Emerson College President Responds to Colonial Theatre Renovation Uproar

Lee Pelton has finally spoken out regarding the recently announced renovations on Boston's Colonial Theatre.

The president of Emerson College, Pelton penned an opinion column in the Boston Globe explaining the college's decision to convert the aforementioned historic venue into a dining hall, ceasing its longstanding tradition of pre-Broadway premieres. Click here to read BWW's original article on the situation and the petition to save the venue!

"The Colonial was built to support Broadway productions," writes Pelton. "When Emerson bought the Colonial and an adjacent building for classroom, office, and student residential space in 2006, the intention was to allow the Colonial Theatre to function as it always had. The physical space and business alignments were linked to the retail, large-scale Broadway market."

Pelton says that as of late, the venue's original purpose as a pre-Broadway tryout theatre has become less and less relevant. His piece reads, "During the past several years, the College has leased the Colonial to two leading Broadway production companies, one of which did not renew its lease and another whose lease we did not renew."

He continues, elaborating that the past few years have seen far more dark (i.e., uninhabited) days than not. "The Colonial was only open on average 61 days per year, during the last three years, or to put it more starkly, the theatre was closed and inaccessible to the public on an average of five out of seven days."

In light of this, combined with the high expenses required to keep the building functional, Pelton has some alternatives to suggest.

"Therefore, the College is exploring a variety of options, one of which would be for the College to assume the Colonial's programming in a way that will breathe new life into the theater, meet our educational needs and the needs of local small and mid-size performing arts groups, as well as increase public access to a magnificent facility.

"This option, only one of several which the College is considering, would create a multipurpose theatrical performance venue by adding a self-enclosed black box theater that could be operated when the main stage is not in use, and, at the same time, expand Emerson's social and dining spaces by converting the 600-seat orchestra section into a 300-seat modular, reversible dining area, modeled, in part, on Symphony Hall."

As for maintaining the historical integrity and structure of the building, Pelton says they are keeping those factors a priority.

"This option would not change the Colonial's historical interior. In fact, we are working with the Landmarks Commission and other preservation organizations to make certain the interior is protected against such changes. It would create dining space for faculty, students, and guests, but would still permit use of the black box when the main stage is not in use, and the main stage when the dining space's use would not impact rehearsals and performances."

He assures residents and concerned patrons that, "When a project like this is done well, everyone benefits."