Photo Coverage: UMass Lowel Alumni & Friends Gather for a SUNSET BOULEVARD Celebration

by Leah Lane

UMass Lowell alumna, Bonnie Comley, and her husband Stewart F. Lane hosted an evening on broadway to celebrate the university, their latest mega hit, Sunset Boulevard at the Palace Theater and the 10th anniversary of the 500 seat Comley-Lane Theatre. UMass Lowell, Special Advisor, Diane Earl, organized the group of alumni and friends to gather for conversation and dinner at Sardi's before heading to the Palace Theater to enjoy Sunset Boulevard.

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the Comley-Lane Theatre, a 500 seat theater on the on the UMass Lowell campus. The campus is clustered along the Merrimack River in the heart of Lowell, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in America and now a remarkably diverse city with a thriving arts scene. Campus life revolves around a state-of-the-art recreation center, a 7,800-seat sports-and-entertainment arena, 100 student organizations and 50 musical ensembles.

Dean of the Arts and Humanities, Luis Falcon praised the growth and interest in the arts across the university's disciplines. UMass Lowell offers a Major in Theatre Arts within the English Department, as well as a Minor in Theatre Arts open to students in any of the university's colleges. The program boasts an outstanding faculty of theatre artists and scholars offering coursework in acting, directing, design, technical theatre, playwriting and theatre history. The major productions are staged in the Comley-Lane Theatre along with the Off Broadway Players productions.

UMass Lowell Vice Chancellor, John Fuedo, shared the news of the most recent gains in overall quality and student success at UMass Lowell. Fuedo stated that UMass Lowell has reached a new high on the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of national universities. UMass Lowell has climbed 31 spots since it was first ranked among the best universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in 2010.

After the conversations , the group headed to The Palace Theater to watch a performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close as Norma Desmond. Ben Brantley from the New York Times stated in his review that Glenn Close gives one the greatest stage performances of the century.

For more information on the UMass Lowell Theater programs see: www.uml.edu

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

John Fuedo and Bonnie Comley
Diane Earl and Bonnie Comley
Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley
Luis Falcon and Bonnie Comley
Leah Lane, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley
Alumni fromThe UMass Lowel