The Berkeley Beacon: Mark McLaughlin has been working as a stagehand at Emerson’s Colonial Theatre since he was 15. The 47-year-old works in the Colonial ‘fly room,’ a small space about 30 feet above the stage filled with ropes and counterweights used to change scenery during performances.
2 comments:
While it's sad that the Colonial is closing, especially because I know a lot of people in the Boston area have a special connection to this specific theater, I would rather read this article then a report of people who were hurt due to an architectural failure. I think that there's a bigger problem here than a theater closing. It seems like the people are concerned with the transparency of the administration and the fact that Emerson isn't telling people what's going to happen to the theater. Considering that this is a university space, I can empathize with the frustration of the employees. Saying that "they can find other work" is a cop-out answer. These people had jobs and now no longer do. Students need the space to learn, and the employees need employment. They deserve a higher level of transparency so they can act accordingly. I don’t know what’s going to happen to the Colonial, but I have a bad feeling that the administration is going to put it down, with the Majestic being the wonderful space that it is.
This news from the real world, is really quite sad. I grew up going to see shows at the colonial, when i was little I lived down the street. I have walked and driven by that theater more times than I can count. What may be worse is that Emerson, a liberal arts college doesn’t value the amazing space they have. The theater opened in December, 1900 and has held countless shows, it would be a true tragedy of Emerson changed the building from a performance space. I agree with welling that it would just be nice to know, speculating is just making me annoyed with the president of emerson, when there is always the outside chance they will just update the interior. I know that is highly unlikely with it being in such an amazing location, right on the park, but I can and will hold out hope that one of downtown bosons oldest houses will remain.
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