More Support For Boston's Colonial Theatre! Emerson College Faculty Urges Board To Reconsider Repurposing Plans

The Boston Globe reports that the faculty of Emerson College has voted overwhelmingly to approve a resolution calling on president Lee Pelton and the school's board of directors to reconsider plans that would convert the city's historic Colonial Theatre into a student center/cafeteria with a performance space.

As reported by BroadwayWorld, in early September of this year Emerson College's consideration of plans that would repurpose the 115-year-old theatre were made public. Still in use as a theatre, the Colonial was a popular tryout stop for Broadway-bound musicals to premiere and be worked on before heading to New York, including PORGY AND BESS and OKLAHOMA!.

The national uproar of protest from the theatre community has included a petition to save the theatre signed by thousands, including Stephen Sondheim.

"I've had shows which tried out in the Colonial," says Sondheim, "and it's not only beautiful but acoustically first-rate, two qualities which are rare in tandem, even on Broadway. For those of us involved in musical theater, it's a treasure and to tear it down would be not only a loss, but something of a crime."

The resolution states, "plans were developed without sufficient input from faculty, students, alumni and other city, regional and national stakeholders," and urges the college administration and board of trustees, "to pursue alternative plans for a dining hall and the restoration or reconstruction of the Colonial in concert with faculty and other stakeholders."

Emerson's vice president for communications has issued a statement saying, in part, "The Board of Trustees is grateful for the faculty's perspective on the future (of) the Colonial as the College continues its thoughtful and deliberate process to develop a number of options. No final decisions have been made and the College will continue to engage Emerson faculty and students, the City and various stakeholders in a community engagement process."

In an earlier opinion piece, Pelton explained, "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."

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