Re: BRA approves Emerson College's Paramount Center
from
yesterday's Boston Sunday Herald:
Second act
After more than 30 years, Boston?s Paramount Theatre makes a comeback
By Tenley Woodman | Sunday, January 31, 2010
A giant of Washington Street has returned to its former glory.
After lying in disrepair for more than 30 years, the Paramount Theatre opens its doors to the public in March.
The Celebrity Series will present five shows at the newly renovated art deco theater, beginning with the Max Raabe & Palast Orchester for ?A Night In Berlin? March 6.
Emerson College spent two years and an undisclosed sum renovating the Paramount and the adjoining Arcade Building at 555 Washington St. into a state-of-the-art performance center.
(While Emerson would not talk dollars, the Boston Redevelopment Authority estimated in 2006 the project would cost about $77 million.)
?It means a lot to our city,? said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who held his fifth-term inaugural party there Jan. 4.
?We have to use those theaters,? Menino said. ?The arts are part of the lifeblood of Boston.?
Emerson transformed the 1,500-seat Paramount, which opened in 1932 as a movie house, into a 550-seat live performance venue.
While its original purpose has changed, the theater?s character remains intact.
Robert J. Orchard, executive director of Emerson?s new office of the arts, gave this Herald reporter an exclusive tour last week.
?Be prepared for art deco squared,? he said.
Emerson was able to save the original waterfall wood paneling along the staircases, but the rest of the theater?s ornate carpeting, light fixtures and murals were re-created from items found in the rubble during construction.
Outside, nearly 8,000 LED bulbs illuminate the theater?s historic marquee.
The Arcade Building houses nine rehearsal studios, classrooms, faculty offices, a 200-seat screening room and a black box theater. Students have been using the facilities since the beginning of the year.
A dormitory atop the Arcade facility will house 260 students starting in the fall.
Orchard, who served 30 years as a manager of the American Repertory Theater, is responsible for programming the Paramount main stage, black box theater and screening room, as well as Emerson?s Cutler Majestic Theatre.
?I want this to be a crossroads for people in the theater community,? he said of the space.
His plans for the Paramount include bringing young ensemble companies to the stage, as well as major, established theater companies and entertainment for young people and families.
Orchard said the Celebrity Series performances in March and April will test the Paramount stage so tweaks can be made for the theater?s grand opening in September.
Performers for the fall launch remain secret.
The reopening of the Paramount is a sign of giant strides for Emerson and Boston.
?The neighborhood had to transform and that was part of Emerson being here,? Orchard said.
Emerson has invested approximately $500 million in the area in the past 10 years, said Andrew Tiedemann, a college spokesman.
Washington Street, once home to numerous theaters, fell on tough times when the city?s red light district moved from Scollay Square to the Chinatown and Downtown Crossing areas in the 1960s.
The relocation of the Ritz-Carlton from its tony Arlington Street address to Avery Street and the reopening of the Opera House next to the Paramount in 2004 have brought a new vitality to the area.
?Everybody is really putting the Filenes (location) at the (heart of) Downtown Crossing?s revitalization, but it is really starting at the Paramount and moving up the street,? Menino said.
Orchard believes the Paramount and Arcade buildings put Emerson on an unparalleled footing in theater education.
?There isn?t any school in the country with live performance and multimedia (programs) with our facilities in the country,? he said.
