December 22, 2025 | Theatre,

2025 In Review

We are only a few weeks away from the end of the year, and what a year it has been for us at ArtsEmerson! From our season kickoff in September, our fall has been packed with new and exciting shows from around the country. Before we welcome in the New Year, let’s take a look back at some of the shows and events we’ve had so far in the 25/26 season:

Our season began on September 19 with Kristina Wong, #FoodBankInfluencer at the Robert J. Orchard Stage in the Emerson Paramount Center. This hilarious and poignant sing-along musical show illuminated issues around American food insecurity and distribution. In conjunction with this show, ArtsEmerson hosted a Point conversation, The Point: Nourishing Change, which explored how artists, cultural organizers, and communities are and can respond to the intertwined food and housing crises with ingenuity and solidarity. Both The Point and #FoodBankInfluencer were hits among theater-goers, check out what audiences had to say on the show below:

After #FoodBankInfluencer came Hang Time from The Flea and Pulitzer Prize finalist Zora Howard. This sold-0ut show ran from October 9-12 at the Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theater and starred Kamal Bolden, Julian Rozzell, and Bryce Foley as three brothers who, during a conversation under an old tree, explore intergenerational bonds and the experience of Black men in America. Each performance of Hang Time was followed by a post-show talk back, covering various topics related to the show.

Halloween was a thrilling time at ArtsEmerson as we welcomed back acclaimed Chicago-based puppetry troupe Manual Cinema for their Macbeth-inspired production of The 4th Witch. This exciting new show used Manual Cinema’s signature effects of projections and shadow puppetry to tell the tale of a young girl who escapes war and becomes rescued by a witch who adopts her as her apprentice. As she becomes more skilled in witchcraft, her grief and rage draw her into a nightmarish quest for vengeance against the warlord who killed her parents: Macbeth. Every performance of The 4th Witch was followed by “Puppet Time” where audiences were invented up on stage to interact with the puppets in the show. On October 21, ArtsEmerson also hosted The Point: Something Wicked This Way Comes, a panel conversation that brought together artists, scholars, and cultural critics to interrogate the persistent demonization of women who wield agency, intellect, or independence. Watch what Boston audiences thought about The 4th Witch below!

The final fall production at ArtsEmerson was SpaceBridge, which ran at the Robert J. Orchard Stage from November 21-23. Created by Irina Kruzhilina, this delightful, moving, one-of-a-kind piece of documentary theater centered on the stories of children we seldom consider: Russian youth affected by the war in Ukraine. On stage, these Russian refugees were joined by their American-born peers to imagine a more welcoming world where new friendships can truly take root.

In addition to these four fantastic shows, ArtsEmerson had a great fall full of film programming. In September, we hosted CineFest Latino at the Bright Family Screening Room. This festival, committed to using the power of film to break stereotypes, bring cultures and communities together and reveal the complex issues affecting the Latinx community, included a number of screenings, including a shorts program and feature length films like Uvalde Mom, La Bachata de Biónico, Backside, Concerto for Other Hands, The Age of Water, and Prison Beauty Contest.

From October 16-19, ArtsEmerson and the Bright Family Screening Room also hosted the Boston Asian American Film Festival, which is an annual festival that empowers Asian Americans through film by showcasing Asian American experiences and serving as a resource to filmmakers and the Greater Boston Community. This festival had a number of shorts, world premieres, and feature length films, including the “Building Our Histories” shorts block and documentaries like The Rose: Come Back to Me and Between Goodbyes.

Did you have a favorite performance or event in 2025? Let us know in the comments and get ready for an exciting second half of our season, starting with Noli Timere opening on January 29 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater.