The Boch Center’s City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program Returns to Inspire the Next Generation of Boston Leaders
The City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program is an award-winning program that equips teens with the tools to lead, create, and drive change- on stage, in their schools, and throughout their communities.
**Advocacy Day at the Massachusetts State House to Take Place on Wednesday, July 16**
Boston, MA (July 15, 2025) – The Boch Center, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit performing arts institutions, announced the launch of this summer’s award-winning City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program. During the paid six-week youth employment program, Boston teens will develop leadership skills using the performing arts. These creative young adults represent 12 Boston neighborhoods and 21 different Boston-area schools. Since 2012, the program has employed over 700 teen leaders.
City Spotlights is a unique youth employment program that empowers local teens to become leaders in school, at home and in their communities by using their creative voices. Core components of the paid six-week program include leadership training, community advocacy, and job readiness, each of which helps teens develop skills necessary to navigate the rapidly changing 21st century. Program highlights include an advocacy day at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, July 16, a flash mob tour across Boston on Wednesday, July 23, a series of community workshops, and an original artistic showcase on the Shubert Theatre stage on Wednesday, August 13.
“I’m consistently inspired by the passion and potential our teen leaders bring to this program,” said Corey Evans, Vice President & Senior Director of Education at the Boch Center. “This year’s cohort is already demonstrating a strong commitment to using the arts as a tool for social change. I look forward to witnessing how they channel their creativity and leadership to strengthen their communities and shape a brighter future.”
The City Spotlights Leadership Program is recognized locally and nationally as an exemplary model for arts education and creative workforce development. In July 2016, City Spotlights was awarded the Ann Flagg Multicultural Award from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. This national award recognizes significant contributions to arts education for youth dealing with multicultural issues and/or reaching diverse audiences and constituencies.
Tomorrow, July 16, 2025, Boston teens from across the city will head to the State House to urge lawmakers to advocate for protections, support, and respect of all immigrants. Teen Leaders will explore the effects of xenophobia while dismantling historically harmful stereotypes with a goal of honoring the history of immigration in our country and uplifting humanity.
WHAT: City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program Advocacy Day
WHEN: Wednesday, July 16 at 10:30am
WHERE: Massachusetts State House Grand Staircase
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About the City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program
City Spotlights Teen Leadership Program is a nationally-recognized work-study program for underserved Boston teens (meet this years’ Teen Leaders here). Aligned with the City of Boston’s youth job creation initiative, the program is designed for teens with raw leadership potential who respond better to creative environments not typically available in school. Through an arts-intensive format led by teaching artists and professionals, City Spotlights empowers youth to expand upon existing strengths, to take an active role in personal and professional development, and to become engaged leaders among peers, in the workplace, and in communities as Boston’s next generation of creative innovators and thinkers.
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 2016 landmark multi-year naming sponsorship with the Boch Family, the Wang Theatre remains 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 nonprofits 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.