While at home sitting on my lovely couch watching mindless television and movies, my dad interrupted my veg-out to tell me to read an article in the Boston Globe. Usually when my dad pulls out an article for me to read it means its definitely something I will connect to or need to know. I think he has a hard time talking to me about theatre sometimes and I find we can talk easier through these newspaper articles. Anyway, the article was titled”Boston theater’s youth revival.” I immediately thought it was about childrens theatre in boston – I’ve done some work with Boston Children’s Theatre and had a great upbrining in a local childrens theatre program in my town.
It actually has to do with us college students! The article discusses how Boston is becoming a bigger hub for fresh out of college theatre students. Job opportunities are becoming more abundant. The interviewees and the author speak highly about a really creative and driven community of artists within the small city of boston — a certain theatre culture is being developed. I think we can all attest to this outlook as we see our faculty members, alumni and even current students mixing up their theatre involvement’s, finding more crossovers and connection. Our community at BU has a hand in a large amount of the theatre companies in the city and we are directly contributing to the growing culture as well. The article mentions our productions under the umbrella of Boston Center for American Performance (BCAP) which helps build bridges between professionals and developing undergraduates. The author states that there are simply more opportunities, and mostly lower budget/less commerical shows, for young actors and a larger range of difficulty and challenge in terms of role and playwright. From fridge to classic to experimental it seems like Boston is building up its rep for being a definite choice post graduation.
I read the article and felt proud of the city that I’ve essentially grown up in. Being a local I feel a special connection to the city and always believed it had a thriving theatre scene. Attending college here, that speculation has grown tenfold. The amount of theatre for us to see is blown at our faces- there is always something new to see. Although, I feel I’m ready to venture out into a new city, with new buildings and a new subway system, and new theatres to attend…this article comforted me in knowing that I’m not only receiving fresh training from professional artists who continue to work and build a theatre community in Boston, but that I can always find a successful and fullfilling artistic/theatrical home back here in BeanTown.
What do you guys think about Boston’s up and coming theatre scene? Any chance you’ll be sticking around come graduation?
P.S. I came into the SoT office for work and I noticed one of our fabulous faculty members already posted this very article outside on the bulletin board… check it out there too!
