Enjoy the ‘Sweat’: Opening This Weekend at Footlight Club

The Footlight Club's newest production Sweat tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives toiling together in a factory. Opening this weekend, the play written by Lynn Nottage, is full of warm humor and tremendous heart. As coworkers do, they became friends by enjoying drinks together, sharing secrets and laughs. "But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat," describes The Footlight Club's website. Sweat opens on Saturday, Feb.

570 Views

The Footlight Club’s ‘Stepping Out’ Opens Sept. 16

You can catch and laugh with The Footlight Club's newest show, Stepping Out, during the next three weekends. The Footlight Club describes the show:

"This show is a rollicking comedy about the attempts of some working-class amateurs to overcome their inhibitions and left feet in a low-rent dance studio. Mavis, a former professional chorus girl tries her hardest to teach the bumbling amateurs some terpsichorean skills for an upcoming recital. But before the dancing begins Mavis must mediate the minor dramas that erupt among this motley but lovable crew on their way to triumph at their recital. Liza Minnelli starred as Mavis in the popular film."

801 Views

Footlight Club’s ‘A Man of No Importance’ is Important to Watch This Weekend

At a time when some people believe LGBTQIA+ people are more dangerous than guns, or trans folk are somehow less than others, it's important that we have shows like the Footlight Club's A Man of No Importance.  

The Footlight Club’s production brings amateur theater production to life with a minimal set, period-appropriate costumes, a big heart and lots of talented vocalists. Winner of the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, and created by Terence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty, the production serves as a strong reminder that love is what matters. All three previously won Tony Awards for Ragtime. The musical is based on a movie of the same name starring Albert Finney in 1994. The musical is about Alfie Byrne, a bus driver in 1964 Dublin whose heart holds secrets that he can't share with anyone but his imagined confidante, Oscar Wilde.

1,260 Views

Footlight Club Removes Actor from ‘Roe’ After Becoming Aware of Past Sexual Abuse Allegations

The Footlight Club announced it removed a cast member and had a producer step down from its upcoming show Roe due to past sexual abuse allegations of that actor.  

In a post on The Footlight Club's Facebook page (also embedded below) said it is "aware of past allegations of sexual abuse brought against a current cast member of our production of Roe." The director, production staff, cast and crew, were unaware of the allegations according to the post, and "once they came to light, were deeply affected by them." The post linked to the Club's code of conduct, and said the club has a zero-tolerance for harassment of any kind. "At this point we can share that we have removed the cast member in question from the cast of Roe, and had Roe's producer step down," said the Facebook post.

2,336 Views

Still Time to See Footlight Club’s ‘Xanadu’

The Footlight Club kicked off its 146th season with Xanadu last weekend, and there are several performances this weekend to catch the show. "It's so nice to be singing and dancing (and roller skating!) on stage again, and Xanadu is the perfect post-pandemic show. Not only was it the show in rehearsal back in 2020 when everything shut down, but it's a joyous celebration of inspiration and magic. Something we could all use right now." Michael Colford, Director
Xanadu is a joyous story about inspiration, and was originally slated to close out the 2020 season, but then COVID hit. 

"It's so nice to be singing and dancing (and roller skating!) on stage again, and Xanadu is the perfect post-pandemic show," said Michael Colford, director of the show.

1,427 Views

The Footlight Club’s Eliot Hall Now Fully Accessible

Built in 1832, Eliot Hall is finally fully accessible. "We are thrilled to announce that The Footlight’s efforts to make our beloved Eliot Hall accessible are complete," wrote Katie Swimm, The Footlight Club's Director of Development on its Facebook page. "After many years of fundraising, grant-writing, planning, building, and we cannot wait to celebrate this wonderful achievement." There is now an exterior accessible ramp, a new elevator that reaches from the basement to stage levels, and new spaces for storage. Eliot Hall was actually scheduled for demolition before Footlight Club members purchased it in 1889, according to wikipedia.

1,575 Views

Footlight Club’s ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ Opens April 29

The Footlight Club's production of the Tony Award winning play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike opens April 29. "We could all use a little humor about now and Christopher Durang is just the playwright to give it to us," said director Michael Colford. "You wouldn’t think transferring the well-known themes of Chekov’s plays; regret, envy, unrequited love, narcissism, lack of romance and the possible loss of an ancestral family home would be fodder to comedy but, in the hands of Christopher Durang, an American playwright with nearly twenty plays under his belt, the absurd becomes hilarious." Colford said he's excited about the terrifically funny cast who lean into absurdity to really make the show crackle with energy. "As the U.S. population ages, more and more of us are going through our 50’s and wondering if our lives have just passed us by," said Colford.

1,689 Views

Footlight Club to Perform Virtual Shows in 2021

The Footlight Club will be presenting four productions virtually in 2021. "These [shows] were chosen knowing the challenges and opportunities connected with producing them virtually," said Katie Swimm, Development Director for The Footlight Club. The four productions are:

The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins, directed by Katie Swimm, with performance dates on Feb. 19, 26, and 27 at 8 pm. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Vincent Ratsavong, with performance dates on March 26, 27, and April 3 at 8 pm.

1,995 Views

Joey McIntyre’s New Video Brings Him Back to The Footlight Club & Jamaica Plain

Joey McIntyre's new video Own This Town begins where his theatrical career started -- The Footlight Club. Before he was hangin' tough with the New Kids On The Block, McIntyre was in several shows in our beloved neighborhood's community theater. After all, he grew up in Jamaica Plain, and his mother was in Footlight performances for decades. His video starts off in The Footlight Club, where they filmed in recent weeks. Then he takes a car ride through Jamaica Plain, clearly reminiscing as many of our local spots are shown -- Costello's Tavern, J.P. Licks, the Soldier's Monument, St Thomas Aquinas Parish, and the post office.

4,962 Views