Visit

Centrally located at the Boston Center for the Arts in Boston’s historic South End, SpeakEasy Stage is the perfect destination for a night of good food, good theatre and good company. In this section, you’ll find more information on how to get to us, where to park, where to eat before the show, and what to see in the meantime. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us at 617-482-3279, or [email protected]

Map & Directions

  • Directions by Public Transportation

    MBTA Orange Line
    Take the T to Back Bay Station. Exit the station on the Clarendon Street side. At Clarendon Street, turn right. Walk to Tremont Street (you will cross Columbus Avenue, Appleton Street, Warren Avenue, and Montgomery Street). At Tremont Street, turn left and walk one block. The BCA will be on the left.

    MBTA Green Line
    Take the T to the Copley stop. Walk one block down Boylston Street with the traffic (Copley Square will be to your right) to Clarendon Street. Turn right on Clarendon Street and walk to Tremont Street. (You will pass the Hancock Tower, the Hard Rock Cafe, Columbus Avenue, Appleton Street, Warren Avenue, and Montgomery Street.) At Tremont Street, turn left and walk one block. The BCA will be on the left.

    MBTA Bus #43
    The #43 bus travels along Tremont Street between Park Square and Dudley Square. Ask the bus driver for the proper stop.

  • Directions by Car

    From Storrow Drive Eastbound
    Take the Copley exit onto Clarendon Street. Continue along Clarendon; at Tremont Street, turn left. The BCA is on the first block on the left.

    From Storrow Drive Westbound
    Take the Copley exit and turn right onto Beacon Street. Take the first left onto Clarendon Street. Continue along Clarendon; at Tremont Street, turn left. The BCA is on the first block on the left.

    From Route 93 Southbound
    Take the I-90 exit, Exit 20, towards Worcester/Albany Street. Take the Albany Street exit on the left towards South Boston. Turn a slight right onto Albany Street. Turn right onto East Berkeley Street. Turn left onto Tremont Street. The BCA is on the first block on your right.

    From Route 93 Northbound
    Take Exit 20 towards I-90. Take the Frontage Road exit on the left towards South Station. Make a slight right onto New Frontage Road/Frontage Road. Turn left onto East Berkeley Street. Turn left onto Tremont Street. The BCA is on the first block on your right.

    From the Massachusetts Turnpike
    Take the Copley Square exit. Turn right onto Dartmouth Street. Turn left onto Tremont Street. The BCA is on the third block on your left.

Parking

Street parking can be difficult to find in the South End. If you are driving and plan to park on the street, we recommend that you arrive 30 minutes early to find a spot.

Valet Parking

Valet parking is available for $30 for many evening performances starting at 6pm through Exclusive Valet (617 421-9565). The valet stand is directly in front of the entrance to the Cyclorama at the BCA. Many local restaurants also offer valet parking and will keep your car while you enjoy both a meal and a show.

Parking Near the BCA/Calderwood Pavilion

There are several parking garages within walking distance of the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA:

  • Atelier 505 Garage

    505 Tremont Street (entrance to the garage is located on Warren Avenue, at the rear of the facility).

    Monday-Saturday: $24 for 2-10 hours.
    Monday – Wednesday after 6PM: $16.
    Thursday – Friday after 6PM: $20.
    Sunday: $21 all day.

    This garage often fills up early and does not validate. 617 262-8426. www.pilgrimparking.com

  • Back Bay Garage

    Entrance on Clarendon Street between Boylston and St. James Streets. Special $7 rate for evenings and weekends. Validation required from Box Office for weekend parking only. 617 266-7006.

  • Dartmouth Street Garage

    126 Dartmouth Street. Special $8 parking rate available after 5PM, Monday – Friday. Patron must surrender ticket stub when exiting garage. At all other times, parking rate is $9 per hour.  617 266-9046.

  • Garage @ 100 Clarendon

    • $10 parking after 5pm 7 days a week. This is a regular rate and no validation is needed.
    • $17 parking all day Saturday and Sunday with validation.
    • $17 parking 12:30pm-6:30pm on Wednesdays with validation. Valid only for Huntington Wednesday matinee performances at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

     

    Validation is available before the show at the Calderwood Pavilion Box Office. (If you forget to validate your ticket pre-show, please contact a Front of House staff member for assistance.) Garage office cannot reimburse for tickets that are not validated. 100 Clarendon Street. 617 275 0151. 100clarendon.com.

  • Open Lots on Berkeley Street

    There are two open parking lots on Berkeley Street at Columbus Avenue, across from the Salvation Army. Open until 10pm.

Area Attractions

Accessibility

SpeakEasy wants to make our shows accessible to all fans of the arts. To make that possible, we offer a wide range of amenities and accommodations for all visitors to the theatre.

  • Large Print Programs

    With advance notice, large print programs can be made available free of charge at each SpeakEasy performance. Please contact Jim Torres at 617-482-3279 or [email protected] if you need accomodation.

  • Facility Access

    The Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts is fully accessible. The Virginia Wimberly Theatre can accommodate both wheelchair and companion seating in the orchestra and mezzanine sections. The Nancy and Edward Roberts Studio Theatre can accommodate up to four wheelchair seats, depending on the seating configuration. There are accessible restrooms on both levels of the Calderwood Pavilion. The Atelier 505 Parking Garage provides handicapped parking in close proximity to the Calderwood Pavilion.

  • TTY

    The Box Office utilizes a TTY machine for Deaf individuals to place incoming telephone communication. Ticket orders‚ subscriptions‚ and special event information may be obtained by calling 617 424–0694 (TTY) or by faxing 617 421–9674.

  • Assistive Listening Devices

    The Calderwood Pavilion is equipped with an FM hearing enhancement system. Wireless headphones are available free of charge at the main lobby concessions. Assistive listening devices are made available to patrons at all performances.

Student Matinees

As part of SpeakEasy’s mission to bring thought-provoking and challenging works to the community, we partner with local high schools, middle schools, and advocacy organizations to provide student matinees at a discounted or zero-cost rate that supplements the educational experience. The productions in SpeakEasy’s matinee series are carefully curated, with particular attention paid to whether the show will be suitable for student audiences. We also work with teachers and schools to focus on more than just the productions themselves, and talk about themes that supplement the work already done in the classroom. We offer post-show Q&A’s, curriculum packets, and post-show talkbacks with artists. Our goal is to challenge students to think critically, and perhaps differently, about the experiences they have every day.

“Students returned with great enthusiasm about the performance.  Students in our choral and band programs were inspired by the authentic performances and an opportunity to experience music and the arts in a professional space.  [Other students], who were not able to attend, actually lobbied to be able to!”

–Dania Vasquez, Instructor (Margarita Muñiz Academy) 

In 2016, SpeakEasy brought in nearly 400 students to see matinee performances of The Scottsboro Boys. Thanks to generous sponsorship the vast majority of those students were from under-served schools around Boston, and attended at no cost. This year, SpeakEasy will hold matinees for our fall production of the Tony Award-winning musical, Fun Home and our spring production of School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play.

To receive more information about SpeakEasy’s Student Matinee Series, or arrange for a group, contact [email protected]

Click on the titles below for more details.

  • Fun Home

    Date: Wednesday October 24th & Wednesday, November 7th @ 10 AM

    Style: Heart breaking and fiercely funny, coming of age

    Themes: Celebrating the curiosity of childhood and complexity of family. LBGQ

    Venue: Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street (seats 220)

    SpeakEasy Connects Curriculum Guide will be available for download soon!

  • School Girls

    Dates: Wednesday May 8th, 15th, & 22nd @ 10 AM

    Style: Biting teenage comedy

    Themes: Friendships, feminism and Eastern Beauty Standards

    Venue: Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street (seats 200)

    SpeakEasy Connects Curriculum Guide will be available for download soon!

 

“Culturally enriching field trips matter. They produce significant benefits for students on a variety of educational outcomes that schools and communities care about. This experiment on the effects of field trips to see live theater demonstrates that seeing plays is an effective way to teach academic content; increases student tolerance by providing exposure to a broader, more diverse world; and improves the ability of students to recognize what other people are thinking or feeling. These are significant benefits for students on specific educational outcomes that schools pursue and communities respect … Not all learning occurs most effectively within the walls of a school building. Going on enriching field trips to cultural institutions makes effective use of all of a community’s resources for teaching children.”
From Jay P. Greene, Collin Hitt, Anne Kraybill and Cari A. Bogulski’s article Learning from Live Theater in Education Next, 2015.
To read full article, click here.

Color Purple Student Audience