The Lyric Stage Company of Boston

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston

Inside the theatre of the Lyric Stage
Address	140 Clarendon Street Boston, Massachusetts United States
Type	Non-profit
Capacity	234
Opened	1974
Years active	43
Website
https://www.lyricstage.com/

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston is the oldest professional theatre company in Boston. Founded in 1974, the Lyric Stage Company is a non-profit organization located at 140 Clarendon Street in the YWCA building. It has been under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos since 1998. The theatre produces about seven plays and musicals each season and is especially well known for its productions of Stephen Sondheim musicals.

The mission of the Lyric Stage Company of Boston is to produce entertaining, challenging, and inspiring theatrical productions to reach a wide variety of audiences and to support and nurture the talents of Boston-area theatre artist. It accomplishes this through outreach programs, employment, training, and development opportunities.

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston was founded in 1974 by Ron Ritchell and Polly Hogan and began performances in the Community Church on Boylston Street. Two years later, the Lyric Stage moved to a theatre at 56 Charles Street. The stage was less than 300 square feet and sat no more than 103 audience members. The Lyric Stage moved again 140 Clarendon Street where it currently resides. The current theatre is almost triple the original size, includes a band loft, and seats 234.

The Lyric Stage’s first season consisted of Antigone and The Second Man. The Importance of Being Earnest was its first production at 54 Charles Street; the theatre at 140 Clarendon opened with a production of Red Hot & Cole. In its 1995-96 season, the Lyric Stage’s production of Whoop-Dee-Doo! earned the theatre its first Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Designer. The theatre’s first large-scale musical production occurred in its 2001-02 season with Sunday in the Park with George. A 2014 production of Into the Woods is the highest grossing run in Lyric Stage history.

As part of its mission to support the Boston theatre scene, the Lyric Stage is committed to casting and hiring local playwrights, actors, directors and designers. Since its founding, the Lyric Stage has employed over 800 actors and 160 designers.

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston develops new plays through its program Growing Voices. This initiative supports playwrights, actors and directors through the development of new works. This program has produced Jack Neary’s Kong’s Night Out as well as a reading of Carla Cooks the War by Laura Maria Censabella.