The Boston Center for the Arts in Boston, MA | Performing Arts

The Boston Center for the Arts
Some of New England's most creative and acclaimed small and mid-sized theatre companies are in residence at the Boston Center for the Arts, as are 50 working artists and arts organizations.
Emerging on the scene as one of Boston's premier arts and entertainment centers, the Boston Center for the Arts expanded in 2004 to include the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion in partnership with the renowned Huntington Theatre Company.
The Boston Center for the Arts reflects the emerging voices of our times and encourages people from all walks of life to experience the vitality of art. The Boston Center for the Arts strives to provide a welcoming, intimate, safe environment that provides opportunities for youth, families and all visitors to have an enjoyable and meaningful experience with art, artists - and each other.
History of the BCA
In the late 1960s, the Boston Redevelopment Authority purchased a 4-acre parcel of historic land in Boston’s South End to create an art center, and designated the BCA as its developer. The land included the Cyclorama, the BCA’s most renowned space, which had been built in 1884 to house a cycloramic painting of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The BCA became an affordable space for working artists, and as well as a fringe theater venue. The BCA Gallery, originally formed to show work by BCA studio artists, became the Mills Gallery. The BCA Plaza Theatres were joined, in 2004, by the two new theaters at the Calderwood Pavilion.
Visual Arts
The BCA presents exciting contemporary works by established and emerging local, regional, national and international visual artists.
The BCA mounts approximately five large-scale exhibitions in the 2,200 square foot Mills Gallery each year. The Mills Gallery contains the main exhibition space, the Guest Room and the EXIT room, allowing for as many as three individuals exhibitions at one time.
Visual arts projects, such as temporary or site-specific works, are exhibited in other parts of the BCA throughout the year. During each exhibition, the BCA provides multiple opportunities to engage with the artwork and artists through Artist's Talks, Curator's Talks, and other related events.
Performance
The Boston Center for the Arts is recognized throughout New England as the hub for the very best of small theatre productions.
Each year, the Boston Center for the Arts hosts more than 50 individual theater productions by nearly 20 producing companies
Our Partners
The Boston Center for the Arts is proud to partner with innovative artists, arts organizations and youth and social service agencies that share a commitment to building new audiences for the arts.
Our Resident Theatre Companies and Cultural Partners present exciting performance, visual and multidisciplinary art. The BCA builds links between these artists and its Community Partners to help make the arts accessible to Boston's diverse audiences.