Arts

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

By |

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.

1,755 Views
Arts

Still Time to See Footlight Club’s ‘Xanadu’

By |

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.

1,042 Views
Arts

The Footlight Club’s Eliot Hall Now Fully Accessible

By |

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.

1,097 Views
Arts

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

By |

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.

1,367 Views
Arts

Footlight Club to Perform Virtual Shows in 2021

By |

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.

1,825 Views
Arts

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

By |

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.

4,112 Views
Arts

Footlight Club’s ‘Clybourne Park’ Builds Off Famed ‘A Raisin in the Sun’

By |

The Footlight Club's current show is Clybourne Park , the Pulitzer Prize winning play that was spun out of Lorraine Hansberry's classic play A Raisin in the Sun. Bruce Norris' 2010 play was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2011, and Tony Award for Best Play in 2012. The play occurs during and after Hansberry's play, and is loosely based on historical events that took place in Chicago. In 1959 white community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. In the next act the play is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles gentrification.

2,013 Views
Business

$1.9M in CPA Funds Recommended for Pine Street Inn Building, Footlight Club, Haffenreffer Brewery

By |

Three Jamaica Plain projects are among the 40 recommended by the city to receive more than $24 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. The Community Preservation Committee met on Jan. 27 to vote on Mayor Marty Walsh's recommended slate of projects for funding. The Boston City Council will need to approve the use of the funds, and the council is expected to vote in the coming weeks. The three Jamaica Plain projects are:

$1,500,000 to the Pine Street Inn and the Community Builders to build a portion of 202 affordable rental units, including 156 for formerly homeless households, at 3368 Washington Street

$200,000 to the Haffenreffer Brewery complex to restore the roof and windows for a "Prosperity Center" providing small business services, job training, ESL classes, and other programs

$200,000 to the Footlight Club, the country's oldest community theatre, to remediate structural problems and stabilize Eliot Hall, a Greek Revival wood-frame structure built in 1831

2,281 Views
From the Community

JP Toastmasters Open House January 27

By |

Do you want to develop your communication and leadership skills to grow greater self-confidence and personal growth? Then you should checking out the JP Toastmasters Open House event on January 27. JP Toastmasters is known for providing a warm, welcoming environment where members help each other improve their public speaking and leadership skills. Click here to learn more about JP Toastmasters. The meeting will feature free food and drinks, introductions, and opportunities to practice speaking.

1,316 Views