The Boch Center Partners With Boston Family Days

The Nonprofit Performing Arts Institution Joins Other Area Institutions to Expand Mayor Michelle Wu’s Program to Make Boston the Most Family-friendly City in the Country

Boston, MA (Thursday, March 20, 2025) – Mayor Michelle Wu recently announced the latest expansion of Boston Family Days during her State of the City Address. The Boch Center will be participating in the new pilot program which adds performing arts to the wide range of cultural institutions accessible to students and families for free. Families will be able to enjoy performances at seven of Boston’s leading performing arts organizations, which outside of the Boch Center includes ArtsEmerson, The Boston Ballet, The Huntington Theatre, the Boston Lyric Opera, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and The Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University.

The Boch Center is thrilled to participate in the Boston Family Days Program expansion by providing Boston K-12 students and their families access to professional performing arts experiences in Boston’s historic Wang and Shubert Theatres. Beginning April 2025, the Boch Center commits to providing up to 100 tickets to Boston families through the Boston Family Days Program, free of charge, to 3-5 shows per year. This program will be managed by the Boch Center Education Department in conjunction with its Ticket Access Program and will formally launch with 100 tickets for Riverdance 30 – The New Generation, on Sunday, April 13th, 2025.  Families will be able to sign up for tickets using the student’s ID number through a link that will be sent out by the City.

"The Boch Center is thrilled to team up with Mayor Wu and the City of Boston for Boston Family Days,” shared J. Casey Soward, President & CEO of the Boch Center. “We can’t wait to open our doors and welcome BPS students and families to our historic venues for some amazing performances in the months ahead.”

Boston Family Days is supported through a public-private partnership between the City of Boston and civic, corporate, and philanthropic partners. Supporters include Amazon, Barbara and Amos Hostetter, Barr Foundation, Bob and Michelle Atchinson, and Jim and Cathy Stone.

About the Boch Center Education Program:

Over the last 10 years alone, our FREE programs have reached nearly 300,000 children and families, including City Programs such as Boston Public Schools, futureBOS  Successlink, BCYF Centers, Boston Public Libraries, Boston Age Strong Commission, and more.

• In addition, our City Spotlights Leadership Programs have provided over 700 jobs for Boston teens that have included meaningful employment, leadership and advocacy training, as well as high-quality arts instruction for Boston teens.  We are very proud to cultivate the next generation of the Boston workforce. Year after year, we have young people who have graduated from our programs who come back to work with us during the summer program – a true testament that what we are doing is working!  
• Our In-school Residency program is a formal BPS Partner. Over the past 10 years, we have reached 8,246 BPS children through our in-school residency programs that are teaching children critical literacy and social-emotional skills through the arts.   
• Our community-based programs have reached nearly 15,000 children and families through our Interactive Readings: Stories Alive! and Ticket Access programs.  As a part of our Interactive Readings program, we were proud to host a World Read Aloud Day event in February with NYT Best-Selling Author Peter H. Reynolds, where we hosted 1,200 public school children in person at the Shubert Theatre and live-streamed the event to an estimated 50,000 students worldwide.
• We recognize that high ticket prices to professional shows can be a barrier to many families – to that end, we are committed to giving free tickets to our professional shows through our network of roughly 200 community-based organizations so that families can experience the magic of live performance regardless of socio-economic barriers.  Over the past 10 years, we are proud to report that we have distributed over 40,000 tickets free of charge through our ticket access programs.  This number does not include the over 4,000 tickets that we have distributed free of charge in this fiscal year (since June 1, 2024).  This has been an investment by the Boch Center of over 3 million dollars. 

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A Century of Excellence: The Wang Theatre’s Remarkable Journey

Developed by Max Shoolman and designed by architect Clarence Blackall as a grand “cathedral of the motion picture,” The Metropolitan Theatre opened in 1925. Its opulence quickly became a cultural centerpiece in Boston, known for its stunning Art Deco interiors and its capacity to seat over 3,600 guests, making it one of the largest theaters in the country at the time.

 In its early years, the Metropolitan showcased silent films, live performances, and lavish stage shows, becoming a popular entertainment destination. By the mid-20th century, the theater had adapted to the changing entertainment landscape and had been renamed the Music Hall, hosting concerts, touring Broadway productions, and hosting community events. However, as the years passed, the building fell into disrepair, and its future became uncertain.

 In the late 1970s/early 1980s, the theater was saved from potential demolition through the efforts of local arts advocates and the generosity of donors, including philanthropist Dr. An Wang, founder of Wang Laboratories. His significant contributions led to the theater being renamed the Wang Theatre and ushered in the era of The Wang Center for the Performing Arts in his honor. Extensive renovations restored the theater to its former grandeur, preserving its historic charm while updating its facilities for modern audiences.

Since a landmark multi-year naming sponsorship with the Boch Family in 2016, the Wang Theatre has remained a cornerstone of the Boch Center, serving as a vibrant cultural venue for world-class theatre, music, literary, Broadway, dance, and comedy performances, private/corporate events, and more, continuing its legacy as one of Boston’s most treasured landmarks.

About The Boch Center

The Boch Center is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic Wang and Shubert Theatres. As New England’s largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway musicals, family entertainment, and more.

Located in Boston’s historic Theater District, the Boch Center also offers a diverse mix of educational, cultural and community outreach initiatives, including the City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program and the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame; collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater Boston’s arts and cultural community. Learn more at bochcenter.org.