It’s that time of year again.it’s getting colder, the leaves are changing and the Boston arts scene is in full swing. I know it’s hard to get outside the HBS bubble, particularly since there are no tunnels connecting us to Boston, forcing us to brave the arctic weather.but Boston has so much to offer in the way of arts and culture this time of year!
I’ve pulled together a very small sampling of personal recommendations below:
BOSTON BALLET – The Nutcracker
A perennial holiday favorite, the Nutcracker is being featured in Boston Ballet’s new home: the newly restored Opera House. Most of us may not have seen the Nutcracker since we were in elementary school, but it is absolutely worth seeing as adults! The Nutcracker is playing from November 27 through December 27, with both matinee and evening performances available on the weekends (and on a few weekdays too!). Boston Ballet also has a great student discount program where available tickets are sold for $20 starting 2 hours before the show at the Opera House Box Office-and all you need is your student ID. Alternatively, get a group together, and enjoy up to 50% off ticket prices.
www.bostonballet.org
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS – The Secrets of Tomb 10A
The MFA is currently featuring a special exhibit highlighting the contents of a tomb found at the site of Deir el-Bersha in Egypt by a joint Harvard University/MFA expedition at the start of the last century. The resulting collection introduces visitors to the concepts of death and the afterlife as well as the role they held in the lives of Egyptians during the Middle Kingdom. The Secrets of Tomb 10A is on view now through May 16th. Student tickets are $18, and Wednesday evenings after 4 p.m. are free (but incredibly crowded). The MFA also hosts First Fridays, where you can enjoy cocktails in the galleries the first Friday of every month. The last Wednesdays of every month are Winesdays, where you can enjoy an expert-led wine tasting.
www.mfa.org
AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER – Sleep No More
The ART is running a series of incredibly innovative works based on Shakespeare’s greatest plays. One of the highlights of this series is on now through January 3rd-and is very much not your usual play! Sleep No More takes place at an abandoned school, where Macbeth is played out alongside a Hitchcock story by actors in each room. It is an immersive production, where visitors wearing masks are as critical to the scene as the actors themselves. Each room is a mystery to discover-where you may find just an empty scene, or you may find characters whose storyline you can then follow around the building. I just went this past weekend, and I highly recommend it! It’s probably one of the most interesting and surreal experiences I have ever had. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure meets a haunted house meets Eyes Wide Shut. Student Rush tickets are available for $15 on the day of the performance, subject to availability. These are available by phone at 617.547.8300 or in person at the box office only.
www.american repertorytheater.org
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA – Carmen
Carmen is one of the most engaging operas-and a great “entry level” opera for those that have never been! This production highlights the passion of the story in a dramatic and theatrical style. Carmen is on November 6-17th at the Shubert Theater-and there are 50% off student tickets available at the box office during normal business hours. This is one of the few student offers where you can actually get advance tickets!
www.blo.org
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The BSO has a fantastic performance lineup this season. November features Beethoven, Stravinsky, Brahms and Debussy, just to name a few highlights. Tuesday and Thursday evenings offer a limited number of $9 (!!) rush tickets-probably the best deal in town! You can also attend open rehearsals for just $19, and they are a really interesting and much less formal experience. Also, due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the BSO is also offering $20 tickets to anyone under 40 (proof of age is required).
In addition, the BSO’s Holiday Pops, running the first two weeks of December, are a wonderful holiday tradition and a lot of fun (particularly since you can get drinks and snacks at the tables in the orchestra-area seats!).
www.bso.org
This is just a small selection of the many cultural activities in Boston! Hope you get out and try one of them!
AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY
Anna Pikovsky was born in the Ukraine but has lived in the Boston area most of her life. Arts and culture have always been a big part of Anna’s life-probably beginning when her parents dragged her kicking and screaming to the MFA at age 6. Last year, she served on the Board of Directors of the Citi Performing Arts Center (guardian of the Wang and Shubert Theatres) through the HBS Board Fellows program, and this past summer she worked with the Boston Ballet.
