About Us
Mission Statement
The Huntington engages, inspires, entertains and challenges audiences with theatrical productions that range from the classics to new works; we train and support the next generation of theatre artists; we provide arts education programs that promote life-long learning to a diverse community; and we celebrate the essential power of the theatre to illuminate our common humanity.
What We Do
Our Story
The Huntington is Boston’s leading professional theatre and one of the region’s premier cultural assets. Since its founding in 1982, The Huntington has received over 150 Elliot Norton and Independent Reviewers of New England Awards, as well as the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. In the past 36 years, The Huntington has played to an audience of 3.5 million, presented over 200 plays (18 of which went on to Broadway or Off Broadway), and served over 500,000 students, community members, and other cultural organizations.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington brings world-class theatre artists from Boston, Broadway, and beyond together with the most promising new talent to create eclectic seasons of exciting new works and classics made current.
A longstanding anchor cultural institution of Huntington Avenue, the Avenue of the Arts, The Huntington Theatre has completed the first phase of the Campaign for the New Huntington with the successful revitalization of our flagship home in October 2022. Phase II of the campaign will raise funds to expand our footprint into 14,000 square feet of new space in the adjoining residential tower, currently under construction by Toll Brothers, and enhance our endowment.
The Huntington built the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts in 2004 as a home for its new work activities and to provide a much-needed resource for the local theatre community. At the Calderwood Pavilion, The Huntington provides first-class facilities and audience services at significantly subsidized rates to dozens of organizations each year, including some of Boston’s most exciting small and mid-sized theatre companies.
The Huntington serves 200,000 audience members each year at The Huntington Theatre and the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. Through a diverse and impactful range of nationally-renowned education and community programs, The Huntington engages 36,000 young people and adults in underserved neighborhoods each year. These programs include the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, the August Wilson Monologue Competition, the Huntington Community Membership Initiative, a youth playwriting program called EPIC, and the Student Matinee Series.
The Huntington is a founding partner of Codman Academy Charter Public School and has collaborated with Codman for 17 years to create and teach its innovative, interdisciplinary humanities curriculum and run the Codman Summer Theatre Institute.
A national leader in the development of new plays, The Huntington has produced more than 120 world, American, and New England premieres to date. Through The Huntington Playwriting Fellows program, the cornerstone of its new work activities, The Huntington supports local writers through two-year fellowships.
The Huntington cultivates, celebrates, and champions theatre as an art form and is committed to mentoring local playwrights, educating young people in theatre, and serving as a catalyst for the growth of dozens of Boston’s emerging performing arts organizations.
Our Core Company Values
We collaborate to create an atmosphere that empowers artists to do their finest work. Our rigorous standards reflect our commitment to excellence in every area of production. We take pride in our outstanding track record of artists who want to return, and we cultivate an audience that expects to be challenged. The work we do thrills us, too.
We aspire to work as a team within and between departments. We respect our co-workers’ time and resources by striving to meet deadlines.
Our role in the local theatre ecosystem is vital to the city of Boston. We provide resources for and host many organizations at each of our theatres. The people we meet before work and after a performance, the students who see a matinee, and the businesses and theatre companies around us, are all part of our family.
We are committed to an environment that fosters inclusion and honesty, and reflects our community. We respect varied backgrounds and work and life experiences. We pursue programs that attract under-represented talent, and we celebrate and hire artists and professionals from Boston, the nation, and the world.
We are proud of our deep ties to the local community, and our programs in area schools reach over 30,000 students each year. We reach an economically and ethnically diverse audience, and we are committed to full accessibility.
We honor our audience and Board by being responsible with our finances, and we create beautiful theatre with elegance and economy.
We will go above and beyond to make everyone who works with us feel welcomed, supported, and challenged to do their best work.
All great work is nurtured in an atmosphere of civility and mutual respect. Harmonious and collaborative rehearsal rooms, production shops, and office spaces are our priority. We value physical safety and a supportive and fun work environment.
The Huntington aspires to create an inclusive and welcoming space for all communities that gather here. We are committed to learning as an institution and encourage all to join us in crafting and sustaining an equity-driven culture. We believe mutual respect is the foundation of a healthy community. Therefore, The Huntington will not tolerate racism, discrimination, or harassment of any kind.
Thank you for creating this community with us. We are glad you are here.
If you witness or experience events that do not align with this code of respect we encourage you to seek out Calderwood Management or email wehearyou@huntingtontheatre.org.
History
The Huntington Theatre
Designed and constructed as America’s first civic playhouse, the building today known as The Huntington Theatre was the first tax-exempt theatre established in the nation. Construction having begun in 1923, it was formally opened with Sheridan’s The Rivals on November 10‚ 1925. The architect was J. Williams Beal and Sons.
Originally named the Repertory Theatre of Boston‚ the theatre was built to be a permanent home for the Henry Jewett Players‚ a Boston–based repertory theatre company. In choosing to locate the theatre across from Symphony Hall and near the Museum of Fine Arts and the old Boston Opera House‚ the theatre’s creators intended to signify its character as a major cultural institution of Boston and its difference from the commercial playhouses in the Boylston‚ Washington‚ Tremont streets area of the city.
Henry Jewett, a native of Australia, whose portrait as Macbeth hangs today in the main stairwell leading to the theatre’s balcony, was a distinguished actor and director. Born in 1862, he moved to the United States around the turn of the century and became the leading man for Julia Marlowe. He settled in Boston shortly after 1900 and organized the Henry Jewett Players. The Jewett Company first offered Shakespeare productions at the Boston Opera House; in 1916 it moved to the Copley Theatre where it performed until the early 1920s. But Jewett’s ambition was to have a permanent home for his company, and he and his wife Frances vigorously pressed for a facility built by the community. In 1923, the Jewett Repertory Fund was started; many prominent Bostonians, including Calvin Coolidge and A. Lawrence Lowell, president of Harvard University, were on the roster of sponsors.
Almost immediately from its opening‚ the Repertory Theatre was beset by difficulties. There was much theatrical competition‚ and soon an even more serious problem was posed by the advent of talking movies‚ which lured audiences from all types of live entertainment. In 1930‚ Mr. Jewett’s company disbanded. Jewett himself died in the same year.
As the theatre was being closed‚ Jewett’s widow remarked prophetically: “You can’t have a repertory theatre without subsidy — lots of subsidy.” The prescience of this view was proven thirty years later in the 1960s as the American regional theatre movement became increasingly significant and revived the pattern of resident theatre companies.
During the 1930s and 1940s‚ the theatre was known as the Esquire Theatre and was mainly used as a movie house. The Esquire specialized in art films‚ and it was here that Boston audiences first saw Laurence Olivier’s Henry V. During these same years‚ the theatre occasionally reverted to its original purpose‚ as in 1941 when Louis Calhern and Dorothy Gish played in Life with Father.
The Huntington Calderwood
In October 2004‚ the Huntington expanded its operations to include the new Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. In fall 2000‚ the Huntington and the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) entered into a partnership to build‚ manage‚ and program two new theatres in the South End, the first new theatres built in Boston in more than 75 years. The Calderwood Pavilion, housing the 370–seat Virginia Wimberly Theatre and the 200–seat Nancy and Edward Roberts Studio Theatre, is managed by the Huntington and programmed jointly with the BCA. In addition to providing a second stage for the Huntington‚ the new theatres also host a range of performances by smaller arts organizations. The Calderwood Pavilion serves as a theatre hub and a cultural landmark for the City of Boston. It provides a home for artistic collaborations; fosters the development of new plays; helps build and diversify audiences; creates more opportunities for youth and community outreach; and expands the existing BCA complex to include more performance venues for Boston’s smaller arts organizations.
The Calderwood Pavilion was designed by Boston–based architects for the arts Wilson Butler Lodge Inc.‚ working with theatre consultants Fisher Dachs Associates and acoustical consultants Acentech. It is a 35‚000 square feet complex with a three–story interior space‚ which includes two theatres‚ rehearsal rooms‚ and backstage facilities.
The Huntington Theatre Company built and operates the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, located at 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s Historic South End.
It provides first-class facilities and audience services at subsidized rates to dozens of Boston’s most exciting small and mid-sized theatre companies. The rents and fees these companies can pay amount to only a portion of what it takes to run the Calderwood Pavilion each year, and so the Huntington subsidizes the costs by $400,000 annually to keep this vital facility in operation.
Named #3 on Boston.com’s “Biggest Arts Stories of the Decade,” (December 22, 2009) the Calderwood Pavilion opened in 2004 and was the first new theatre built in Boston since the 1920s. Housing the 370-seat Virginia Wimberly Theatre (the Huntington’s second stage), the 200-seat Nancy and Edward Roberts Studio Theatre, the Carol Deane Rehearsal Hall, and Nicholas Martin Rehearsal Hall, the facility has helped to reinvigorate the Boston Center for the Arts’ campus and helped turn the South End into “a new cultural hub” for the arts. From its opening in 2004 through summer 2014, the Calderwood Pavilion hosted:
- An audience of nearly 750,000 theatregoers.
- More than 4,100 performances of more than 300 different productions (produced by over 90 organizations).
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- 40 companies, including SpeakEasy Stage Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre’s Boston Theater Marathon, The Theater Offensive, Bad Habit Productions, and Company One.
- More than 280 organizations who put on activities as diverse as theatrical productions, concerts, private parties, summer camps for teens, and business meetings.
- 15 World, American, and New England premieres.
In addition to the Calderwood Pavilion, the Huntington also operates BostonTheatreScene.com, a ticketing service for companies performing in the Calderwood Pavilion, the Boston Center for the Arts Theatres on the Plaza, and the Boston University Theatre.
The Virginia Wimberly Theatre is a 370–seat state–of–the–art proscenium theatre. With luxurious seating split between an orchestra and mezzanine‚ each seat in the theatre ensures an intimate and comfortable theatregoing experience. The Wimberly Theatre has eight wheel chair seats, four in the orchestra and four in the mezzanine, with elevator access to the mezzanine. The theatre is named in honor of the wife of Huntington Trustee J. David Wimberly‚ who joined the Board in 1993 and served as its chair from 1996 until 2010.
Our Staff and Board
Under the direction of Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington brings world-class theatre artists from Boston, Broadway, and beyond together with the most promising new talent to create eclectic seasons of exciting new works and classics made current.
Loretta Greco (Artistic Director) is an artistic director, producer, and director with over two decades of artistic leadership experience. Her passion is championing groundbreaking artists whose work asks robust questions about our humanity, and fostering a nurturing, rigorous artistic home for extraordinary theatremakers and audiences.
Her freelance directing career spans the spectrum from reimagined classics to musicals and world premieres. Greco’s impact on the field is significant. 20 of the 26 world premieres she developed and produced have gone on to have to subsequent productions in New York and throughout the country (in 24 states) and internationally. Highlights include: the world premieres of Oedipus el Rey by Luis Alfaro; Hir by Taylor Mac; Don’t Eat the Mangos by Ricardo Perez Gonzalez; American Hwangap by Lloyd Suh; and the chamber opera Arlington by Victor Lodato and Polly Pen. Large scale productions include the Magic Theatre’s rolling world premiere of Taylor Mac’s five-hour allegory, The Lily’s Revenge with 36 performers and 6 women directors; the repertory of Mfoniso Udofia’s Sojourners and runboyrun; Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters; and Barbara Hammond’s The Eva Trilogy among others. During her tenure at the Magic Theatre, playwrights have been recognized as Pulitzer finalists, Tony Award nominees, Herb Alpert honorees, Academy Award winners, and MacArthur “Genius” Award recipients.
Throughout her career, Greco has worked diligently to seek and create exciting community partnerships. Her community collaborations at the Magic included Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music in association with The Curran Theatre, Pomegranate Arts, and Stanford Live; the repertory of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Brother/Sister Plays with ACT and Marin Theatre Company, and the Sheparding America celebration with ACT, Campo Santo, Crowded Fire, and Word for Word, among others. A passionate community builder, Greco spearheaded Magic’s Tenderloin Arts and Community programs for youth and adults and the Magic Laney College collaboration.
Greco has directed both premieres and reimagined classics in New York, San Francisco, and throughout the country. She directed Calderon’s Life is a Dream for Cal Shakes, and critically acclaimed American revivals such as Fool for Love by Sam Shepard for Magic and Speed the Plow by David Mamet for American Conservatory Theater. She also developed and directed the world premiere of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s Lackawanna Blues for The Public Theater and directed the national tour of Emily Mann’s Having Our Say and its international premiere at the historic Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In addition to her long tenure as Magic Theatre’s Artistic Director, she has served as Producing Artistic Director of New York’s WP Theater (formerly known as the Women’s Project) where she championed and produced a who’s who of theatre women including, Liesl Tommy, Annie Dorsen, Anne Kaufman, Lisa D’Amour, Katie Pearl, Leigh Silverman, and Diane Paulus, among many others. As Associate Director and staff producer of the McCarter Theatre Center, Greco originated their Second Stage-On-Stage festival, commissioning and producing plays from dozens of writers, including Nilo Cruz, Adrienne Kennedy, and Doug Wright, while line producing mainstage premieres such as Anna Deveare Smith’s Twilight, Athol Fugard’s Valley Song, Stephen Wadsworth’s The Triumph of Love, and Mann’s Having Our Say which then moved to Broadway.
Greco has taught at UCSD and at Brown University. She has served on TCG/Fox, ART/ New York, Pew Center for Arts, Drama League, and Herb Alpert Foundation panels. She is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect and the recipient of Bay Area Critic’s Association Awards, Drama League fellowships, the Princess Grace Award, a Sundance/Luma Director’s fellowship, the 2018 Zelda Fichandler Award, the 2019 Gene Price Award, an honorary Acting Degree from American Conservatory Theatre, and the 2020 Sam Shepard Legacy Award. She is the proud mother of Sophia Greco Brill.
(As of February 2022)
Christopher Mannelli (Executive Director) is a seasoned theatre executive with a track record of strategic thinking and sound organizational leadership during periods of transition and growth. He has forged deep and meaningful connections with various local communities, and been responsible for innovative and successful fundraising and audience engagement initiatives.
As the Executive Director and Co-CEO of Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY since 2016, he oversaw the successful completion of the $10 million Front and Center Campaign, increasing their endowment and exceeding campaign goals. He managed the renovation and modernization of Geva’s theatre lobby, kitchen, bar, and audience seating, while also raising the company’s local and national profile and producing some of their most successful productions, including nine world premiere plays and musicals.
He has been a leader in the Geva Theatre Center’s anti-racism efforts, and successfully led the theatre through the global pandemic shutdown as well as their artistic director search and transition in 2022.
Prior to his seven years in Rochester, Chris held several key leadership positions in Chicago: first as deputy director of the esteemed Chicago Shakespeare Theater where he oversaw operations and helped to produce the theatre’s “World Stage” international programming, including their first-ever tour to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; and then as managing director of Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater, leading the renowned company for five years during a period of reorganization and strategic planning. He was also the managing director of HotCity Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Chicago.
He has served on the board of directors for the national League of Resident Theatres (LORT). In Chicago, he served on the boards of the League of Chicago Theatres, Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, and Emerald City Theatre, and as a steering committee member for Enrich Chicago (a group of arts organizations in Chicago working collectively to address racial equity).
In New York, he has served on the New York State Council on the Arts’ Theatre advisory panel, the corporate board for the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center, and the board of Rochester Downtown Development Corporation (RDDC) as a member of the executive and nominating committees.
Chris grew up on Long Island and began his career as an actor and a musician, touring nationally and internationally. He holds a BA in opera performance from the SUNY Geneseo School of Performing Arts, an MFA in arts leadership from DePaul University, and an Executive Scholars Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
(As of August 2023)
Work With Us
The recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, The Huntington has developed into Boston’s leading theatre company since its founding in 1982. The Huntington brings together superb local and national talent to produce a mix of groundbreaking new works and classics made current each season.
Jobs
To Apply for Full-Time Positions :
Interested candidates, please see the careers portal below for all open positions and application instructions.
The Huntington provides Health, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance, as well as paid vacation, sick days, and holidays.
Auditions
Stay informed about upcoming auditions at The Huntington and learn about general submissions.
Volunteer
Whether backstage‚ in Front of House‚ or working at a special event‚ Huntington volunteers have the unique opportunity to assist the theatre and at the same time become a part of The Huntington family.
New Play Development Initiatives
The Huntington has produced over 100 New England, American, or world premieres since its founding in 1982. Our endeavors to develop new works and plays for the American theatre have expanded considerably since 2004 with the opening of the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts. The Wimberly Theatre serves as The Huntington’s venue for new works and provides an intimate, warm environment in which to nurture them.
Play Submission Information
The Huntington will accept submissions from agencies in the United States‚ Canada‚ and the UK, and agents are recommended to contact the theatre by phone in advance of submissions. Unsolicited submissions from writers without agents will not be accepted. We accept full scripts only — no queries‚ summaries‚ or sample pages‚ please.
Scripts may be submitted to submissions@huntingtontheatre.org.
The Huntington has made a strong commitment to fostering the work of local writers‚ and encourages Boston-area playwrights to apply to the Huntington Playwriting Fellows program to develop a long-term relationship with the theatre.
Please see information about The Huntington Playwriting Fellows.
