June 2, 2010: The return of the Paramount Theater

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEATER

ENTHUSIASTS ARE ABOUT TO

BECOME CONSIDERABLY MORE

EXPENSIVE.

A BRAND NEW THEATER

ORGANIZATION, ARTS EMERSON

ANNOUNCED ITS PREMIER

SEASON LINEUP TODAY.

IT ALL ORIGINATES FROM

BOSTON'S NEWEST OLD

THEATER, PAINSTAKINGLY

RENOVATED PARAMOUNT.

JARED BOWEN HAS MORE.

>> Reporter: THE MARQUIS

OF THE NUL RENOVATED

PARAMOUNT THEATER IS A

REVIVAL.

>> THE TURN OF THE LAST

CENTURY, THROUGH THE

1930s AND INTO THE

1940S.

>> Reporter: ALL OF THE

EARLY GREATS APPEARED

HERE, CONFUSING THE SITE

WITH A VERTEBRA AND

VAWD -- VARIETY AND

VAUDEVILLE.

IT'S TODAY, AS IT QUITE

NEARLY WAS THEN.

THE PARAMOUNT CLOSED IN

1976 AS A PORN THEATER,

AND FELL INTO DISREPAIR.

AND NOW THE THEATER HAS

BEEN RENOVATED AND AFTER

THOROUGH RESEARCH HAS BEEN

RECREATED.

SETTING THE STAGE FOR A

NEW ACT ON BOSTON'S

THEATER SCENE.

>> PEOPLE WALK IN AND GO

WOW!

I DON'T WANT TO COMPETE

WITH THE AUDITORIUM.

I WANT THEM TO GO WOW WITH

WHAT IS HAPPENING ON

STAGE.

BUT THE AUDITORIUM

CERTAINLY DOES SET A HIGH

BAR FOR THAT.

>> Reporter: FRESH OFF

30 YEARS OF THE AMERICAN

REPERTORY THEATER, IS THE

MAN BEHIND "THE WORLD ON

STAGE."

TODAY HE ANNOUNCED A FULL

SLATE OF 17 PRODUCTIONS TO

KICK OFF THE

ORGANIZATION'S INAUGURAL

SEASON.

AND FOR BOSTON AUDIENCES,

NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN SHOWS.

>> THESE ARE COMPANIES

THAT OUT OF THEIR

PARTICULAR CULTURES HAVE

MADE HISTORY.

BUT THEY'VE NEVER HAD AN

OPPORTUNITY FOR THE MOST

PART TO PERFORM REGULARLY

IN BOSTON BECAUSE THERE

HASN'T BEEN A SPACE FOR

IT.

WE SAY DON'T GO TO THE

AIRPORT.

COME DOWNTOWN.

WE'RE BRINGING THE WORLD

HERE.

>> Reporter: FROM A

FRENCH CANADIAN CIRCUS

COMPANY, ORCHARD WILL

BRING P.S.Y., AND

ETHMURRAY, AND HE'LL BRING

ELEVATOR SERVICE BACK TO

BOSTON AFTER A TRIUMPHANT

RUN OF GAS AT THE A.R.P.

EARLIER THIS YEAR.

>> I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO

REPRESENT THE YOUNGER

GENERATION OF THE SMALLER

ENSEMBLE COMPANIES.

NOT ONLY TO THE COMMUNITY,

BUT ALSO TO YOUNG PEOPLE

IN THIS COMPANY.

>> Reporter: ARTS

EMERSON WILL TAKE PLACE

NOT ONLY AT THE PARAMOUNT,

BUT ALSO IN A BLACK BOX

SPACE THAT IS PART OF THE

PARAMOUNT COMPLEX AND

INTENDED FOR YOUNGER

THEATER COMPANIES.

>> THEY DON'T WANT A

FORMAL RELATIONSHIP.

THEY WANT THE AUDIENCES

SURROUNDING THEM.

>> Reporter: ON A STAGE

THAT HARKENS TO THE PAST,

ORCHARD HAS TEASED US WITH

A CLIFFHANGER FOR BOSTON

THEATER'S FUTURE.

>> Rooney: I WANT TO

TALK ABOUT THE THEATER,

TOO.

I HAD A CHANCE TO WALK

THROUGH IT.

IT IS THIS INDICATE MAZE

IN THAT BLACK BOX AREA.

YOU CAN GET IT THROUGH

EMERSON COLLEGE OR GET IT

THERE THE THEATER ITSELF.

IT IS A WOW, ALL THROUGH

THE BUILDING.

>> EXACTLY.

I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE

THINGS THAT IS SO

APPEALING ABOUT ALL OF

THIS.

IT IS AN EXPERIENCE.

ONCE YOU GET INTO THAT

COMPLEX, YOU'RE AWED, JUST

LIKE YOU ARE AT THE

OPERAHOUSE BECAUSE IT IS

THIS BEAUTIFUL THEATER.

YOU FEEL THERE IS A

VIBRANCY, A LIFE.

I'M AN EMERSON ALUM, FULL

DISCLOSURE, BUT IT IS ALSO

TEAMING WITH STUDENTS.

AND ONE THING WE DIDN'T

MENTION IS THE SCREENING

ROOM ON TOP OF ALL OF

THIS.

THERE IS A 170-SEAT AREA.

THEY'LL BE BRINGING THE

ELEVATOR REPAIR SERVICE

HERE IN THE SUMMER TO WORK

ON "THE SUN ALSO RISES"

WHICH WILL BE EDONBORO

BEFORE IT COMES HERE.

AND THEY'LL HAVE FULL

SCENIC SHOPS AND SET

CONSTRUCTION SHOPS.

IT IS TOTAL IMMERSION.

IT IS NOT NECESSARILY A

STUDENT PRODUCTION, BUT

THEY'LL HAVE THE EXPOSURE.

>> Rooney: HOW CAN

EMERSON DO THIS?

DO THEY DO IT FROM

FUNDRAISING?

>> THE COLLEGE HAS GONE

THROUGH THIS TREMENDOUS

GROWTH BECAUSE OF THE REAL

ESTATE.

THEY HAD ALL OF THE BACK

BAY REAL ESTATE.

AND THEY SOLD ALL OF THOSE

BUILDINGS WHEN IT WAS A

COMBAT ZONE AND NOBODY

WANTED TO BE IN THAT AREA.

THEY FORGED THIS GREAT

WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH

THE CITY.

MAYOR MENINO HAS WANTED TO

SEE DEVELOPMENT LIKE THIS

WITH THE PARAMOUNT

THEATER.

HE DIDN'T WANT IT SITTING

THERE VACANT ON WASHINGTON

STREET.

I THINK WITH AGREEMENTS

FROM THE COLLEGE AND WITH

TREMENDOUS SUPPORT, HE HAS

HELPED THINGS MOVE RIGHT

ALONG.

>> Rooney: HE OUGHT TO

BROKER A DEAL WITH THEM TO

TAKE OVER THE OLD FALINE'S

SPOT.

>> WE TALKED ABOUT THAT.

IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE

OPERA HOUSE NEXT DOOR.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE

GOING TO THAT AREA.

AND THERE HAS GOT TO BE AN

INEVITABLE SPILLOVER.

THERE ARE ALREADY

RESTAURANTS OPENING IN

DONE TOWN CROSSING.

I THINK IT WILL HELP THE

MAYOR'S PLAN.

>> Rooney: WHEN DOES IT

START?

>> IT STARTS RIGHT IN

SEPTEMBER.

IT HAS ME TREMENDOUSLY

EXCITING.

IT IS FILLING A VOID HERE

IN THIS CITY FOR THEATER.

IT IS SO AMBITIOUS.

HE CAME HERE, AND STARTED

RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE.

IN LESS THAN A YEAR, HE

PUT THIS AMAZING, STUNNING

LINEUP HERE.

>> Rooney: HE CAME OUT

OF THE A.R.T.?

>> YES.

>> Rooney: THAT IS IT

FROM "GREATER BOSTON." A

REMINDER TO TUNE INTO THE

89.7 AT NOON FOR MY RADIO

SHOW, FOLLOWED BY CALLIE

CROSSLEY AT 1:00.

TOMORROW NIGHT WE TAG

ALONG AS WILDLIFE INITIALS

SPAN BALD EAGLES.

>> IT IS A REAL HONOR.

BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN

BALD EAGLES NESTING FOR A

VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

>> Rooney: AND CAPTAIN

LINDA GREENLAW TOMORROW AT

7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.