The Lyric Stage Company of Boston

Last updated

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Address140 Clarendon Street
Boston, Massachusetts
United States
TypeNon-profit
Capacity 244
Opened1974;50 years ago (1974)
Website
www.lyricstage.com

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston is the oldest professional theatre company in Boston. [1] Founded in 1974, the non-profit theatre is located in the YWCA building at 140 Clarendon Street. It produces six plays and musicals each season and is known for its Stephen Sondheim musical productions.

Contents

History

Location

Ron Ritchell and Polly Hogan founded the Lyric Stage Company of Boston in 1974, with performances staged in the Community Church on Boylston Street. In 1976, the Lyric Stage moved to a theatre at 56 Charles Street. The stage was small, less than 300 square feet, and it sat 103. In 1991, the Lyric Stage moved to its current location in the YWCA Building at 140 Clarendon Street. [2] The theatre has a large stage, a band loft, [3] and seats 234. [4]

Notable Productions

In its first season, the Lyric Stage produced Antigone and The Second Man.

Its first production at 54 Charles Street was The Importance of Being Earnest.

The first production at 140 Clarendon was Red Hot & Cole. [2]

The Lyric Stage's production of Whoop-Dee-Doo! In the 1995-1996 season earned its first Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Designer.

The theatre's first large-scale musical production was Sunday in the Park with George in the 2001-2002 season.

The 2022 production of The Play That Goes Wrong is the highest grossing run in Lyric Stage history. [2]

Community involvement

In fulfilling its mission to support the Boston theatre scene, the Lyric Stage casts and hires local playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and musicians. Since its founding, the Lyric Stage has employed over 800 actors and 160 designers. [2]

Lyric For All

Lyric Stage presents live theatre that promotes inclusivity and connection in an effort to integrate live theater into the lives of all residents of Greater Boston. There are affordable options available making theatre truly for all.

Lyric Back Stage

An education program that provides an introduction to the jobs and potential back stage career paths in the performing arts such as lighting, sound, props, and costuming.

Lyric First Page

Lyric First Page was created in 2020 to provide playwriting opportunities and resources to Boston Public School students and interested students from the surrounding communities. The festival of readings features work that reflects students’ experiences ranging from everyday activities to dreams and even outer space. Lyric First Page’s mission is to provide an outlet for students and connect them with their own potential to be theater makers. A volunteer panel of theater professionals and teachers evaluate submissions on character, dialogue, plot, content, and impact. All playwrights receive feedback and may be included in a future reading series highlighting the talents of Boston-based students.

Past productions

SeasonShow 1Show 2Show 3Show 4Show 5Show 6Show 7Show 8Show 9
1974–1975 Antigone The Second Man
1975–1976 Oedipus Rex Ghosts
1976–1977 The Importance of Being Earnest The Glass Menagerie A Child's Christmas in Wales The Lady's Not for Burning The Homecoming The Master Builder
1977–1978 Mrs. Warren's Profession A Child's Christmas in Wales Hedda Gabler The Little Foxes
1978–1979 The Autumn Garden A Child's Christmas in Wales A Moon for the Misbegotten Playboy of the Western World Old Times The Philanderer Relatively Speaking
1979–1980 Much Ado about Nothing The Show-Off A Child's Christmas in WalesA Touch of Poet You Never Can Tell Antigone
1980–1981 Hedda Gabler The Glass Menagerie A Child's Christmas in Wales Juno and the Paycock Arms and the Man The Price The Norman Conquests
1981–1982 All My Sons The Norman Conquests A Child's Christmas in Wales The Master Builder The Little Foxes Misalliance The Plough and the Stars
1982–1983Twain's Folly Private Lives A Child's Christmas in Wales The Diary of Anne Frank A Moon for the Misbegotten Streamers Mrs. Warren's Profession You Can't Take It with You The True Irving Rifkin
1983–1984Goodly Creatures LootA Child's Christmas in Wales Blithe Spirit Awake and Sing Taking Steps You Never Can Tell
1984–1985Handy Dandy Another Part of the Forest A Child's Christmas in Wales A View from the Bridge French Without Tears Playboy of the Western World
1985–1986Widowers’ Houses Juno and the Paycock A Child's Christmas in Wales Painting Churches Harvey Absurd Person Singular Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
1986–1987 And a Nightingale Sang The Norman Conquests A Child's Christmas in Wales The Hasty Heart A Streetcar Named Desire Candida Quartermaine's Terms
1987–1988 The Price Hay Fever How the Other Half Loves A Child's Christmas in WalesThe Bishop's Bonfire What the Butler Saw The Common Pursuit
1988–1989 What the Butler Saw The Big Knife A Child's Christmas in Wales Arms and the Man Present Laughter The Caretaker Not About Heroes
1989–1990 Bedroom Farce The Autumn Garden A Child's Christmas in Wales The Vortex Otherwise Engaged A Shayna Maidel
1990–1991 Misalliance Woman in Mind A Child's Christmas in Wales The Diary of Anne Frank Butley Drinking in AmericaA Thurber Reunion Fallen Angels
1991–1992Red Hot and Cole A Christmas Carol Ghosts You Never Can Tell "Master Harold"...and the Boys Our Country's Good The Man Who Came to Dinner
1992–1993 The Liar Widowers’ Houses A Child's Christmas in Wales American Buffalo The Mystery of Irma Vep Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration The Price Tales of Sholem Aleichman
1993–1994From Boston to Portland: The Fred Allen Story The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me A Child's Christmas in Wales The Substance of Fire A Woman of No Importance My Astonishing Self Pump Boys and Dinettes
1994–1995 The Philanderer Good EveningA Child's Christmas in Wales An Ideal Husband Mrs. Warren's Profession Time of My Life
1995–1996 Whoop-Dee-Doo! Hay Fever Lady Windermere's Fan A Child's Christmas in Wales Oedipus Rex Not About Heroes
1996–1997 Entertaining Mr. Sloane Candida A Child's Christmas in Wales Blithe Spirit Speed-the-Plow How the Other Half Loves Juno and the Paycock
1997–1998 Antigone Pygmalion A Child's Christmas in Wales Laughter on the 23rd Floor Present Laughter The Heiress Lost in Yonkers
1998–1999 What the Butler Saw Assassins A Christmas Carol & The Night Before Christmas The Miser The Baltimore Waltz Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story When Pigs Fly
1999–2000 Morning's at Seven The Old Settler She Loves Me The Comedy of Errors Communicating Doors The Judas Kiss The World Goes ‘Round
2000–2001 Side Man A…My Name Will Always Be Alice Inspecting Carol The Complete History of America (Abridged) No Way to Treat a Lady Over the River and Through the Woods The Curse of the Bambino
2001–2002 Sunday in the Park with George Lobby Hero Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical The Miracle Worker The Lisbon Traviata Glengarry Glen Ross Lend Me a Tenor
2002–2003 Dirty Blonde The Gig Epic Proportions Beyond BeliefIt's All True2 Lives Side Show
2003–2004When Pigs Fly Book of Days Meshuggah-Nuns! Private Lives The Spitfire Grill The Mercy Seat Noises Off
2004–2005 A Little Night Music Ears on a Beatle Fully Committed The Glass Menagerie Red HerringLiving OutShakespeare in Hollywood
2005–2006 Urinetown: The Musical A Number Crowns The Underpants The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Talley's Folly Kong's Night Out
2006–2007 1776 Nine Parts of Desire See What I Wanna See Souvenir Miss Witherspoon Arms and The Man
2007–2008 Man of La Mancha Dying CityThis Wonderful LifeAdrift in Macao The Scene Three Tall Women The Importance of Being Earnest
2008–2009 Follies November The Mystery of Irma Vep The Year of Magical Thinking Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Speech and Debate Grey Gardens
2009–2010 Kiss Me, Kate Dead Man's Cell Phone Shipwrecked! An EntertainmentGroundswell Legacy of Light Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill Blithe Spirit
2010–2011 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby The Understudy My Name Is Asher Lev Broke-ology Animal Crackers
2011–2012 Big River Or, Ain't Misbehavin’ Superior Donuts Time Stands Still The Temperamentals Avenue Q
2012–2013 The Mikado The Chosen Chinglish 33 Variations Stones in His Pockets By the Way, Meet Vera Stark On the Town
2013–2014 One Man, Two Guvnors Water by the Spoonful Becky's New Car Working Death of a Salesman Rich Girl Into the Woods
2014–2015 Sweeney Todd Dear Elizabeth The Tale of the Allergist's Wife Red Hot Patriot Intimate Apparel City of Angels Light Up the Sky
2015–2016 My Fair Lady Saturday Night/Sunday Morning Buyer & Cellar Sondheim on Sondheim Fast Company Mr. Burns, a post-electric play Peter and the Starcatcher
2016–2017 Company Warrior Class Murder for Two Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Stage KissBarbecue Camelot
2017–2018 Gypsy SouvenirHold These Truths Road Show Virginia Woolf's Orlando Anna Christie The Wiz
2018–2019 Kiss of the Spider Woman The RoommateBreath & Imagination The Wolves The Little Foxes Twelfth Night Pacific Overtures
2019–2020 Little Shop of Horrors The Thanksgiving Play Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient ExpressThe CakeThe TreasurerNo production due to the Covid-19 pandemicNo production due to the Covid-19 pandemic
2020-2021No production due to the Covid-19 pandemicNo production due to the Covid-19 pandemicNo production due to the Covid-19 pandemicNo production due to the Covid-19 pandemicNo production due to the Covid-19 pandemicNo production due to the Covid-19 pandemic
2021-2022 Be Here Now The Last 5 Years Mr. ParentThe Book of Will A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder The Light
2022-2023 Fabulation or, The Re-Education of Undine The Play That Goes Wrong Preludes The Great Leap Sister Act Rooted
2023-2024 Assassins Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot: Holmes for the Holidays Trouble in Mind Thirst The Drowsy Chaperone Yellow Face
2024-2025 Urinetown Noises Off Crumbs From The Table of Joy ART The Great Reveal Hello Dolly!

Ref [5]

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References

  1. "Boston's Theater District".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Lyric Stage History". Archived from the original on February 18, 2018.
  3. Friedman, Arthur (November 1, 1991). "The Lyric Stage Spreads its Wings". Boston Herald.
  4. "Lyric Stage Box Office".
  5. "Lyric Stage Production Archive".