Tyler Kinney

As we embark on our voyage through the 2020s, it will be exciting to see if Lopez's lofty ambitions become a reality. After all, Boston theatre has just come through a huge decade of change in which our city's pertinence to the theatre world has grown. Let's look at how our relevance as a city has changed in regards to theatre as an art form in the past decade: 

The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) today announced the nominees for the 23rd Annual IRNE Awards, which honor the best of the previous year's actors, directors, choreographers, designers and companies across the full spectrum of large, mid-size and fringe theater companies. Moulin Rouge!, a new musical produced by Global Creatures, and An American in Paris, produced by the Ogunquit Playhouse, led with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively, in the Large Stage Musical Category. The Huntington Theatre led all companies with 31 nominations across seven productions, including 11 for Man in the Ring, the story of six-time world champion prizefighter Emile Griffith.

Company One Theatre (C1), in collaboration with American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) presents, Wig Out! by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Previews begin Thursday, April 26, with press opening on Saturday, April 28 at 7pm. Performances continue through May 13 at OBERON (2 Arrow Street, Cambridge, MA). Tickets $25 - $35 are now on sale at americanrepertorytheater.org, by phone at 617-547-8300, an in person at the Loeb Drama Center Ticket Services Office (64 Brattle Street, Cambridge). Group, student, and senior discounts are available.

Critics J. Peter Bergman and Macey Levin once again hosted the ceremony, which saw top honors for Best Play go to the Berkshire Theatre Group's production of David Auburn's Lost Lake, and a tie between Barrington Stage Company's production of Stephen Sondheim's Company and the Mac-Haydn Theatre's production of Hello, Dolly! for Best Musical.

ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage presents Chilean-born playwright Guillermo Calder n's KISS, a play-within-a-play that delivers a message about cultural ignorance, the danger of living within a comfortable remove, and the potential of artists to change the world. Directed by Co-Artistic Director David Dower and featuring a talented ensemble of protagonists played by Emerson College undergrads, KISS is an unusual and discomfiting piece of theater that is part Syrian soap opera, part improv, and totally worth your time.

The Berkshire Theatre Critics Association has announced the nominees for the Second Annual Berkshire Theatre Awards, known colloquially as The Berkies.

Senator Elizabeth Warren and the rest of the Opening NIght Audience at Shakespeare & Co's production of Cymbeline didn't have to fill the suggestion box labeled 'Tell Us Why You LIke Shakespeare'  in the lobby of the Tina Packer Playhouse with answers to that question.  They did it with their many standing ovations for the 9 actors and director Tina Packer at the conclusion of a magnificent and energetic performance of the complex plot driven play by Shakespeare.   There are a lot of exciting things going on at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox MA. and artistic director Allyn Burrows in his toast at the jubilant after party stated 'first to the unknown and to the road ahead'!

Shakespeare & Company presents Shakespeare's Cymbeline, directed by Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer. This tale of love and passion, produced for the first time on the Company's Mainstage, runs in the Tina Packer Playhouse now through August 6, 2017. The production also marks a personal milestone for Packer, who, after opening her production of Cymbeline, will have directed all 37 plays in the Shakespeare canon. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Shakespeare & Company presents Shakespeare's Cymbeline, directed by Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer. This tale of love and passion, produced for the first time on the Company's Mainstage, runs in the Tina Packer Playhouse from July 4 to August 6, 2017. The production also marks a personal milestone for Packer, who, after opening her production of Cymbeline, will have directed all 37 plays in the Shakespeare canon. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

Shakespeare & Company presents Shakespeare's Cymbeline, directed by Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer. This tale of love and passion, produced for the first time on the Company's Mainstage, runs in the Tina Packer Playhouse from July 4 to August 6, 2017. The production also marks a personal milestone for Packer, who, after opening her production of Cymbeline, will have directed all 37 plays in the Shakespeare canon. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

BARBECUE is a play about which one cannot say too much without ruining its considerable effect. Here's the minimalist FYI, things you need to know but that won't give anything away. It is written by Robert O'Hara, directed by Summer L. Williams, and features an ensemble cast of ten actors who all give great performances and disappear into their richly drawn characters. Taking place on a raised pavilion in a pastoral park, the lovely setting belies the serious nature of the subjects (substance abuse, family dysfunction, race) that BARBECUE serves up on a platter. And one more thing - it's a comedy.

Two dozen nominations of outstanding actors, directors, designers and ensembles were announced today by The Boston Theater Critics Association (BTCA), with winners to be revealed at the 35th Annual Elliot Norton Awards on Monday, May 15, 2017 at 7 PM, at Huntington Theatre Company's BU Theatre.  

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents Barbecue by Robert O'Hara, directed by Summer L. Williams and running April 7 - May 7, 2017. Click below to watch a trailer for the show!

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston presents Barbecue by Robert O'Hara, directed by Summer L. Williams and running April 7 - May 7, 2017. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the company!

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston has announced its cast and creative team for Barbecue by Robert O'Hara, directed by Summer L. Williams and running April 7 - May 7, 2017.

FINISH LINE, a documentary play about the 2013 Boston Marathon, focuses on the people whose lives were impacted by the bombings, allowing their voices to be heard on the stage of the Boch Center Shubert Theatre. The world premiere production features a dozen actors who represent survivors, runners, doctors, rescuers, and media. Co-creators Joey Frangieh and Lisa Rafferty have taken great care to frame the play as a love letter to the Boston Marathon, the City of Boston, and her people.

Presented by the Boch Center in association with Boston Theater Company, the world premiere of Finish Line: A Documentary Play About the 2013 Boston Marathon opens this week at the Shubert Theatre.

Kathy St. George may be diminutive in stature, but she is a feisty force of nature as the title character in MAME at Stoneham Theatre. Mary Callanan returns from Broadway and national tours to play her sidekick Vera, and ten-year-old triple threat Cameron Levesque plays her precocious nephew Patrick. One of Jerry Herman's great works, MAME is a joyous celebration of living life with brio and without apologies.

Actors' Shakespeare Project will bring magic and theatricality to the Bard's The Tempest, returning to Brookline's Willet Hall at United Parish, 210 Harvard Street, the venue for last season's The Winter's Tale, from December 1, 2016 through January 8, 2017 (Press performance Saturday December 3 at 8 PM).

Stoneham Theatre celebrates the holidays with the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Mame, Directed and Choreographed by Elliot Norton and IRNE Award-winner Ilyse Robbins. Featuring song favorites Bosom Buddies and If He Walked Into My Life, this unforgettable classic centers on the eccentric Mame Dennis, who lives a carefree life in 1920s New York until she unexpectedly becomes the guardian to her 10-year-old nephew, Patrick. Rather than change her ways, Mame introduces Patrick to all the wonder of her wild bohemian world while discovering the joy of having a family of her own. Performances run from November 25-December 23, 2016. Press Opening is Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 7:00pm.