Boch Center
A Boston nonprofit performing arts organization that operates the historic Wang and Shubert theatres.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
The Boch Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization in Boston, Massachusetts. Its principal role is the management, preservation, programming, and community use of two major venues in Boston’s Theater District: the Wang Theatre and the Shubert Theatre. Together, the theatres provide a large-scale platform for Broadway productions, theatre, opera, dance, comedy, classical music, popular music, and touring entertainment. The facilities are also used for conferences, award ceremonies, galas, weddings, and other special events, and the Wang Theatre has served as a filming location for motion pictures. The organization’s principal venue has undergone several identity changes. The building now known as the Wang Theatre opened in 1925 as the Metropolitan Theatre. After approximately three decades it was renamed the Music Hall and later the Metropolitan Center. In 1983, An and Lorraine Wang provided funding for a major renovation, after which the theatre became associated with the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. The venue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has more than 3,600 seats, placing it among the largest theatrical stages in the United States. The organization expanded its venue-management responsibilities in 1996, when it began operating the Shubert Theatre under a 40-year lease agreement. The Shubert, together with the Wang, became the core of the organization’s Boston venue network. In 2006, a 10-year corporate partnership with Citigroup led to the name Citi Performing Arts Center. In 2016, the organization adopted the Boch Center name after announcing a long-term partnership with the Boch family. Beyond presenting performances, the Boch Center operates educational and civic programs. Its education department was established in 1988, followed by the Walter Suskind Memorial Education Fund in 1989. Programs described in connection with the center include City Spotlights Leadership Program, Teen Council, Target Arts, Interactive Reading: Stories Alive, and Ticket Access. These initiatives combine arts education, youth employment, leadership development, artist residencies, interactive storytelling, community advocacy, and access to performances for schools and community organizations. City Spotlights is a seven-week summer program for Boston-area teenagers that incorporates arts and leadership training, public performance, and community engagement. The Teen Leadership Council provides year-round opportunities for young people to create performances, lead workshops, advocate for social change, and volunteer. The Boch Center also produces ArtWeek Boston, a 10-day creative festival held twice each year according to the referenced description. The festival emphasizes participatory, interactive, and behind-the-scenes experiences and has featured more than 150 events or experiences. The organization maintains relationships with a broad range of Boston-area arts groups, including the Celebrity Series of Boston, Fiddlehead Theatre Company, Handel and Haydn Society, American Repertory Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, World Music, Dance Umbrellas, and Express Yourself. Its historic venue-management work has also included past involvement with the Emerson Colonial Theatre and the Strand Theatre. The center’s present identity therefore combines historic theatre stewardship, commercial and nonprofit event presentation, arts education, youth programming, and community partnerships.
History
The Boch Center’s institutional history is closely connected to the Wang Theatre, one of Boston’s principal historic performance venues. The theatre opened in 1925 under the name Metropolitan Theatre. During the following decades it was known successively as the Music Hall and the Metropolitan Center, reflecting changes in its operating and public identity. A major turning point came in 1983, when An and Lorraine Wang donated funds for the renovation of the theatre. Following the project, the venue became the Wang Center for the Performing Arts. The restored theatre retained its importance as a large-scale Boston performance space and was later listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With a capacity of more than 3,600 seats, the Wang Theatre became one of the largest stages in the United States and a significant venue for touring productions and major events. The organization broadened its operating role in 1996 by entering a 40-year lease arrangement under which it began managing and operating the Shubert Theatre. The Shubert became the second central venue in the organization’s portfolio, allowing the organization to present a wider range of theatre, music, dance, comedy, opera, and Broadway programming in Boston’s Theater District. The two theatres also support non-performance uses, including corporate events, award ceremonies, galas, weddings, and other private or institutional gatherings. In 2006, a 10-year partnership with Citigroup resulted in the organization adopting the name Citi Performing Arts Center. This naming period represented a shift toward a corporate-supported identity while retaining the organization’s nonprofit arts mission and responsibility for the Wang and Shubert theatres. In 2016, the organization announced a long-term partnership with the Boch family and changed its name to the Boch Center, its current identity. The center’s nonprofit work developed alongside its venue operations. Its education department was founded in 1988, and the Walter Suskind Memorial Education Fund was established the following year. Educational activity has included programs for schoolchildren, teenagers, educators, and community organizations. City Spotlights Leadership Program provides a structured summer employment and arts-training experience for Boston-area teenagers, combining leadership development, community advocacy, and performance. The Teen Leadership Council extends youth participation throughout the year by supporting original performance creation, workshop facilitation, social-change advocacy, and community volunteering. Target Arts, founded in 2009 in partnership with Boston Public Schools and supported by Target Corporation, provides artist residencies in Boston schools. Interactive Reading: Stories Alive uses participatory storytelling to reach children in Boston neighborhoods, while Ticket Access distributes performance tickets through schools and community organizations in Greater Boston. The organization has also developed broader cultural initiatives. ArtWeek Boston is a recurring creative festival produced by the center and presented by the Highland Street Foundation. Its format emphasizes hands-on activities, interaction with artists, and access to creative processes beyond conventional performances. The Boch Center maintains partnerships with numerous Boston cultural organizations, including the Celebrity Series of Boston, Fiddlehead Theatre Company, Handel and Haydn Society, American Repertory Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, World Music, Dance Umbrellas, and Express Yourself. At various points in its history, the organization also managed or participated in the booking and preservation of other Boston venues, including the Emerson Colonial Theatre and the Strand Theatre. The Wang Theatre has additionally been used as a location for film productions, including Ghostbusters (2016), American Hustle, The Pink Panther 2, The Witches of Eastwick, and The Great Debaters. The Boch Center’s history is therefore defined by the preservation and operation of historic theatres, changing institutional partnerships and names, diversified live programming, and an expanding role in arts education and community engagement.
- 2016
Boch Center name adopted
[1]The organization changes its name from Citi Performing Arts Center to Boch Center following a long-term partnership with the Boch family.
- 2009
Target Arts program founded
[1]The center establishes Target Arts in partnership with Boston Public Schools, providing artist residencies in Boston schools with support from Target Corporation.
- 2006
Citi Performing Arts Center name adopted
[1]A 10-year partnership with Citigroup leads to the adoption of the Citi Performing Arts Center name.
- 1996
Shubert Theatre management begins
[1]The organization begins managing and operating the Shubert Theatre under a 40-year lease agreement.
- 1989
Walter Suskind Memorial Education Fund established
[1]The Walter Suskind Memorial Education Fund is created to support the organization’s nonprofit educational work.
- 1988
Education department founded
[1]The organization establishes its education department.
- 1983
Wang-funded renovation
[1]An and Lorraine Wang fund a renovation, after which the venue becomes associated with the Wang Center for the Performing Arts.
- 1925
Metropolitan Theatre opens
[1]The venue that later became the Wang Theatre opens in Boston as the Metropolitan Theatre.
Products and positioning
A historic Boston performing arts institution combining large-scale theatre operations with nonprofit arts education, youth leadership, community access, and cultural partnerships.
Historic performing arts venue · 1925
Wang Theatre
The Wang Theatre is the Boch Center’s largest principal venue and occupies a historic Boston theatre building that opened in 1925 as the Metropolitan Theatre. With more than 3,600 seats, it supports Broadway productions, theatre, opera, dance, concerts, comedy, touring entertainment, special events, and selected film productions. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Historic performing arts venue
Shubert Theatre
The Shubert Theatre is the Boch Center’s second principal venue in Boston’s Theater District. The organization began managing and operating it in 1996 under a 40-year lease agreement. The theatre hosts a varied program of live performance, including theatre, Broadway, music, dance, comedy, and other touring or community events.
Youth arts and employment program
City Spotlights Leadership Program
A seven-week summer program for Boston-area teenagers that combines paid or structured youth employment, arts training, leadership development, community advocacy, and performance. The program is designed to connect young people from Boston and nearby communities with practical creative and civic experience.
School arts residency program · 2009
Target Arts
An artist-residency initiative founded in partnership with Boston Public Schools. Supported by Target Corporation, the program provides in-depth arts residencies at Boston schools and connects professional artists with students and educators.
Creative festival
ArtWeek Boston
A recurring 10-day creative festival produced by the Boch Center and presented by the Highland Street Foundation. It emphasizes interactive, hands-on, and behind-the-scenes experiences involving artists and creative processes, rather than limiting participation to conventional theatre attendance.
Marketing campaigns
- Ticket Access
Greater Boston
A community-access initiative that provides tickets to performances through schools and community organizations in Greater Boston.
Outcome. The referenced material reports distribution to approximately 3,000 community organizations and schools each year.
- ArtWeek Boston
Boston metropolitan area
A recurring creative festival featuring participatory events, artist interaction, and behind-the-scenes access to creative work.
Outcome. The festival has been described as presenting more than 150 creative experiences during a 10-day edition.
Brand decisions
2016
Adoption of the Boch Center identityStrategyBackground
The organization announced a long-term partnership with the Boch family after a period operating under the Citi Performing Arts Center name.
Action taken
It rebranded as the Boch Center.
Aftermath
The Boch Center became the organization’s continuing public identity for management of the Wang and Shubert theatres and its nonprofit programs.
2006
Adoption of the Citi Performing Arts Center identityStrategyBackground
The organization entered a 10-year partnership with Citigroup while continuing to operate its Boston performing arts venues.
Action taken
It changed its public name to Citi Performing Arts Center.
Aftermath
The Citi identity remained in use until the organization adopted the Boch Center name in 2016.
Sources1 sources
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