ATG Selected to Operate Emerson Colonial Theatre in a Partnership with Emerson College

Ambassador Theatre Group (Mark Cornell, CEO; Stephen Lewin, CEO, North America), the world's number one live-theatre company, is pleased to announce a major addition to their North American portfolio: the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston (106 Boylston Street). The long-term lease agreement with Emerson College will include investing several million dollars in much-needed capital improvements as well as bringing first-class productions back to the historic theatre. Following renovations, the 1680-seat Colonial Theatre will re-open in January 2018.

"The Colonial is a high quality, high potential theatre. Boston is one of America's - and the world's - great cities. We strongly believe in the live theatre and live entertainment business in North America, and thank Emerson College for selecting us. We will repay your trust," commented Stephen Lewin, Ambassador Theatre Group's CEO, North America.

ATG and Emerson College will jointly establish the Emerson Colonial Endowment, to provide experiential learning and internship opportunities for Emerson students through four annual fellowships. These fellowships will fund student participation in the Edinburgh International Festival, and an Ambassador Award program which will provide an ATG mentorship program for two Emerson students annually. Additionally, ATG will develop a creative theatre study initiative for Boston-area youth, and will actively explore making performance space available for local arts organizations, including the Boston Lyric Opera (BLO).

The Emerson Colonial Theatre, which started life in 1900 with a production of Ben-Hur, is the oldest continuously operated theatre in Boston; as well as being amongst the most magnificent, having retained most of its original period details. The venue has a long history of presenting not just touring Broadway productions, but also hosting World Premieres of Broadway-bound shows such as Anything Goes (1935); Porgy and Bess (1935); Oklahoma! (1943); Carousel (1945); Annie Get Your Gun (1946); Follies (1971); A Little Night Music (1973); Beatlemania (1977); La Cage aux Folles (1983); Grand Hotel (1989) and Seussical (2000). This has lead the Emerson Colonial Theatre to be Broadway's - and America's - most important out-of-town try-out venue, a tradition that ATG hopes to revive.

"The Colonial is a wonderful venue: a big, opulent theatre with a long and impressive history, one that's rich in names like Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Stephen Sondheim," said Kristin Caskey, ATG's Executive Vice-President of Content & Creative, North America. "It's impossible to think of a theatre that's been as important to Broadway that's not actually on Broadway. And, of course, Boston isn't simply a great American city. It's one of America's great theatre cities."

"This partnership is unprecedented and it will enable us to achieve our long-term commitment to restore, revive, and reanimate the Colonial Theatre," said Emerson College President Lee Pelton. "Working with ATG will allow us to bring new productions, new vitality, and new energy to this landmark theatre, located in the heart of the Emerson campus."

The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is the world's number one live-theatre company with 47 venues in Britain, the United States and Australia, and an internationally recognized award-winning theatre producer with productions in the West End and on Broadway and touring productions in the UK, North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. ATG is also the market leader in theatre ticketing services through ATG Tickets, LOVETheatre and Group Line. ATG presents an average of 40 productions a year, demonstrating the unique quality and range of ATG Productions in a diverse number of theatres and markets worldwide. ATG has been behind some of the most successful and innovative productions in Britain and internationally, and has subsidiary offices in London, New York, San Antonio, Houston, Sydney, Mannheim and Cologne, Germany.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city's Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in the liberal arts, communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has approximately 3,500 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs at Emerson Los Angeles, located in Hollywood, and at its beautifully restored 14th-century castle in the Netherlands. Additionally, there are opportunities to study in Washington, DC, London, China, the Czech Republic, Spain, Austria, Greece, France, Ireland, Mexico, Cuba, England, and South Africa. The College has an active network of 37,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit emerson.edu.

Image credit: Boston Globe

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