently received the Theatre Hero Award from StageSource for its dedication to nurturing and supporting Boston area theater artists, and for its leadership and inspiration to the theater community of Greater Boston. Among its many award-winning productions have been …more…
