Items Tagged with 'theater'

Discover what's happening in the world of art this spring.

In the heart of the historic Concord Center Cultural District, The Umbrella Arts Center at 40 Stow Street is a multidisciplinary, non-profit contemporary arts organization committed to nurturing and encouraging the arts. A cultural leader in MetroWest Boston, it provides broad and diverse access to a wide range of performing arts, visual arts, and arts education programs. Through these offerings, The Umbrella promotes creativity, learning, personal growth, and cultural exchange. 

She was spirited, unconventional, energetic, and prodigiously creative, so it’s no surprise that Louisa May Alcott (along with her sister, Anna) founded a theater company to entertain family, friends, and neighbors in the Town of Concord. Their Concord Dramatic Union of 1856 featured Alcott’s original plays and vignettes. 

In 1872, the Union became The Concord Dramatic Club and, in 1919, The Concord Players, when a dedicated group of amateur actors and theater lovers came together to “stimulate interest in dramatic work in the town and to elevate the standard of performance.” The group first performed in Monument Hall but, over time, established a permanent space in the Veteran’s building, a former drill shed located at 51 Walden Street. They built a stage with the aid of theater architect Charles Blackhall; a small replica of his design for Boston’s Colonial Theater. 

Inside the stately 1929 former Emerson School building at 40 Stow Street, The Umbrella Stage Company’s recently constructed theater wing is a surprise and delight to all who discover one of the “best kept secrets” of the Greater Boston/Metrowest theater scene.

Since becoming a professional theater company in late 2019, The Umbrella Stage Company (the live theater division of The Umbrella Arts Center) has strived to produce high quality work. Its reputation has steadily grown as audiences begin to return to live theater. 

Whether you love music, the visual arts, or theater, Concord has something exciting for you this fall.

What's happening this summer in the arts? Find out here!

There’s no need to stay home during the winter months. Concord’s many cultural and historical sites have a season’s worth of entertainment lined up for you this year.

Discover what's happening in music, visual arts, theater, and more!

Find out what's happening in the realms of theater and visual arts this summer.

After an initially cautious re-emergence of its audiences post-pandemic, The Umbrella Arts Center this year has been buzzing with activity, sold-out events, and excitement as it celebrates its 40th anniversary season.