The Boch Center (formerly Citi Performing Arts Center and Wang Center for the Performing Arts) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization located in Boston, Massachusetts. It manages the historic

Wang Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname * Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname * Titles in Chinese nobility * A title in Korean nobility * A title in Mongolian nobility Places * Wang River in Thaila ...

and Shubert theatres on Tremont Street in the

Boston Theater District The Boston Theater District is the center of Boston's theater scene. Many of its theaters are on Washington Street, Tremont Street, Boylston Street, and Huntington Avenue. History Plays were banned in Boston by the Puritans until 1792. Bos ...

, where it offers theatre, opera, classical and popular music, comedy, dance, and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musicals. The center also offers a diverse mix of educational workshops and community activities; collaborates with artists and local performing arts organizations; and, acts as a champion for the arts in the Greater Boston community by aggressively helping to make the arts an integral part of the community's collective, daily experience. It maintains partnerships with numerous arts organizations in Boston, including the Celebrity Series of Boston, Fiddlehead Theatre Company, Express Yourself, and more.

History

When the

Wang Theatre The Wang Theatre is a theatre in Boston. It originally opened in 1925 as the Metropolitan Theatre and was later renamed the Music Hall. It was designed by Clarence Blackall and is located at 252–272 Tremont Street in the Boston Theatre Distr ...

first opened in 1925, it was called the Metropolitan Theatre. After 30 years as the Metropolitan Theatre, the venue was called the Music Hall, then the Metropolitan Center. In 1983, An and Lorraine Wang donated the funds to renovate the theatre, and it became the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. The Wang Theatre is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, and with 3,600+ seats, it is one of the five largest stages in the country. The Wang Center began managing and operating the Shubert Theatre in 1996 when it entered a 40-year lease agreement with the venue. In 2006, the Wang Center became the Citi Performing Arts Center after establishing a 10-year partnership with

Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi ( stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomera ...

. In 2016, the Citi Performing Arts Center became the Boch Center following the announcement of a long-term partnership with the Boch family. In the past, it also managed the booking and preservation of the Emerson Colonial Theatre and the Strand Theatre.

Programming

The Boch Center hosts a variety of performances and events at the Wang and Shubert Theatres, including theatre, dance, comedy, opera, classical and popular music concerts, and Broadway shows. The center maintains partnerships with other Boston arts nonprofits such as Fiddlehead Theatre Company,

Handel and Haydn Society The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest-serving suc ...

, A.R.T., Celebrity Series of Boston,

Huntington Theatre Company The Huntington Theatre Company is a professional theatre located in Boston, Massachusetts and the recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Managing Director Michael Maso. It is notable for its longstanding artist ...

, World Music, Dance Umbrellas, and Express Yourself. The Wang and Shubert Theatres also host special events, such as corporate conferences, award ceremonies, galas, weddings, and more. They are also used as locations for movie filming. Movies filmed at the Wang Theatre include ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'' (2016), ''

American Hustle ''American Hustle'' is a 2013 American historical black comedy crime film directed by David O. Russell. It was written by Eric Warren Singer and Russell, inspired by the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It stars Chris ...

'', ''

The Pink Panther 2 ''The Pink Panther 2'' is a 2009 American comedy-mystery film directed by Harald Zwart. It is the eleventh installment in '' The Pink Panther'' film series and the sequel to the 2006 film '' The Pink Panther'', a reboot of the popular comedy seri ...

'', ''

The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...

'', and ''

The Great Debaters ''The Great Debaters'' is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by and starring Denzel Washington. It is based on an article written about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman for the spring 1997 issue of ''American Legacy'' ...

''.

Nonprofit Work

In 1988, the Education Department at the Boch Center was founded, and the following year the Walter Suskind Memorial Education Fund was established. The nonprofit arts education initiatives at the center include the City Spotlights Leadership Program, Teen Council, Target Arts, Interactive Readings Stories Alive, and Ticket Access. City Spotlights Leadership Program is a seven-week summer employment program for teens in the Boston area. In 2016, the program reached 61 students from 30 different high schools and 13 Boston and Everett neighborhoods. The program includes arts and leadership training, community advocacy, and performance. Teen Leadership Council brings together a smaller group of teens from greater Boston for year-round programming where teens create original performance pieces, facilitate workshops, advocate for social change, and volunteer in the community. Founded in 2009 in partnership with

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...

, the Target Arts Program is an artist residency program funded by

Target Corporation Target Corporation ( doing business as Target and stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh largest retailer in the United States, and a com ...

. It provides an in-depth arts residency at four different Boston schools each year. The Interactive Reading: Stories Alive program provides interactive storytelling to children in various Boston neighborhoods. The center's Ticket Access program provides tickets to roughly 3,000 community organizations and schools in Greater Boston each year. ArtWeek Boston is another nonprofit initiative produced by the Boch Center. This bi-annual, 10-day creative festival features more than 150 unique and creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive or offer behind-the-scenes access to artists or the creative process. It is presented by Highland Street Foundation.

Theatres

* Shubert Theatre

External links

Boch Center website

ArtWeek Boston website

References